Geneva Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Geneva - Assignment Example In adition to this, it was a center of governance and thus received fame just like the Duchy of Savoy was ruled by the Savoy family (Early, 2015). The reformers won the hearts of the people by convincing them that all human beings had fallen and were sinful. They also conducted constant preaching of the gospel to make people believe and understand the message they conveyed to the public (Early, 2015). The doctrine of predestination was taught in Calvinism and refers to Gods control of the universe and what happen in it. It states that God freely and unchangeably purposes whatever happens in the society There were 13000 people living in Geneva during Calvin’s theocratic rule. The Catholics wanted to crash and destroy the city to destroy protestant churches which were heightening competition for followers. This would have helped them to end rivalry for followers (Early, 2015). Geneva was well fortified and thus formed a formidable war machine. It had high walls and controlled gates, which could be very helpful during a war, attack. The Magnin relief could also be very helpful during a war crisis and could help in controlling attackers from entering the city (Early, 2015). The Escalade is the annual festival celebrated in Genera for the victory over Savoyard soldiers who attacked Geneva in December 1602 and wanted to make it their capital city. The Duke of Savoy wanted to take possession of the city (Early, 2015). The main characters that made the Geneva people to be strong in character is the strong belief in their religion. They also had prominent scholars who inspired them and made then have unwavering faith in God and their religion. In addition to this, their scholars were able to interpret the scriptures thus making them understand them better (Early, 2015). Calvinism shaped a society that believed in total depravity because the whole of human kind is sinful. They also believed in unconditional election because

Leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Leadership - Assignment Example The today business world faces numerous challenges; the economic world is actually characterized by the never unknown transformations of new technologies, ever growing and changing market demands and the global competition (Gardner & Schermerhorn Jr, 2004). There is a high level of uncertainties and complexities facing the workers in their various workplaces, and the job roles are becoming very ambiguous and the originations have found a new companion called change. The leaders who look at company matters for their personal gains instead of considering the organizational well-being usually because deep resignation, general mistrust amongst the employees and the citizens, in general. In this unpredictable business environment, demand for new original leadership is rising very fast. The lack of the public trust in the business world always has some consequences which are very dangerous to the many who enjoy the market system and that is why the development of unique set of business leaders who treat the very people who work for them as the backbone of their business and the key to success rather than some capital incentives for doing business is actually very essential (Dent, Higgins, & Wharff, 2005). Many people are going round looking for the actual meaning of their working life, looking for the leaders who can restore the much-needed trust, the ever needed confidence, optimism and the much-envied resilience. The society in the today’s world is in the constant need of innovative and sustained performance which is based on the much needed ethical values that usually go beyond the daily financial gains. The secret of leading the ever growing leading business organizations firmly lies in the slow development and some adoption and integration of authentic leaders who can actually give their employees the much needed guidance and together march on for a shared vision, and the authentic leaders who are competent enough

The History And Current Applications Of Behaviorist Theory

The History And Current Applications Of Behaviorist Theory Behaviorism is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. Behaviorism is the idea that behavior can be studied in a systematic and observable manner and according to John B. Watson; it should have nothing to do with introspection because introspection is too subjective (Goodwin, 2008). Besides John B. Watson there were others also interested in the study of behavior, specifically, Ivan Pavlov and Burrhus F Skinner. Behaviorism was a major change from earlier views because it discarded the importance of the conscious and unconscious mind and instead it attempted to make psychology a more scientific field, by focusing just on the observable behavior. Behaviorism had its earliest start with the work of Ivan Pavlovs and his research on the digestive systems of dogs that led him to the discovery of classical conditioning process, which demonstrated that behaviors could be learned through conditioned associations (Goodwin, 2008). This pap er will discuss the work of Pavlov, Watson and Skinner and how they contributed to todays behaviorist theories like cognitive behavioral therapy. It will also discuss how these early behaviorists theories are the same as todays behaviorist theories and how they are different. The History and Current applications of Behaviorist Theory Behavioral psychology, also known as behaviorism, is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning. Conditioning occurs through our interactions with our surroundings. Behaviorism proposes that behavior can be studied in an organized and observable way without consideration or thought of inner psychological conditions (Goodwin, 2008). There are two major types of conditioning in behaviorism, classical conditioning and operant conditioning. Classical conditioning is a technique used in behavioral training in which a naturally occurring stimulus is paired with a response. It involves taking a neutral stimulus (i.e. the ringing of a bell) and then pairing it with a naturally occurring stimulus (i.e. dogs salivate when presented with food). Continuing this pairing will eventually cause the previously neutral stimulus to induce the response without the presence of the naturally occurring stimulus (i.e. the dog will salivate with the ringing of the bell even when food is not immediately presented). The two components are then called the conditioned stimulus (the ring of the bell) and the conditioned response (the dog salivating) (Todes, 2002). Operant conditioning is a process of learning that uses rewards and punishments for behavior. With operant conditioning, a relationship is created linking a behavior and a consequence for that behavior (Skinner, 1954). Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson and Burrhus F. Skinner all developed significant contributions to the advancement of behaviorism. While Pavlov, Watson and Skinner paved the way for behaviorist thinking, what is left of their findings? If we take a critical look at cognitive behavioral therapy we can see how the early behaviorists ideas are still alive today and how these ideas have changed with time. In the late 1800s, Pavlov was studying the gastric function of dogs. Pavlov inadvertently discovered that dogs would salivate prior to the food being presented to them, and decided that his discovery of dogs salivating prior to the actual food arriving was more interesting than gastric functions, and changed the focus of his research (Goodwin, 2008). Pavlov began to experiment with the dogs using a tone to signal for food. Pavlov found that the dogs had begun to salivate with the tone without the presentation of food (Schwartz Lacy, 1982). Pavlov realized that this response is not a natural response and was a learned response, and he consequently called this response a conditioned response and the neutral stimulus became a conditioned stimulus. In Pavlovs experiment the tone was the neutral stimulus that became paired with the unconditioned stimulus which was the food. The unconditioned response of the dog salivating became a conditioned response to the conditioned stimulus of the t one (Beecroft, 1966). Pavlovs work became known in the West, mainly due to the writings of John B. Watson. Pavlov thus coined what we now know today as classical conditioning. Pavlovs research also had a direct affect on bringing behaviorism to the attention of the American public in the 1930s. John B. Watson is known as the founder of behaviorism however Watsons Behaviorism did not catch on immediately and in 1913 when he publicized his Behaviorist Manifesto, he was initially met with a lot of criticism and doubt (Goodwin, 2008). It was not until the early 1930s when behaviorism began to catch the attention of America, in part due to Watsons continued push on the public to recognize it as a valid theory in psychology. Finally after several articles were published citing the use of behaviorism as a way to improve lives, the public began to recognize behaviorism as a positive, meaning it could help to raise children more efficiently, improve marriages, improve business and overall help people to lead more productive lives (Goodwin, 2008). With Watsons book, Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It, behaviorism for the first time was given well defined goals, methods and thought (Goodwin, 2008). Watson made behaviorism a discipline that created a structure based heavily on the principle that learning is the key to development and behavior (Rilling, 2000). Watson and Rayner, in 1927, conducted a study that produced an intense fear of rats in a 9 month old boy they called little Albert. When little Albert reached for a white rat, Watson would make a loud noise that scared little Albert. Using classical conditioning, little Albert associated rats with the loud noise and shifted his fear with the noise to a fear of rats. Little Albert then associated rats, which have fur, to all things with fur (this is known as second order conditioning). With second order conditioning, little Albert formed an irrational fear of all objects that had fur (Mischel, 1993). Although Watson was asked to leave John Hopkins and essentially could no longer work in academia he continued to promote his belief in behaviorism until it finally caught the attention of the American public. The impact of behaviorism was huge, and was a school of thought that continued to dominate psychology for the next fifty years. Psychologist B.F Skinner advanced the behaviorist perspective with his theory of operant conditioning. Operant conditioning verified the effect of punishment and positive reinforcement on behavior. Operant conditioning consisted of two important factors, the response and the consequence (Skinner, 1954). If the consequence is positively reinforcing, then there is the likelihood of getting a similar response. If the consequence is punishing the likelihood of repeating the response is not probable (Mischel, 1993). Skinner conducted an experiment known as the skinner- box (Goodwin, 2008). In Skinners experiment a rat was put into a box with a lever. Each time the lever was pressed, food was released. The rat learned to press the lever to receive the positive reinforcement, food. When the food was replaced with shocks, the lever pressing stopped almost immediately due to the consequences of receiving a shock (Skinner, 1954). Similar results were produced by stopping the positive reinforce ment of food altogether in a process called extinction, but the operant conditioned response decreased at a much slower rate than when punishment was used (Goodwin, 2008). This kind of operant conditioning will also occur in the rewarding or punishing action when utilizing this same technique to elicit certain behaviors from a child (Schwartz, 1982). During 1950 to 1970 cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) became widely utilized and was inspired by the behaviorist learning theories of Ivan Pavlov, John B. Watson and Clark L. Hull (Rachman, 1997). In the United States, psychologists were using B.F. Skinners behaviorism and applying it to clinical work and much of this work was focused towards severe, chronic psychiatric disorders such as psychotic behavior and autism (Rachman, 1997). The therapeutic approaches of Albert Ellis and Aaron T. Beck gained popularity among behavior therapists. These systems included behavioral elements and interventions that focused primarily on problems in the present. Elliss system began in the early 1950s and was called rational therapy and is one of the first forms of CBT. (Ellis, 1975). Aaron T. Beck developed cognitive therapy in 1960 after being inspired by Elliss work and Becks cognitive therapy became a favorite intervention technique to study in the psychotherapy research in academic settings. I nitial research focused on comparing this cognitive therapy with behavioral therapys to see which was more effective (Beck, 1975). During the 1980s and 1990s cognitive and behavioral therapys were officially merged into what we now know as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) (Rachman, 1997). Samuel Yochelson and Stanton Samenow introduced the idea that CBT approaches can be used successfully with the criminal population (Yochelson and Samenow, 1976). In conclusion, behaviorism is based upon observable behaviors, so it is easier to measure and collect data and information when performing research. Effective therapeutic techniques such as intensive behavioral intervention, rational therapy and CBT are all rooted in behaviorism. These approaches are often very useful in changing maladaptive or harmful behaviors in both children and adults. Some differences between todays CBT and behaviorism is that behaviorism is a one-dimensional approach to behavior and that it does not account for free will and internal stimulus such as moods, thoughts, and feelings. Behaviorism also does not account for other types of learning, especially learning that occurs without the use of reinforcements or punishments. Behaviorism does not take into account that people are able to adapt behavior when new information is present, even if a prior behavior was established through reinforcement. Behaviorism without the addition of cognitive influences is not en ough. When we can get an understanding of the thinking behind the behavior we have a better chance at changing it. In the words of Stan Samenow change the errors in thinking and we can change the behavior (Yochelson and Samenow, 1976).

