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    Critiques of 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson Examined

    Number of Pages: 8

     

    Summary of the research paper:

    In eight pages this notorious short story about the ritualistic murder of a town's 'lottery winner' is examined in terms of the criticisms it generated in a comparison between those before 1980 and those afterward. Six sources are cited in the bibliography.

    Name of Research Paper File: RT13_SA229Lot.rtf

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    Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
    what is most convenient? Many issues are addressed in this classic short story that brings up many ideas and criticisms about mans inhumanity to man. Although that is the  case, The Lottery is not black and white. Many different authors have had insights into this interesting but dark story that has startled millions over the years. A classic that  is often assigned as project work in High Schools and Colleges throughout the nation, the message persists in todays confused state and allows some reflection about life, decency, and intrinsic  morality in addition to basic questions about the meaning of human life. The critics that have reviewed this story have done so throughout the years, during the fabulous 1950s, the  tumultuous 1960s and even in later years, and it is interesting to discern just what different impressions authors have had concerning the statements made by Shirley Jackson in The Lottery.  Are people as outraged as they had been in the past? Hs the Vietnam War made people less critical, or are people more concerned about human life? In order to  determine whether or not critics views have changed, it pays to examine a few from each era. A look at three reviews that were written prior to 1980 will be  compared with three from the later time period. Elizabeth Janeway published a critique of The Lottery in a 1966 issue of The New York Times Book Review. This is  of course a prestigious publication that continues to come with the Sunday issue of the New York Times today. Janeway explained that The Lottery makes a stark impression on  people without having to actually make a statement about a moral (Janeway, 58) . The author does not have to talk about humanitys need to deflect knowledge in 

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