Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essay about consequentialism
Essay about consequentialism
Impact of using consequentialism
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Consequentialism may be the primary moral reason for the justification of stoning perceived in “The Lottery”, yet categorical imperative dominates moral reason depicted in the stoning that occurs in Iran. Sandel's lecture, “The Moral Side of Murder”, exploits the fundamentals of the categorial moral reasoning for murder as he states, “Categorical moral reasoning locates morality in certain absolute moral requirements, in certain categorical duties, and rights regardless of the consequences” (Sandel). The words “regardless of the consequences” are pivotal when considering the way an individual or group of people handle a certain situation that questions traditional morals. When a brutal law becomes part of tradition, a person may assume the
The limits of obedience to authority is an overall good idea and. In the short story, “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson, supports the thought that blind obedience will only lead to bad things. Authority does not have to be a person; it can be an item or belief. Obedience to authority can lead to the destruction of that group and groups should never blindly follow anything, especially when they feel as if it is wrong. Obedience should be regulated and only occur when the demand of authority is rational and reasonable.
In the story, The Lottery, there are many signs of duality of human nature. Many of the characters appear to be affected by the lottery at first, but towards the end their feelings start to change. Tessie, Mr.Summers, and Mrs.Delacroix all show two sides of humanity and they all generally appear to be good natured people, but are they really?
When someone is a part of or witnesses any one thing enough times, that person will become desensitized to it, whether it is gradually accepting abortion, homosexuality or anything else for that matter. People can even become accustomed to violent murder if it is ingrained into their lives enough. Take the Einsatzgruppen (Nazi Officers that were partly responsible for the death of millions) The Lithuanians showed them how to murder women and children, and they became accustomed to it (Cesarani 165). Shirley Jackson most certainly takes this "desensitization" into account when she writes "The Lottery." The characters in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" are so accustomed to their tradition of systematic, brutal murder, that they no longer feel any remorse for their murderous actions. The villagers carry out the lottery very nonchalantly, belittling human life itself.
Written by Shirley Jackson and published in 1948, “The Lottery” is a dystopian short fiction about a cruel and barbaric lottery ritual. The plot and characters illustrate that certain traditions ought to be abolished for the betterment of society. At the beginning of the story, the entire village gather around every year on June 27th to attend the lottery, which is mandatory. Once everyone arrived to the center, an old man named Joe brought a black box. Eventually, the heads of each family have to pull a ticket from this box, but they cannot be opened and must remain folded until everyone took their turn. Eventually, after everyone had their turn, everyone has to open up the paper and show it up for everyone to witness. If the head of the family pulled a blank ticket, then the family has nothing to
An obsession exists in the world today based solely upon the use of scapegoats. According to the dictionary, a scapegoat consists of a person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place. Some of the most influential scapegoats consist of Jesus Christ taking suffering for the sins of civilization, the Jewish population being punished for the problems in Germany, and more recently the U.S. citizens who perished in 9/11 being punished for the sins of America. Scapegoats have come in many forms over time and have been very destructive. The usage of scapegoats in our society, such as in Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, has proved to be damaging, and an end must be found in order to find peace.
“The Lottery,” written by Shirley Jackson in 1948, is a provoking piece of literature about a town that continues a tradition of stoning, despite not know why the ritual started in the first place. As Jackson sets the scene, the villagers seem ordinary; but seeing that winning the lottery is fatal, the villagers are then viewed as murders by the reader. Disagreeing with the results of the lottery, Tessie Hutchinson is exposed to an external conflict between herself and the town. Annually on June 27th, the villagers gather to participate in the lottery. Every head of household, archetypally male, draws for the fate of their family, but Tessie protests as she receives her prize of a stoning after winning the lottery. Jackson uses different symbols – symbolic characters, symbolic acts, and allegories – to develop a central theme: the
In Shirley Jackson’s "The Lottery," what appears to be an ordinary day in a small town takes an evil turn when a woman is stoned to death after "winning" the town lottery. The lottery in this story reflects an old tradition of sacrificing a scapegoat in order to encourage the growth of crops. But this story is not about the past, for through the actions of the town, Jackson shows us many of the social ills that exist in our own lives.
In the year 2012- 2013, though several 3.1 public high school students or 81 percent, graduated on time (Public High School Graduation Rates), how many students in that number truly gain the full education. Nowadays, education is necessary, which becomes a controversial issue between parents and the school. Either Charter or Public school encourages the development or improvement of the educational system to our young, beloved children. There are further charters out there which children can stay home, however, still learn enormous things. “Lottery” documentary film is about the controversy between public and charter schools, which tells the stories of four families who tried to find a better educational
“The Lottery” is a story which shows the complexity and capability of human behavior. Something immoral, like stoning a person to death once a year, is a normal occurrence. The main character, Tessie Hutchinson, is the victim of the lottery. Tessie is a character with a number of seemingly good characteristics, yet her surrounding culture rejects these characteristics. The majority of the people in the village has opposite attitudes and beliefs in comparison to Tessie’s. These attitudes and beliefs reflect her personal desires which quickly struggle against the culture’s expectations. Tessie is unlike the other villagers; she is initially indifferent to the lottery indicating her desires are unrelated to the lottery. Upon winning the lottery, Tessie changes and her personal desires to survive and reject the lottery emerge in her selfishness and outspoken personality. These struggles against the village’s expectations are shown through the culture’s emphasis on tradition and small town ties.
In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”, the author is able to entertain and enlighten the readers successfully. The interesting and profound topic of the story is partly the reason for drawing the readers in; however, the clever characterization of Tessie and the anonymous setting help to make the story more relatable as well as force the readers to feel sympathy for the characters. Although a story about a town devouring a member of its community is horrifying, there is a large meaning. Jackson effectively uses “The Lottery” to warn the readers of the dangers of groups.
In the short story “ The Lottery” the topic of indifference is subtly talked about through the actions of the characters. The villagers showcased indifference towards not only each other but towards the so-called “logic” of their tradition. All throughout the fifth and sixth paragraph the fact that the origin of the tradition and box are forgotten is mentioned a couple of times. The simple reality that the villagers had known what the result of the lottery would be, and yet no one did anything to stop it, proves that the town did not truly value nor care about it unless it affected them directly. The victim of the lottery, Tessie, mentioned how she “ . . .forgot what day it was . . ” showing her indifference to the date, but as soon as her
As we grow up, our parents’ views on what is morality good and bad is embedded into the way we see issues and situations. One ethical issue that splits society into two groups is the death penalty and accepting culpability. In the movies Dead Men Walking and Return to Paradise the death penalty is a controversy due to different perspectives. Moreover, there are ethical theories such as utilitarianism and ethical formalism that analyzes both of the movies from its viewpoints.
Lottery" was written shortly after World War II, however it is unknown as to when
In Shirley Jackson's, "The Lottery", human morals and values are thrown away all for the pride of winning something. What is it that they really win? When you win the lottery in this story, you actually win death by stoning. Isn't that ironic, people actually being competitive and getting excited about death in public. What morals or values do these people really have, and how are they different from what common society is thought today?
The Chance or The Law Nowadays, the issue of whether capital punishment should be abolished or not has been brought into a sharp flurry. A long time ago, there was a semi barbaric king who put people commit serious crimes into an arena. The author, Frank Stockton, was a famous American writer and novelist. He never tells stories by moralizing, instead, he uses a clever humor to poke at human foibles such as violence, greed and abuse of power. In his “, The Lady or The Tiger, ” the author uses two perspectives to show when a person gets punished is not the person who deserves it.