Death Through Sacrifice :: Greek Culture Traditions Papers

Death Through Sacrifice Death is one of the most terrible things we humans have to go through. Where do we go after death? Is there a Hell or a Heaven? These are questions that still remain without answers. Since remote times, men have wondered about this, but not even technology has helped us to find answers. Some people are said to have answers; it is true they do have answers, but answers that mainly fix their religious beliefs. Almost all religions have a theory about death, but they vary from one to another, and sometimes the difference is big. But have we ever wondered: How long have cultures and religions proposed theories for life after death? The answer is, since millions of years ago. If we go to ancient cultures, like the Greek or the Aztec cultures, we can recognize their theories to be really close to our own. The idea that there is a hell and a heaven, and after death you are judged --if you were good during your life you go to heaven; if not, you are punished in hell-- still remains in present cultures. Even though the theories may have many similarities, there are a few aspects related to death in ancient culture that we see as obsolete and horrifying. An example of this is sacrifice. In today?s society, sacrifice is not legal, and it is considered cruel and barbarian. This is the way most people view animal sacrifices because we do not even consider human sacrifices to be possible. In ancient cultures, both animal and human sacrifices were normal. For many cultures it was an absolute necessity for human survival because if food was not offered to the gods then they could not keep the world going. If we analyze some of the oldest cultures like Greece and the Aztecs, we can see that even though they both practiced sacrifices, the way they did it and to what extent, varies considerably. For example, the Greek practice both animal and human sacrifices, but not so often; while in the other hand, the Aztecs practiced mainly human sacrifices and very often. The Greeks have a long history with sacrifices: "We see in Greece a society in which the basic ritual acts in daily practice are of a sacrificial type. For nearly ten centuries, guided by immutable cultic statutes, the Greeks never failed to maintain relations with the divine power through the highly ritualized killing of animal victim, whose flesh was consumed collectively according to precise strictures" (Detienne and Vernant 1).

Hedging Currency Risks at AIFS Essay

1. The final sales volume and the final dollar exchange rate gives rise to the currency exposure risk. Prices are set 1 year ahead of time so any fluctuation in the exchange rate will potentially cause a loss or savings to AIFS when the currency is exchanged. 2. If the exchange rate remains constant at $1.22/euros then AIFS will not incur a loss or a gain. It would cost $1220 per participant at this exchange rate. If actual dollar costs were above this level, then there would be a negative impact. If actual dollar costs were lower than expected, the impact would be positive. Thus, with a sales volume of 25,000 participants and the exchange rate rises to $1.48/euros then AIFS will be subject to a loss of $4,391,892. If the exchange rate drops to $1.01/euros then AIFS will save $5,198,020. 3. With a 100% forward hedge under a final sales volume of 25,000 participants, AIFS is facing a dollar inflow of $25,000,000. Under this assumption, the optimal amount of expenses would be 1000 Euros per student. Risk arises when currency rates between the Euro and the dollar fluctuate. From the European perspective, there is 25 million Euros in underlying exposure. If 25 million Euros were bought forward at the 1.22 $/euro rate, then 30.5 million dollars will be sold. If the contract was signed in June 2004, then 1 year 30.5 million dollars can be spent for 25 million Euros, leaving a net position of 0 Euros and 30.5 million dollars (100% forward hedge). With this forward hedge, AIFS is completely mitigating the exchange rate risk between the dollar and the Euro, and are thus protected from losing money if the exchange rate approaches 1.48$/Euro. With a 100% option hedge, 4. The higher or lower sales volume would exaggerate whatever gains or losses AIFS will realize. We are able to utilize the AIFS shifting box to determine what the reactions to differing sales volume versus the exchange rate. If the volume is low and the exchange rate is out of the money, the loss will be lower than if the volume was the same as projected. With a  lower sales volume but in the money interest rate the gain would be realized, however again it would be smaller than the gain with the expected 25,000 participant value. For a higher sales volume and out of the money exchange rate the loss would be the highest possible, which can be hedged by using an option. If the sales volume is high and the rate is in the money, this would be the highest possible gain, however it would also require AIFS to buy more currency. This is both good and bad news, because the exchange rate could be out of the money by the time AIFS is able to buy more currency. However if the exchange rate was in the money this option would be the best possible situation, creating the highest revenues of all possibilities. 5. The option hedge strategy would be the policy we would advocate because AIFS purchases foreign currency based on the projected sales volumes. The option strategy provides the best protection from the fluctuation in both exchange rates and sales volumes. We believe that due to the industry in which AIFS operates, the company is more likely to experience higher fluctuations in sales volumes than in the exchange rates. The option strategy provides a more versatile option to hedge against this potential risk because AIFS will not be locked into a specific rate, as is the case with forward hedges.

