(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Theme of Shirley Jackson's

            Shirley Jackson's short story presents us with a view of the inhumanity, unfairness, and cruelty in the world. She draws on the fact that everyone, no matter if traditionally or spontaneously done, has some form of cruelty or unfairness within themselves and also how society influences the action of out children.
             This story takes place in a small town that practices a traditional lottery. The lottery, usually associated with a monetary prize, is now associated with death by stoning. This unfair treatment is a perfect example of the way society can treat individuals inhumanely or cruel. Mrs. Hutcherson's death was chosen by a slip of paper; this showed how society does not give you an option but takes your life in its hands and controls it the way it wants. Ms. Hutcherson's death by the lottery was the realization of the way life comes and goes before be know it because of society and its views about the treatment of individuals. .
             Society also decides how they will treat someone beforehand without emotional remorse if the treatment hurts the person emotionally or physically. For example an immigrant's life is basically laid out for him, to be shunned by the natives and treated as an outcast. The immigrant has to struggle more than the natives to prove that he or she can do just as well as the natives. Jackson's exaggeration on society's treatment of people showed me how society randomly picks out people of shun and treat inhumanly for no apparent reason.
             Finally Jackson showed how society influences the behavior of our children. The children in the story are not portrayed as innocent beings; they are more brutal than the adults. The children begin the story in preparation of the stoning; they gather stones before the lottery even begin picking out the smoothest and roundest. They act as if the death of someone is just a game because in the end they are also the first to begin throwing rocks at Ms.


Essays Related to Theme of Shirley Jackson's

1. Shirley Sherrod Fired Over Racist Comments

Shirley Sherrod didn't get any second chances, according to her former place of employment, the Agriculture Department, who claim to have a zero-tolerance policy on racism. When a video clip dated from March 27 surfaced at BigGovernment.com, Sherrod was immediately forced to resign from her position as the Georgia director of Rural Development ... Sherrod describes the "first time I was faced with having to help a white farmer save his farm" (Fox News). Sherrod is addressing members of NAACP who are heard laughing as Sherrod replays her experience. Sherrod incriminates herself when she remarks...

  • Word Count: 531
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Analysis of The Novel A Land Remembered

... wild and untamed lands of Florida. They start out eeking out a living from the earth, but over time learn to round up wild cattle and drive them to market. Over time, the family fortune turns to orange groves (gold growing on trees), a common, if not cliché theme among Florida's oldest ... families. What makes the novel work is not so much its straight forward plot. It is the realism involved in what the family faced through the years, the common struggles of those who lived through the pioneering days of Florida's rich history. Floridians especially ... No one is perfect. Everyone is ...

  • Word Count: 399
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Dr. Murray Tried for Manslaughter of Michael Jackson

... . Conrad Murray, the personal physician of the late Michael Jackson, took a turn for the worse after the 911 call was played to jurors on September 29th. Murray chose not to call for an ambulance for nearly ... know CPR?" although he was the doctor on hand. Murray then calmly told Alvarez that the singer had "a bad reaction" and needed to be taken to the hospital. However, instead of calling an ambulance right away, he collected medical vials and pill bottles and instructed Alvarez to put them in a bag. The most suspicious evidence so far is that Murray asked ... ...

  • Word Count: 528
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. The Future of Geothermal Energy

Geothermal energy is the way of the future. It is clean. It is always available. In addition, it is already being used successfully. One only has to see its theoretical uses, its ... buildings may cost a little more than the usual heating and air conditioning systems initially but end up paying for themselves. The reduced cost of running and maintaining a geothermal pump, as opposed to traditional means of heating and cooling, saves money in the long run and are better for the environment. They provide clean running energy. By observing the ... to implement changes that will allow for easier...

  • Word Count: 432
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography

5. Defense Secretary Panetta Announces Formal End of Iraq War

... in Iraq on December 15th - nine years after US forces stepped foot on the foreign ground. US troops initially staged a war to rid Iraq of the weapons of mass destruction that they were thought to possess, but after almost a decade in the hostile country, no such weapons were found. Instead, the nine ... and provided Muslims with a solid foundation for their hatred towards Americans. With American troops absent from the country, Iraq has a long and arduous road ahead of rebuilding (Shanker). "Let me be clear: Iraq will be tested in the days ahead - by terrorism, and by those who seek to ...

  • Word Count: 292
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Cain's Sexual Harrassment Accusations Lead Him to Believe He is Victim of Smear Campaign

... campaign, presidential candidate Herman Cain suddenly recalled the financial settlement he was a part of years before. In the late 1990's, as the head of the National Restaurant Association, Cain battled two sexual harassment claims involving two different women, although he later remembered the first accusation and denies remembering the second accusation altogether (Oliphant). "My ... that he did not recall such an instance, but when pressed later by radio host, Laura Ingraham, Cain suddenly remembered the instance. "The word settlement suggested to me some sort of legal settlement,"...

  • Word Count: 530
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Controversial Death of Army Private David Jones

... wound to his head. That was it. They didn't say anything about anything else," his mother recalls (FOX23news.com). She also reported, "We were told he was shot by one of those very long rifles and there's no way he could have done it himself. There's no way this was suicide" (Grondahl). Also pointing to the fact that Jones' death could ... be more than a suicide is the cryptic message he left for his girlfriend. "I love you," he told her. "By the time you get this, I will be gone" (Bailey). The Department of Defense has yet to confirm his death because of a policy of a 72-hour waiting p...

  • Word Count: 539
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Analysis of Brig. General Peter Talleri's Visit To Camp Taji

... the area. One thing that was a little different was a visit by Brig. General Peter J. Talleri to Camp Taji. Talleri is the commander of the Defense Distribution Center and is stationed in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania. While in the area, he also visited the Iraqi Army's General Truck Regiment ... . He met with Iraqi Colonel Muhammad and was given updates of their progress and discussed future improvements. "We are working together, in a partnership, to build a bridge with our experts to grow the capability the ... Coalition forces killed two enemy fighters during an operation near Mosul. ...

  • Word Count: 444
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Israelis Protest Unaffordable Cost of Living

... took to the streets demanding social justice. These protestors called for government price controls, equal standards in the outskirts of the country as those in the center, free education from birth, free university tuition, quality healthcare for all citizens, and better salaries ... . We aren't here to whine, we aren't here to complain. This is not the cry of spoiled people, this is not the cry of people who want the country to solve their problems, this is the cry of people who want to be more involved in the way their taxes are spent" (Hartman). Because ... consumer, but the nation a...

  • Word Count: 523
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography

10. Obama Reaches Out to the Chamber of Commerce to Help Businesses Recover

... recession, President Obama promised to make government an ally. "We can, and we must, work together," he told the US Chamber of Commerce. "Whatever differences we may have, I know that all of us share a deep, abiding belief in this country, a belief in our people, a belief in the principles that have made ... America's economy the envy of the world." He then continued on to promise that his administration will "help lay the foundation for you to grow and innovate" ... the regulatory system" (Dennis). In an attempt to reconcile the differences between his administration and the US Chamber...

  • Word Count: 1052
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question