ipl-logo

Use Of Irony In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

474 Words2 Pages

In the short story, "The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson, the central idea is that sometimes, even though things may not be fair, we still have to do whatever that is. In the text the author writes, "'It isn't fair, it isn't right,' Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her"(Jackson 34, lines 328-329). It appears they Mrs. Hutchinson doesn't think what about to happen to her is fair, but it happens anyway, against her beliefs. In the short story, Jackson sets a certain mood, by using irony and pacing the text, helping to develop the central idea. In the short story there are many ways the author supports her mood. Jackson uses situational irony to set the mood as a warm and sunny place, which normally indicates a good day. The author

Show More
Related

  • Situational Irony In The Lottery

    478 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the lottery by shirly Jackson the author uses situational irony to describe how things aren't always what they seem and one little thing can turn someone's life upside down. situational irony to get the reader to believe the lottery is a good thing but little do they know it switches into a murder in this small town. The lottery takes place at the town square of a small village. The lottery has been around for many years and resembled tradition in the town.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Irony In The Lottery

    149 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Lottery of Death and Irony Many speak of the lottery of life, holding it accountable for its spirals and turns, misfortunes and surprises. However, a small, secluded town holds a very different lottery- the lottery of death. Shirley Jackson wrote The Lottery with irony, or an unexpected twist, to create a unique ending to an otherwise bland story. Although there are several types of irony, Jackson used situational irony, when what happens is different than what is expected by the audience, to its full extent.

    Read More

  • Shirley Jackson The Lottery Rhetorical Analysis

    871 Words  | 4 Pages

    While real life traditions are rarely so extreme, Jackson’s exaggerated fictional example emphasizes her point to great effect. By the end of the story, the audience is convinced that the town is wrong to uphold the lottery tradition, but Jackson is not really writing about a lottery; she is writing about how damaging it can

    Read More

  • The Lottery Rhetorical Analysis

    1000 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1948, when the New Yorker published Shirley Jacksons piece, “The Lottery,” it sparked outrage among readers, but could arguably be known as one of her most famous pieces of writing. In this short story, Shirley Jackson used literally elements such as imagery, diction, and symbolism to foreshadow the negative and harsh ending of the story; the harsh ending that sparked such outrage by society in the 1940’s. One of the main ways Jackson foreshadows the ending and true meaning of her short story, “The Lottery,” is through symbolism. Jackson uses the color black throughout the story.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    152 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," the author has demonstrated each symbol and the meaning that holds behind them. The black box is culturally known as a dark and evil color. It represents the fate of the people in town, and the three-legged stool is used as a support for the black box to lay on top of the object. Stoning is ancient.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    1033 Words  | 5 Pages

    “The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson is a very suspenseful, yet very shocking short story. This story is set in a small village, on a hot summers day in June. Flowers are blooming, and the towns people are gathering for the lottery, which is a tradition the town does every year. As the reader reads the first paragraph they think this is a happy story. The title also says, “The Lottery” which is a word often used for winning something or receiving a prize.

    Read More

  • Diction And Language In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    238 Words  | 1 Pages

    Shirley Jackson uses specific diction and language in order to convey an ominous tone in her short story “The Lottery”. In this short story, a small town holds a lottery every year, but this “lottery” is unlike any other. In the end, who ever wins this lottery is stoned to death, as all part of a ritual. According to the short story on pages 32 to 33, it states, “She hesitated for a minute, looking around defiantly, and then set her lips and went up to the box.” (32-33)The author uses the word “defiantly” which means “boldly, or rebelliously”.

    Read More

  • Essay On Symbolism In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    492 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Symbolism of The Lottery One big symbol that the short story is discreet about is the black box that is repeated throughout the short story symbolizes fear to adults which could affect even the most innocent. The black box appears to be the only paraphernalia that is still being used in the tradition of having a lottery. Mr. Summers is the one who is running the lottery at the time. Mr. Summers is seen as a nice man, however, when he is introduced, he is seen with the black box. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is a short story that uses the black box as a symbol to convey an underlying message that when the power of a tradition is given to a person, it could lead a crumbling society.