The lottery

The Lottery Research Paper Shirley Jackson was a devoted mother and writer. Jackson didn't fit in well in North Bennington, and the town likely served as the setting for the New England town portrayed in â€Å"The Lottery. † â€Å"The Lottery' caused outrage and controversy when it appeared in the New Yorker in 1948, but many critics now consider it to be Jackson's most famous work. Jackson was sometimes thought to be a witch because of her interested in witchcraft and black magic. Almost all of Jackson's work is reflects horror, hauntings, witchcraft, or psychological unease.She also struggled with both mental and physical illnesses as an adult. Unlike other writers, she found the writing process pleasurable. â€Å"The Lottery' starts off in a town on a normal day with children going around and collecting rocks. The men of the households are called forward to a wooden box to draw slips of paper. When one of the men sees that he has the black dot on his slip, his wife immedi ately starts to argue with how the drawing wasn't fair. The family is brought to the stage where they are to draw their slips of paper. Tess (Mrs.Hutchinson) draws the paper with the black dot and is taken to the center of the town where the town's people take their stones that the children collected earlier hat day. As the villagers close in to primarily take Tess's life, all you can hear are her terrified shrilling screams. Shirley Jackson in her work â€Å"The Lottery' reveals the corrosive factors that result in our blind acceptance of morally questionable traditions that cause social paralysis. â€Å"The Lottery' starts off as a normal day in the village â€Å"it was clear and sunny with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day' Oackson 1).This is ironic because it starts off with this allusion of an enjoyable day but really by the end they end up killing one of their own villagers. Jackson does this to create a less serious atmosphere and reflect he attitudes of the community. Instantly, the boys are collecting rocks used to kill the lottery winner at the end of the story. This is an annual thing that the kids do because they have been raised and taught to do so. Because the kids are gradually and systematically exposed to these series of provoking objects and situations, they have become familiar with their actions making it an annual â€Å"game† for the kids (Linz 1).It has become a â€Å"game† for the kids because in the story it states that, â€Å"they gather together quietly for a while before they broke out into boisterous play' and that they find the smoothest and roundest rocks to stuff in their pockets. † Because the kids are repeatedly exposed to this violence it diminishes the negative affect that was once upon them. They can no longer see it as wrong or feel remorse. They blindly accept this task thats given to them every year and don't question it. The constant exposure to violence results in less physiological reactivit y to other violent actions going on around them (Linz 1).The killing of the villagers is the violence going on. Collecting stones has become a ritual that they believe is right, because it is what they have been raised to do, even though it is wrong. They are Just kids and haven't been taught that it is morally wrong to be killing friends and family. An example is at the end of the story when Mrs. Hutchinson's son was handed a few pebbles to throw at his own mother and didn't hesitate. When they are repeatedly exposed to violence 2). â€Å"Both beamed and laughed Oackson 6). This shows how they still find Joy in the situation even though they are about to kill a member of their family. The story goes on to talk about the families that are attending this so called lottery. The women are described as â€Å"housewives that gossip† Oackson 1) and aren't as authoritative as the men. While the boys are all collecting the stones, the women are â€Å"standing aside talking among th emselves. † In the story â€Å"the women began to call their children, and the children came reluctantly, having called four or five times. † When their father calls to them â€Å"they came quickly' Oackson 1).It is as if their mothers hadn't even said anything. This shows how the men are portrayed as the head of the house and they women more as Just the â€Å"housekeeper. † Their voices are not heard in this part of the story and neither at the end when Mrs. Hutchinson claims that, â€Å"It wasn't fair† and no one does anything about it but continues with the est of the lottery. Women have been known to rarely work outside the house and live their lives caring for their husbands and children while taking care of their home. Most males are prevailed as the dominant gender.The women are seen on a lower status (Gender Prejudice 1). The lottery seems to be run mostly by the men of the town. They are the ones that are in charge of the black box and most of th e ceremony. In the story the women are more resistant to the lottery while the men are the ones in control of it. This results in social paralysis of the town because no one wants to change how the lottery is run or who it's run by. When its time for the drawing, Mr. Dunbar is unable to draw so because he and his wife don't have kids the â€Å"Wife draws for the husband† Oackson 3).This all goes back to the role of the men and women in the village. The women are to produce many children so that it gives their family a better chance of surviving if their spouse is chosen in the first round (Oehlschlaeger 1). Men are the ones that go out and prevail in the business world while their wives stay home all day. When Mrs. Hutchinson arrives late she makes the statement that she â€Å"Thought my old man was out back stacking wood† and that she Wouldn't have me leave m'dishes in the sink Oackson 2),† implying that her husband was doing the hard labor out in the yard while she was inside doing dishes.They mention that most of the ritual has been forgotten over the years. â€Å"The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago Oackson 1). It has become a habit that no one wants to stop. The lottery has become a social paralysis over time, not allowing anyone to step up and want to change or stop what the lottery is doing to their village. No one questions why they still do it and no one even really knows why they do it in the first place. It has lost its significance over the years and become a yearly act that no one has tried to stop.They don't want to make a new box because â€Å"No one wanted to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box Oackson 1). Tradition is a belief that has been passes down from generations, Just like in â€Å"The Lottery. † Traditions are passes on to gain that sense of continuity and bonding through each other. They are supposed to create that special connection between the fam ilies and in this case the town. That's not what it does though, No one knows the significants of the lottery anymore and no one questions ither. Old Man Warner says, â€Å"Pack of crazy fools† to the people that want to give up the lottery.They think that breaking this time-honored tradition would result in them (Tradition 1), such as drawing the paper from the box and having the men draw first then the family. Even though â€Å"So much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded Oackson 2),† they still keep that cultural sense to it. The