"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson (English 1302) Literature:Short Story

"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, is about a small village in which the citizens gather for a yearly lottery. On this summer afternoon, the town's citizens gather in the town square to take part in the yearly lottery by drawing slips of paper from the traditional black box that has been a part of the town for generations. Everyone in the town awaits this yearly tradition with anticipation, and most agree that it should continue …

…story is that throughout history society has witnessed and participated in many events where, in times of adversity, humanity has a tendency to randomly select a scapegoat as means of resolution. This kind of behavior can only change when people are brave enough to stop going along with the crowd when they realize something is wrong, and will step forward to fight against the senseless acts by corporate or government entities on the common man.