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The Meaning Of Christmas In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

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“Lottery in June, Corn be heavy soon,” says Old Man Warner; Witches were commonly stoned to death because they ‘caused’ bad harvests in the time that “The Lottery” took place. Everyone that goes to Shirley Jackson’s lottery seems to have forgotten the meaning behind it. Many other ceremonies also have forgotten meanings.
Christmas is one of these ceremonies that seems to have lost its original meaning. Most people think Christmas is just a reason to give and get presents. In reality, Christmas was a holiday in which Christians celebrated the birth of Jesus, the Son of the Christian God. Christians that were ‘rich’ gave freely and voluntarily to the poor that would wait at their door. Everyone would drink and go crazy inside the large churches, …show more content…

One would celebrate Valentine’s Day by giving another person cards and chocolates, right? Wrong. That may be what it is now, but originally, women would line up to be whipped because they thought it would make them fertile. Then, young men would draw the name of a random teenage girl, and they would be a “couple” for the rest of the festival, or longer if it was a good match. Pretty weird, right?
Thanksgiving has also lost its meaning, but is one of the few that has not gained any unoriginal meaning or actions. At Thanksgiving, we feast on chicken, stuffing, and other things. This is exactly what one would do originally, though it might not be chicken or stuffing. Sadly, however, the meaning has been lost. The original meaning was that everyone held a feast in honor of God, and thanked him for everything they have been given. This is the true meaning of Thanksgiving.
Christmas, Valentine’s day, Thanksgiving, and more. So many holidays -- or traditions -- have lost their meanings, including the Lottery. Every one of these paragraphs represents one of many traditions that have lost their meaning. We just do what we do because we’re used to it. Who knows? Maybe the real meaning behind the Lottery is because they think the person with the black dot really is a

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