reverence regularly provided in tradition indicates that people follow it willingly even if they don't know why. â€Å"The people had done it so many times that they only half listened to the directions. † People follow tradition unconsciously because it's what they are taught to do.This is their blind acceptance of the lottery and social paralysis of not wanting to change what they have continued to do for numerous years. T raditions are invoked to preserve the sanctity of the past family rituals. Societies keep traditions for social connectedness and memories (Tradition 3). Throughout the story, â€Å"The Lottery,† Shirley Jackson uses harsh examples of how the village blindly accepts their morally questionable traditions resulting in social paralysis. They don't want to change anything about the lottery even though most of he significance has been lost over the years.There is evidence throughout the story that shows how the people blindly accept what they are doing to their town and do it without question. This all demonstrates how society never changes or grows resulting in the social paralysis of the story. Their is social paralysis going on all around the world. Even in Pakistan there are people refusing to act upon the issue of suicide happening at large rates ( Poverty and Social Paralysis. ) The lottery is Just an example of how some societies refuse to change even though what they are d oing needs to or should be stopped. The Lottery Lisa Marie Shade Prof. Dunn ENG 102-110 August 9, 2012 The Plot Thickens- In Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery†. A good harvest has always been vital to civilizations. After the fields have been prepared and the seeds sown, the farmer can only wait and hope that the proper balance of rain and sun will ensure a good harvest. From this hope springs ritual. Many ancient cultures believed that growing crops represented the life cycle, beginning with what one associates with the end–death. Seeds buried, apparently without hope of germination, represent death.But with the life forces of water and the sun, the seed grows, representing rebirth. Consequently, ancient peoples began sacrificial rituals to emulate this resurrection cycle. What began as a vegetation ritual developed into a cathartic cleansing of an entire tribe or village. By transferring one's sins to persons or animals and then sacrificing them, people believed that their sins would be eliminated, a proce ss that has been termed the â€Å"scapegoat† archetype. In her short story â€Å"The Lottery,† Shirley Jackson uses this archetype to build on man's inherent need for such ritual.To visit upon the scapegoat the cruelties, that most of us seem to have dammed up within us and explores â€Å"the general psychological basis for such cruelty, showing how we tend to ignore misfortunes unless we ourselves are their victims. The Lottery’s [sic. ] then, deals indeed with live issues and with issues relevant to our time. Jackson's realism makes the final terror and shock more effective and also reinforces our sense of the awful doubleness of the human spirit—a doubleness that expresses itself in the blended good neighborliness and cruelty of the community's action. Evans, 112) Jackson weaves seasonal and life-death cycle archetypes, which coincide with vegetation rituals, into the story. The lottery takes place every year when the nature cycle peaks in midsummer, a time usually associated with cheerfulness. The villagers of a small town gather together in the square on June 27, a beautiful day, for the town lottery. In other towns, the lottery takes longer, but there are only 300 people in this village, so the lottery takes only two hours. Village children, who have just finished school for the summer, run around collecting stones.They put the stones in their pockets and make a pile in the square. Men gather next, followed by the women. Parents call their children over, and families stand together. Mr. Summers, a jovial man, who conducts the lottery ceremony, sets the tone of the event with both his name and his mannerisms. But lurking behind him, Mr. Graves quietly assists, his name hinting at a dark undertone. The picnic type atmosphere betrays the serious consequence of the lottery, for like the seed, a sacrificial person must also be buried to bring forth life. Jackson creates balance by assembling Mr.Summers and Mr. Graves to share in t he responsibilities of the ritual: Life brings death, and death recycles life. At one point in the village's history, the lottery represented a grave experience, and all who participated understood the profound meaning of the tradition. But as time passed, the villagers began to take the ritual lightly. They endure it almost as automatons–â€Å"actors† anxious to return to their mundane, workaday lives. Old Man Warner, the only one who seems to recall the seriousness of the occasion, complains that Mr. Summers jokes with everybody.But, even if one does not understand the meaning, the experience provides the individual a place and a meaning in the life of the generations. Because there has â€Å"always been a lottery† (Jackson 216), the villagers feel compelled to continue this horrifying tradition. They do focus, however, on its gruesome rather than its symbolic nature for they still remembered to use stones even after they have forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box (Jackson 218). The reader may conclude that humanity's inclination toward violence overshadows society's need for civilized traditions. Mr.Summers asks whether anyone is absent, and the crowd responds that Dunbar isn’t there. Mr. Summers asks who will draw for Dunbar, and Mrs. Dunbar says she will because she doesn’t have a son who’s old enough to do it for her. Mr. Summers asks whether the Watson boy will draw, and he answers that he will. Mr. Summers then asks to make sure that Old Man Warner is there too. Mr. Summers reminds everyone about the lottery’s rules: he’ll read names, and the family heads come up and draw a slip of paper. No one should look at the paper until everyone has drawn. He calls all the names, greeting each person as they come up to draw a paper.Mr. Adams tells Old Man Warner that people in the north village might stop the lottery; he says that giving up the lottery could lead to a return to living in caves . Mrs. Adams says the lottery has already been given up in other villages, and Old Man Warner says that’s â€Å"nothing but trouble. † (Jackson, 216). The shock value of the long process and all the moments’ one character or another could have realized the nonsense of the ritual and spoke up. When Mr. Summers finishes calling names, and everyone opens his or her papers. Word quickly gets around that Bill Hutchinson has â€Å"got it. Tessie argues that it wasn’t fair because Bill didn’t have enough time to select a paper.Mr. Summers asks whether there are any other households in the Hutchinson family, and Bill says no, because his married daughter draws with her husband’s family. Mr. Summers asks how many kids Bill has, and he answers that he has three. Tess's eagerness to see the lottery through is only paralleled by her desperation to get out of it once it turns out to be her turn. She goes so far as to try to substitute her daughter and s on-in-law for herself, yelling, â€Å"There's Don and Eva†¦ Make them take their chance! Her extreme moral