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Essay Available:
Pages:
3 pages/≈825 words
Sources:
Check Instructions
Style:
MLA
Subject:
Literature & Language
Type:
Research Paper
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
$ 12.96
Topic:

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Research Paper Instructions:

You will write a literary analysis paper on a short story you have read for this class. The essay should move from observation of particular details to an interpretation. Before you start writing, you will want to think about the details and the pattern they form so that you can present a clear statement right away as to their prominence in the text. Then, identify a theme or issue that helps your reader understand the pattern of details and state very clearly what you think the text is saying about that theme or issue. This statement will be your thesis, and it should come in the first paragraph. Some common themes and issues are: coming-of-age, family, death, youth, materialism, identity, feminism, gender, homosexuality, unconditional love, revenge, and so forth. Remember that literary themes are in essence issues, possibly social issues an author may be trying to convey to his readers. Through the recurrence of the theme and its prevalence, a literary work usually will imply or project a view about the issue.
Below are example theses:
Left behind by his best friend who ventured off to his first year of college, the narrator from “Drown,” by Junot Diaz is forced to find his sexual identity as he revisits the places he and Beto frequented together.
Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” illustrates the role of female and the futility of living as a female in the 19th century where independence is only achieved in death.
Gregor Samsa, from Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” becomes a bug and eventually withers away because he no longer wants to take on the traditional role of the male breadwinner in society.
Your paper must be:
• typed, double-spaced, in Cambria or Times New Roman 12-point font
• includes a thesis, topic sentences, body, and a conclusion
• includes quotations and/or paraphrases from the text for support
• in MLA format
◦ has a title, plus your name, my name, class, and date on the upper left corner
◦ includes a page number on the upper right hand corner with your last name
◦ has proper in-text citations
◦ contains a “Works Cited” page (author names must be alphabetized and etc.)
◦ 3-5 pages

Research Paper Sample Content Preview:
Subject and Section
Professor’s Name
Date
The Lottery
Literature portrayed many aspects of life that are often neglected. Most of the time, people overlook complex things to try to make everything simple and vice-versa. An example of this is making a person’s life simple when it has to be complex, with many considerations. One of the pieces of literature that did this is Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery. This story illustrates violence and ruthless persecution via relentless social manipulation, ignoring the complexity of life and making a straightforward decision to end it via sheer luck.
There are many times that Jackson demonstrated violence and ruthless persecution in this short story. First, these were depicted in contemporary society through a bandwagon ideology. The people in the community are manipulated to choose between good and evil. As one person chooses, some people vividly observe and blindly follow this person’s choice. Jackson illustrated that Tessie, along with everyone else, was enthusiastic about joining the town’s lottery in the beginning. Everyone was excited about whoever would be the lucky-unlucky person who might be able to pick the marked paper and be stoned to death, even when they had a subconscious fear of the afterlife. At first, violence in their actions was not evident. However, the excitement of one community-dweller perpetuated and made the other townsfolks excited even though their eagerness might lead to the death of one of them. They felt like it was exhilarating, and the price to be paid was not magnanimous. This is despite others faking their words and reactions.
Second, violence and persecution can also be seen as a means of following a tradition. Despite their reluctance to the idea, the townsfolks still participate in the lottery for an unknown reason, making tradition a manipulator of one’s perspective. It was conducted annually around June 27th or 26th if the other towns have a larger population. Every time the lottery was due, all the activities in the community stopped so that all people could participate. The schools closed, and work was temporarily stopped. All people gather in one area and position themselves by the family until the event starts, and the time to pick the biggest loser will be over (Jackson). The Lottery illustrate...
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