A Lottery is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of lots for a prize. However, in “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, a lottery is not what we all know it to be. Shirley Jackson uses irony as an essential theme throughout the story. The setting, plot and characters, all go hand in hand when uncovering the irony of the story. The setting set forth by Shirley Jackson in the beginning creates a mood of calmness and serenity.
Ambiguity in the Scarlet Letter In his 1850 novel The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s continual use of ambiguous and unclear elements allows him to “mingle the marvelous” and to give the book a certain air of mystery, permitting the reader to draw his or her own conclusions by constantly weighing the natural versus the marvelous reason for an event. To what extent can we say that the ambiguity and imagery are inextricably linked all over the story? Symbolism and allegory of particular events will be explained in a first part, and the study of Pearl’s meaning throughout the story will be done in a second part. To begin with, the prison door is described as having never known "a youthful era.” Yet, the wild rosebush that grows at the side of the portal is its saving grace. The rosebush represents kindness and forgiveness to the prisoners who must face either a prison sentence or a death sentence.
In both of these stories the authors use imagery to help drive home their main points, although in a somewhat different manner. In “Desiree’s Baby" Chopin uses imagery to hint at the “truth” and lead up to the ironic ending. While in Carver’s “Cathedral” imagery is used to reinforce his main theme of don’t judge a book by its cover. Now we will take a closer look at imagery, and examine the intricacies of how these great authors use it in their works. So what is imagery?
Old Time Rituals and Traditions The short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is about a shocking tradition that takes place in a small American village. She writes this story to send the message that old-fashioned attitude and values are important in societies. People resist change and follow thoughtlessly the models of their ancestors. One tradition of the villagers is called the lottery, it takes place every year in “the morning of June 27th,” is based on a drawing which has been practiced by every member of the village for as long as everyone can remember (Jackson 213). Throughout Jackson’s “The Lottery”, literary elements of symbolism, irony, and tone reveal the author’s perspective on the theme of rituals and traditions.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is an allegorical novel which uses symbolic characters and objects to convey the main theme centralised throughout the novel which is Civilisation vs Savagery. Golding represents the main conflict of Civilisation vs Savagery through the the conflict between the novels two main characters, Ralph and Jack. As the novel progresses Golding implies how different people influence the instincts of civilisation and savagery through Piggy and Roger. The Conch Shell and The Lord of the Flies are important symbols used by Golding to show deeper meanings to Civilisation and Savagery. The two main character of the novel are Ralph and Jack.
‘Why is Sixty Lights worthy of critical study and inclusion on the HSC Prescriptions List for module B- Critical Study of Text?’ The novel Sixty Lights has been included on the HSC Prescriptions List for Module B because it is worthy for critical study as it is a diverse piece of literature covering significant topics that have been ignored in the modern world. We enter the lyrical and image-laden world of Sixty Lights. It’s a tale, resplendent in colour and imagery, set across two worlds - the constrained and stilted world of Victorian England, and the chaotic danger and abandon of India. Gail Jones creates literature, like Shakespeare, but in this particular piece explores the significance behind photographs and what they represent.
How effective is the setting in revealing information about Maycomb? Settings in a novel is essential for the use the plot of a story and assists in depicting themes found in a novel through the use of characters and descriptive language in the novel. The effectiveness of this, helps a reader sense and determine a character's emotions and behaviours that link back to the theme/s of the novel. Harper Lee's prize winning novel: To Kill A Mockingbird, reveals the setting of Maycomb society around the concerns of ignorance, discrimination and hypocrisy. Maycomb society and it's setting is situated around the concerns of ignorance.
Pg 40 from; ‘It’s war. They’ve attacked’ to the end of the chapter. Comment on the importance of this extract and its relationship to the novel as a whole. Confusing and shocking, to the reader as much as the characters, this extract from ‘The Siege’ by Helen Dunmore is essential to the structure and development of the novel and also the novel as a whole. In this extract, Dunmore introduces war into the novel.
Comparative essay The theme of good versus evil in the novels Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card and Veronica Roth’s Divergent is explored by good characters overcoming obstacles in the pursuit of success. In both novels, their main characters suffer through difficult obstacles to achieve success. They even provide a setting which creates more obstacles for the protagonist. Both authors use different methods of conveying the story to the readers. When a person is faced with a problem, he would be faced with making a decision, how he would deal with that problem.
Summers had been successful in having slips of paper substituted for the chips of wood that had been used for generations” (Jackson 2). This can represent how men in older times were the ones to die, but now it’s the women’s turn. The lottery itself is symbolic. Normally, the lottery makes people happy because it is very beneficial to them, but not in this story. The lottery is a winning party to the people who lose and death to those who win.