The Lottery by Shirley Jackson was first published June 26th 1948 in an issue of The New Yorker. This short story is about a functional town that holds an annual tradition known as “The lottery”. The town’s villagers gather in a square where the lottery is conducted, a black wooden box in which contained slips of paper sat in the middle of the square. The head of each household will pick a slip from the black box. The family that receives the marked slip then brings up every member of their family to pick another slip. The story takes a shocking turn when you find out that the family member who draws the slip with the black dot will then be stoned to death by the town’s people, which includes their own family. I will also be answering questions that relate to this short story.
Are there any American traditions that share similarities with the lottery tradition in the village? Please provide a link to an article that illustrates the tradition you choose to discus. Professional sports have become an important part of American culture. From college-level, professional and international sports - all have become a critical part of America today. The National Football League (NFL) has the highest average attendance of any professional sports league in the world. It has become a tradition to many. A recent survey indicated that being identified with a favorite team is more important to people than being identified with their work and social groups, and religion. When hundreds of passionate fans and their rivals mix it can escalate into violence and in some cases it can become fatal. This is similar to the mob mentality in The Lottery. When large groups of people gather, then can lose sense of what is morally right. Some protests that lead to riots are similar. In this article by Complex it list example of fan violence. When have you made an important choice to break away or not break away from a strong cultural tradition you shared with a family, friend, or culture? My mom and father have been separated since before I was born, so my older brother and I would spend our childhood going back and forth between their houses. The hardest part about the separation between the two was the difference between their traditions. My father’s house was much stricter when it came to pretty much everything. My father’s side held a lot more traditions than my mother’s like annual family reunions. As the years went on and I become older family reunions became less about family and more of an obligation because of this I ultimately stopped going, while my brother continued. I was the one to break away from the family reunion that was a traditions.
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