    Read More

  • How Does Shirley Jackson Use Dramatic Irony In The Lottery

    596 Words  | 3 Pages

    By incorporating dramatic irony into “The Lottery,” Shirley Jackson is able to convey a sense of understanding and compassion towards the character. This first instance of dramatic irony is where Tessie is pleading to the town’s people that they were unfair to her husband. “People began to look around to see the Hutchinsons. Bill Hutchinson was standing quiet, staring down at the paper in his hand. Suddenly.

    Read More

  • How Does Shirley Jackson Use Irony In The Lottery

    604 Words  | 3 Pages

    Right off the back she adds situational irony when she says “The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny.” This is ironic because the weather was portrayed as happy and pleasant summer day but the actual event that goes down is horrific and dark. Jackson then introduced a character named Mr. Summers, in paragraph four, who was described as “round face, jovial man.” This is ironic for two reasons, one being that his last name is Summers and that is usually thought to be a pleasant and fun time. The second reason is that he is actually the bringer of death but was still described as that “jovial man”.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Irony In The Lottery

    1191 Words  | 5 Pages

    Just because a tradition has been around for a long time doesn't mean you necessarily have to follow it, especially if you are against the outcome of being chosen. Living in a small village it might be hard to say “no” without getting judged by the other villagers, but at the end of the day you need to think about yourself and how the outcome will end up affecting your life. Shirley Jackson creates a suspenseful and captive story by using irony in “ The Lottery ”. Irony is a technique that involves surprising, interesting,or amusing contradictions or contrast (Teaching...1).

    Read More

  • Use Of Irony In The Hunger Games And The Lottery

    1446 Words  | 6 Pages

    Irony is often used in literature to illustrate certain situations to the audience. In some pieces of literature that might be pointing out an unjust system, in others that might be to add a comedic effect, but whatever situation the author wants to illustrate, irony is very beneficial. Through small and witty, one-liners, or a bigger dramatic irony situation contrasting two very different situations, irony can be very beneficial for the reader to understand the story. Both “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins have a corrupt dystopian society. Through the use of irony, the author can portray the corruptness to the audience.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

    926 Words  | 4 Pages

    This story still remains relevant in comparison to today. Simple towns people who speak to each other on a daily basis and joke around with each other all of the sudden turn around and kill one of their one. This story symbolized the change of heart within people when events go on. With various symbols, Shirley Jackson created the short story, The Lottery, to show society and what it has been and what it could be. One might even say that Jackson wanted to keep it in the mind of a ‘modern’ society that such things could happen again.

    Read More

  • Symbolism And Irony In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    227 Words  | 1 Pages

    The short story “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson, the plot in the story that it only gives people an account of drawing lots to determine the winner who shall be stoned to death for harvest. However, we get a deep impression of the characters and their fate after reading the story. Jackson indicated a prevalent theme, the indirect of characterization and using symbolism and irony to modify this horror story. The Allegorical story of “ The Lottery” is often regarded as a satire of human behavior and social institutions, and exemplifies some of the central themes of Jackson’s fiction, including the victimization of the individual by society, the tendency of people to be cruel, and the presence of evil in everyday life.

    Read More

  • Truth In Shirley Jackson's The Lottery

    1386 Words  | 6 Pages

    The struggle for truth has arguably inspired and produced the greatest achievements in human history. Truth is only attainable through change, and to change is to be open to truth. History's overwhelming presence of biases and dogmatism has contributed to stifled progress and deprived men from pursuing the truth. To oppose a viewpoint contrary to one that is strongly believed in, is characteristic of humans; however, few are open to change, even when confronted by the status quo. If observed, further, it is found that views which substitute the consensus for an objective standard have certain consequences which few would accept.

    Read More

More about Use Of Irony In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

Open Document