compromise, as she tries to offer up her daughter for the slaughter instead of herself, underlines that this ritual has nothing to do with virtuous martyrdom; Tess is no saint. Her murder is exactly that: a vicious, group killing of a frightened, antiheroic woman. Tessie protests again that the lottery wasn’t fair. Mr. Graves dumps the papers out of the box onto the ground and then puts five papers in for the Hutchinsons. As Mr. Summers calls their names, each member of the family comes up and draws a paper. When they open their slips, they find that Tessie has drawn the paper with the black dot on it.Mr. Summers instructs everyone to hurry up. The villagers grab stones and run toward Tessie, who stands in a clearing in the middle of the crowd. Tessie says it’s not fair and is hit in the head with a stone. Everyone begins throwing stones at her, as even her own children. â€Å"Tessie may be selfish in her reaction, but her claim that the lottery is not fair may still be true. Whereas the common villagers are described as â€Å"taking† their slips, the businessmen â€Å"select† theirs—a subtle implication that the results have been rigged† (Evans, 112-113) Therefore, the base actions exhibited in groups (such as the stoning of Mrs.Hutchinson) do not take place on the individual level, for here such action would be deemed â€Å"murder. † On the group level people classify their heinous act simply as â€Å"ritual. † When Mrs. Hutchinson arrives at the ceremony late, flustered because she had forgotten that today was the day of the lottery. She chats sociably with Mrs. Delacroix. Nevertheless, after Mrs. Hutchinson falls victim to the lottery selection, Mrs. Delacroix chooses a â€Å"stone so large† that she must pick it up with both hands (Jackson 218).Whereas, on the individual level, the two women regard each other as friends, on the group level, they betray that relationship, satiating the mob mentality. The people of the town are caught up in the ritual to such an extent that they have given up any sense of logic. Mob psychology rules their actions. Though they appear to be sane, sensible individuals, when the time of the lottery comes, they abandon their rational nature and revert to the instincts of the herd. This psychological phenomenon is characteristic of humans throughout history.Although Jackson portrays it in its extreme form in this story, the idea that men and women in groups are willing to forgo personal responsibility and act with great cruelty toward others is evidenced in actions such as lynch mobs, racial confrontations, and similar incidents. â€Å"The willingness of people to act irrationally as members of the herd displays aspects that, while unpleasant, are still integral parts of their nature that they must recognize, if they are to keep them in check. † (Mazzeno) A first-time reader of â€Å"The Lottery† often finds the ending a surprise.The festive nature of the gathering and the camaraderie of the townspeople as the lottery is conducted belie the horror that occurs at the conclusion of the tale, is one of the tale’s strongest points. Another strength, however, is â€Å"the skillful way in which Jackson prepares the careful reader for the denouement by including key details so that, on a second reading, one is assured that there is no trick being played on the reader. † (Mazzeno) In comparison to the heavily symbolic figures of Mr. Graves (Death), Mr. Summers (Progress), or Old Man Warner (Tradition), Tess is resolutely anti-symbolic.She's a woman in an apron with soapsuds on her hands, who cracks jokes and wants to join in her community – but, it turns out, they don't want her back. She's the sacrificial lamb for that year, an outsider that the village then violently excludes. Althou gh civilized people may no longer hold lotteries, Jackson's story illustrates that society's tendency toward violence and its tendency to hold onto tradition, yet even meaningless, base tradition, reveal our need for both ritual and belonging.Work Cited Evans, Robert C. â€Å"The Lottery. † Short Fiction: A Critical Companion (1997): 112-119. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 Aug. 2012. Hall, Joan Wylie. â€Å"Shirley Jackson (1916-1965). † Columbia Companion To The Twentieth- Century American Short Story (2000): 310-314. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 Aug. 2012. Jackson, Shirley. â€Å"The Lottery†. Drama, and Writing Compact sixth ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2011. 213-218. Print Mazzeno, Laurence W. â€Å"The Lottery. † Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition (2004): 1-2. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 Aug. 2012. Yarmove, Jay A. â€Å"Jackson's The Lottery. † Explicator 52. 4 (1994): 242. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 Aug . 2012. The Lottery Lisa Marie Shade Prof. Dunn ENG 102-110 August 9, 2012 The Plot Thickens- In Shirley Jackson’s â€Å"The Lottery†. A good harvest has always been vital to civilizations. After the fields have been prepared and the seeds sown, the farmer can only wait and hope that the proper balance of rain and sun will ensure a good harvest. From this hope springs ritual. Many ancient cultures believed that growing crops represented the life cycle, beginning with what one associates with the end–death. Seeds buried, apparently without hope of germination, represent death.But with the life forces of water and the sun, the seed grows, representing rebirth. Consequently, ancient peoples began sacrificial rituals to emulate this resurrection cycle. What began as a vegetation ritual developed into a cathartic cleansing of an entire tribe or village. By transferring one's sins to persons or animals and then sacrificing them, people believed that their sins would be eliminated, a proce ss that has been termed the â€Å"scapegoat† archetype. In her short story â€Å"The Lottery,† Shirley Jackson uses this archetype to build on man's inherent need for such ritual.To visit upon the scapegoat the cruelties, that most of us seem to have dammed up within us and explores â€Å"the general psychological basis for such cruelty, showing how we tend to ignore misfortunes unless we ourselves are their victims. The Lottery’s [sic. ] then, deals indeed with live issues and with issues relevant to our time. Jackson's realism makes the final terror and shock more effective and also reinforces our sense of the awful doubleness of the human spirit—a doubleness that expresses itself in the blended good neighborliness and cruelty of the community's action. Evans, 112) Jackson weaves seasonal and life-death cycle archetypes, which coincide with vegetation rituals, into the story. The lottery takes place every year when the nature cycle peaks in midsummer, a time usually associated with cheerfulness. The villagers of a small town gather together in the square on June 27, a beautiful day, for the town lottery. In other towns, the lottery takes longer, but there are only 300 people in this village, so the lottery takes only two hours. Village children, who have just finished school for the summer, run around collecting stones.They put the stones in their pockets and make a pile in the square. Men gather next, followed by the women. Parents call their children over, and families stand together. Mr. Summers, a jovial man, who conducts the lottery ceremony, sets the tone of the event with both