Essay+1+Assignment

ESSAY # 1 Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Darwin’s “Natural Selection”

In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” pay attention to the **literal** meaning of the text. Briefly describe the narrative: who tells the story? Where is the story set? Who are the major characters? Concentrate on the highlights; avoid too much detail when summarizing. Again, drawing a simple outline of the main points of the text will help you better analyze the text at other levels of interpretation.

** Analysis: ** Find what you believe is **symbolic** in the text. Explain the meaning of these symbols. There is a sense, from the very beginning of Jackson’s story, that an unpleasant event is about to take place in this village, even though symbolically, at least, “the fresh warmth of a full-summer’s day,” “flowers… blossoming profusely,” and “richly green grass” indicate peace and prosperity. In fact, Shirley Jackson herself once said, “The number of people who expected Mrs. Hutchinson to win a Bendix washer would amaze you.” Right from the start of the story, however, watch for symbols that serve to counteract any more benevolent reading. What might “the lottery” itself symbolize? And the “black box”? Why do most of the inhabitants of the village seem relatively blasé about the event?

** Application: ** Apply Darwin’s theory of **natural selection** to Jackson’s story. Outline an argument you wish to make about this literary text using Darwin’s theory to help you explain what some part of “The Lottery” may mean. To make you argument, you may analyze a character or characters, the lottery itself, the setting, symbols, a motivation, a goal, a result. Consider the following as possibilities, but explore other original interpretations too:
 * Does Darwin’s theory make the uneasy approval of the villagers of this ritual more understandable? Outline an argument you wish to make about “The Lottery” using Darwin’s theory to help you explain the point of the lottery itself.
 * Is the selection in the lottery in the story “**natural**”? Does this town’s ritual make more clear the distinctions Darwin makes between man-made “selection” and “natural selection”?
 * Why do you suppose other villages, much to the disgust of Old Mr. Warner, have “given up the lottery”? Might the other villages’ refusal to continue the lottery represent in some way Darwin’s idea of **adaptive** changes? How so?
 * Are any of Darwin’s points concerning **sexual selection** germane to Jackson’s story? Is it significant that a woman “wins” the lottery in Jackson’s short story?
 * Does Jackson’s story prove or disprove Darwin’s theory?


 * Other possible essay topics to consider: **

Compare the traditions and rituals commemorating the attacks of 9/11/01 with the ritual of “The Lottery,” analyzing the significance of the “meaning” of these rituals in relation to one another. Consider Shirley Jackson’s comment on her purpose in writing the short story “The Lottery”: “I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal ancient rite in the present and in my own village, to shock the story’s readers with a graphic demonstration of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives.” With this observation in mind, //identify, illustrate//, and //discuss// the key elements in the story that contribute to the final effect of shock and horror. Be sure to make clear how these various elements contribute to our understanding of the the story’s theme.

Remember that you’re writing your critical essay for someone who has already read Shirley Jackson’s famous short story, so there’s no need to summarize the plot for its own sade. Nevertheless, be sure to support your observations with //specific// references to the story. Keep quotations brief, and never drop a quotation into your essay without commenting on the significance of that quotation.
 * Tips: **

To generate material for your body paragraphs, consider, in particular, the importance of point of view, setting, and symbols. And remember to use the literary present in your analysis.