PAPER Topics

Start of Term Paper
"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, is a short story written "to shock the story's readers with a graphic demonstration of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives." Upon first reading "The Lottery," it seems to flow smo ....

Middle of Term Paper
... question we must ask is why are the boys piling stones up in the village square? At the very least, we can see that the stones will reappear at the end of the story. Another major aspect of the story is how Jackson used people's names to make a point. First of all, Mr. Summers is the one running the lottery. Summer is just around the corner and the lottery must be held for it to be a good one. The man who also helps with the lottery is named Mr. Graves. That gives us a hint that death is involved. Old Man Warner "warns" the town against change. Finally, when Tessie enters the crowd she sends a farewell to Mrs. Delacroix. The word "fa ...