his name and his mannerisms. But lurking behind him, Mr. Graves quietly assists, his name hinting at a dark undertone. The picnic type atmosphere betrays the serious consequence of the lottery, for like the seed, a sacrificial person must also be buried to bring forth life. Jackson creates balance by assembling Mr.Summers and Mr. Graves to share in t he responsibilities of the ritual: Life brings death, and death recycles life. At one point in the village's history, the lottery represented a grave experience, and all who participated understood the profound meaning of the tradition. But as time passed, the villagers began to take the ritual lightly. They endure it almost as automatons–â€Å"actors† anxious to return to their mundane, workaday lives. Old Man Warner, the only one who seems to recall the seriousness of the occasion, complains that Mr. Summers jokes with everybody.But, even if one does not understand the meaning, the experience provides the individual a place and a meaning in the life of the generations. Because there has â€Å"always been a lottery† (Jackson 216), the villagers feel compelled to continue this horrifying tradition. They do focus, however, on its gruesome rather than its symbolic nature for they still remembered to use stones even after they have forgotten the ritual and lost the original black box (Jackson 218). The reader may conclude that humanity's inclination toward violence overshadows society's need for civilized traditions. Mr.Summers asks whether anyone is absent, and the crowd responds that Dunbar isn’t there. Mr. Summers asks who will draw for Dunbar, and Mrs. Dunbar says she will because she doesn’t have a son who’s old enough to do it for her. Mr. Summers asks whether the Watson boy will draw, and he answers that he will. Mr. Summers then asks to make sure that Old Man Warner is there too. Mr. Summers reminds everyone about the lottery’s rules: he’ll read names, and the family heads come up and draw a slip of paper. No one should look at the paper until everyone has drawn. He calls all the names, greeting each person as they come up to draw a paper.Mr. Adams tells Old Man Warner that people in the north village might stop the lottery; he says that giving up the lottery could lead to a return to living in caves . Mrs. Adams says the lottery has already been given up in other villages, and Old Man Warner says that’s â€Å"nothing but trouble. † (Jackson, 216). The shock value of the long process and all the moments’ one character or another could have realized the nonsense of the ritual and spoke up. When Mr. Summers finishes calling names, and everyone opens his or her papers. Word quickly gets around that Bill Hutchinson has â€Å"got it. Tessie argues that it wasn’t fair because Bill didn’t have enough time to select a paper.Mr. Summers asks whether there are any other households in the Hutchinson family, and Bill says no, because his married daughter draws with her husband’s family. Mr. Summers asks how many kids Bill has, and he answers that he has three. Tess's eagerness to see the lottery through is only paralleled by her desperation to get out of it once it turns out to be her turn. She goes so far as to try to substitute her daughter and s on-in-law for herself, yelling, â€Å"There's Don and Eva†¦ Make them take their chance! Her extreme moral compromise, as she tries to offer up her daughter for the slaughter instead of herself, underlines that this ritual has nothing to do with virtuous martyrdom; Tess is no saint. Her murder is exactly that: a vicious, group killing of a frightened, antiheroic woman. Tessie protests again that the lottery wasn’t fair. Mr. Graves dumps the papers out of the box onto the ground and then puts five papers in for the Hutchinsons. As Mr. Summers calls their names, each member of the family comes up and draws a paper. When they open their slips, they find that Tessie has drawn the paper with the black dot on it.Mr. Summers instructs everyone to hurry up. The villagers grab stones and run toward Tessie, who stands in a clearing in the middle of the crowd. Tessie says it’s not fair and is hit in the head with a stone. Everyone begins throwing stones at her, as even her own children. â€Å"Tessie may be selfish in her reaction, but her claim that the lottery is not fair may still be true. Whereas the common villagers are described as â€Å"taking† their slips, the businessmen â€Å"select† theirs—a subtle implication that the results have been rigged† (Evans, 112-113) Therefore, the base actions exhibited in groups (such as the stoning of Mrs.Hutchinson) do not take place on the individual level, for here such action would be deemed â€Å"murder. † On the group level people classify their heinous act simply as â€Å"ritual. † When Mrs. Hutchinson arrives at the ceremony late, flustered because she had forgotten that today was the day of the lottery. She chats sociably with Mrs. Delacroix. Nevertheless, after Mrs. Hutchinson falls victim to the lottery selection, Mrs. Delacroix chooses a â€Å"stone so large† that she must pick it up with both hands (Jackson 218).Whereas, on the individual level, the two women regard each other as friends, on the group level, they betray that relationship, satiating the mob mentality. The people of the town are caught up in the ritual to such an extent that they have given up any sense of logic. Mob psychology rules their actions. Though they appear to be sane, sensible individuals, when the time of the lottery comes, they abandon their rational nature and revert to the instincts of the herd. This psychological phenomenon is characteristic of humans throughout history.Although Jackson portrays it in its extreme form in this story, the idea that men and women in groups are willing to forgo personal responsibility and act with great cruelty toward others is evidenced in actions such as lynch mobs, racial confrontations, and similar incidents. â€Å"The willingness of people to act irrationally as members of the herd displays aspects that, while unpleasant, are still integral parts of their nature that they must recognize, if they are to keep them in check. † (Mazzeno) A first-time reader of â€Å"The Lottery† often finds the ending a surprise.The festive nature of the gathering and the camaraderie of the townspeople as the lottery is conducted belie the horror that occurs at the conclusion of the tale, is one of the tale’s strongest points. Another strength, however, is â€Å"the skillful way in which Jackson prepares the careful reader for the denouement by including key details so that, on a second reading, one is assured that there is no trick being played on the reader. † (Mazzeno) In comparison to the heavily symbolic figures of Mr. Graves (Death), Mr. Summers (Progress), or Old Man Warner (Tradition), Tess is resolutely anti-symbolic.She's a woman in an apron with soapsuds on her hands, who cracks jokes and wants to join in her community – but, it turns out, they don't want her back. She's the sacrificial lamb for that year, an outsider that the village then violently excludes. Althou gh civilized people may no longer hold lotteries, Jackson's story illustrates that society's tendency toward violence and its tendency to hold onto tradition, yet even meaningless, base tradition, reveal our need for both ritual and belonging.Work Cited Evans, Robert C. â€Å"The Lottery. † Short Fiction: A Critical Companion (1997): 112-119. