Shirley Jackson, author of "The Lottery," writes about the possible negative consequences of blindly continuing and not questioning tradition, and how violent acts can occur in any unexpected time or place. He showcases these ideas and many more by discussing a "lottery" that takes place every year on June 27, where names are drawn for said lottery and the field is narrowed down to one individual, and that person is stoned to death to repay the misdeeds of the entire city, even if this person is completely innocent. Jackson writes to show the madness behind the mentality of killing someone based on something they have absolutely no control over, in order to abolish the belief that women and people of color were inferior during his lifetime, 1919 to 1965. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay that Jackson writes for an audience of everyone from middle school students to college students, as there is a lesson to be learned by people of all ages in “The Lottery.” Jackson starts with a happy environment where everyone is gathered to draw people into the story, and then exposes them to the harsh reality after they've already been drawn into it. He uses adjectives such as “bright and sunny,” “warmth,” and describes “the flowers bloomed profusely” and “the grass was richly green.” These descriptive terms are used to set the tone in a happy way and entice people to listen to what you have to say. Use this strategy to show how these social problems may appear to outsiders until it's too late. Often with social issues, especially during Jackson's lifetime regarding discrimination against sex and race, nothing was done to resolve these issues until the damage was virtually irreversible. After the initial tone of happiness and well-being is established, Jackson turns to the intensity of the lottery draw and sparks the reader's curiosity about what will happen to the "winner." It uses our curiosity to keep us engaged in reading and to introduce the negative consequences that might arise from not questioning tradition. On page 180, starting at line 30, the town men discuss how many other towns are eliminating “the lottery.” They talk about how ridiculous it is that these other cities dare to question tradition. They think that since it has always been this way, it should always remain this way, even if it is unethical. This is very similar to the civil rights mentality in Jackson's time. People believed that because black people had always been treated that way, they should continue to be treated that way, even if they had no control over the color of their skin. To close the story, Jackson lets us deduce that the "winner" of the "lottery" is stoned to death for the sole fact of having randomly extracted the piece of paper with the black dot on it from the black box. The song talks about the inhabitants of country and how each of them carried at least one stone to hit the woman, including children This furthers the idea that people are hurt or discriminated against for no reason other than the fact that they were born with a certain quality or, in this case. , was the only person to draw this marked piece of paper. This also introduces the idea that unnecessary violence against a person or group of people can occur at any time, place and for any reason. Keep in mind: this is just an example. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers Get a custom essay "The Lottery" could be interpreted in.