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 Aug. 2012. Hall, Joan Wylie. â€Å"Shirley Jackson (1916-1965). † Columbia Companion To The Twentieth- Century American Short Story (2000): 310-314. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 Aug. 2012. Jackson, Shirley. â€Å"The Lottery†. Drama, and Writing Compact sixth ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2011. 213-218. Print Mazzeno, Laurence W. â€Å"The Lottery. † Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition (2004): 1-2. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 Aug. 2012. Yarmove, Jay A. â€Å"Jackson's The Lottery. † Explicator 52. 4 (1994): 242. Literary Reference Center. Web. 6 Aug . 2012. The lottery The Lottery Research Paper Shirley Jackson was a devoted mother and writer. Jackson didn't fit in well in North Bennington, and the town likely served as the setting for the New England town portrayed in â€Å"The Lottery. † â€Å"The Lottery' caused outrage and controversy when it appeared in the New Yorker in 1948, but many critics now consider it to be Jackson's most famous work. Jackson was sometimes thought to be a witch because of her interested in witchcraft and black magic. Almost all of Jackson's work is reflects horror, hauntings, witchcraft, or psychological unease.She also struggled with both mental and physical illnesses as an adult. Unlike other writers, she found the writing process pleasurable. â€Å"The Lottery' starts off in a town on a normal day with children going around and collecting rocks. The men of the households are called forward to a wooden box to draw slips of paper. When one of the men sees that he has the black dot on his slip, his wife immedi ately starts to argue with how the drawing wasn't fair. The family is brought to the stage where they are to draw their slips of paper. Tess (Mrs.Hutchinson) draws the paper with the black dot and is taken to the center of the town where the town's people take their stones that the children collected earlier hat day. As the villagers close in to primarily take Tess's life, all you can hear are her terrified shrilling screams. Shirley Jackson in her work â€Å"The Lottery' reveals the corrosive factors that result in our blind acceptance of morally questionable traditions that cause social paralysis. â€Å"The Lottery' starts off as a normal day in the village â€Å"it was clear and sunny with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day' Oackson 1).This is ironic because it starts off with this allusion of an enjoyable day but really by the end they end up killing one of their own villagers. Jackson does this to create a less serious atmosphere and reflect he attitudes of the community. Instantly, the boys are collecting rocks used to kill the lottery winner at the end of the story. This is an annual thing that the kids do because they have been raised and taught to do so. Because the kids are gradually and systematically exposed to these series of provoking objects and situations, they have become familiar with their actions making it an annual â€Å"game† for the kids (Linz 1).It has become a â€Å"game† for the kids because in the story it states that, â€Å"they gather together quietly for a while before they broke out into boisterous play' and that they find the smoothest and roundest rocks to stuff in their pockets. † Because the kids are repeatedly exposed to this violence it diminishes the negative affect that was once upon them. They can no longer see it as wrong or feel remorse. They blindly accept this task thats given to them every year and don't question it. The constant exposure to violence results in less physiological reactivit y to other violent actions going on around them (Linz 1).The killing of the villagers is the violence going on. Collecting stones has become a ritual that they believe is right, because it is what they have been raised to do, even though it is wrong. They are Just kids and haven't been taught that it is morally wrong to be killing friends and family. An example is at the end of the story when Mrs. Hutchinson's son was handed a few pebbles to throw at his own mother and didn't hesitate. When they are repeatedly exposed to violence 2). â€Å"Both beamed and laughed Oackson 6). This shows how they still find Joy in the situation even though they are about to kill a member of their family. The story goes on to talk about the families that are attending this so called lottery. The women are described as â€Å"housewives that gossip† Oackson 1) and aren't as authoritative as the men. While the boys are all collecting the stones, the women are â€Å"standing aside talking among th emselves. † In the story â€Å"the women began to call their children, and the children came reluctantly, having called four or five times. † When their father calls to them â€Å"they came quickly' Oackson 1).It is as if their mothers hadn't even said anything. This shows how the men are portrayed as the head of the house and they women more as Just the â€Å"housekeeper. † Their voices are not heard in this part of the story and neither at the end when Mrs. Hutchinson claims that, â€Å"It wasn't fair† and no one does anything about it but continues with the est of the lottery. Women have been known to rarely work outside the house and live their lives caring for their husbands and children while taking care of their home. Most males are prevailed as the dominant gender.The women are seen on a lower status (Gender Prejudice 1). The lottery seems to be run mostly by the men of the town. They are the ones that are in charge of the black box and most of th e ceremony. In the story the women are more resistant to the lottery while the men are the ones in control of it. This results in social paralysis of the town because no one wants to change how the lottery is run or who it's run by. When its time for the drawing, Mr. Dunbar is unable to draw so because he and his wife don't have kids the â€Å"Wife draws for the husband† Oackson 3).This all goes back to the role of the men and women in the village. The women are to produce many children so that it gives their family a better chance of surviving if their spouse is chosen in the first round (Oehlschlaeger 1). Men are the ones that go out and prevail in the business world while their wives stay home all day. When Mrs. Hutchinson arrives late she makes the statement that she â€Å"Thought my old man was out back stacking wood† and that she Wouldn't have me leave m'dishes in the sink Oackson 2),† implying that her husband was doing the hard labor out in the yard while she was inside doing dishes.They mention that most of the ritual has been forgotten over the years. â€Å"The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago Oackson 1). It has become a habit that no one wants to stop. The lottery has become a social paralysis over time, not allowing anyone to step up and want to change or stop what the lottery is doing to their village. No one questions why they still do it and no one even really knows why they do it in the first place. It has lost its significance over the years and become a yearly act that no one has tried to stop.They don't want to make a new box because â€Å"No one wanted to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box Oackson 1). Tradition is a belief that has been passes down from generations, Just like in â€Å"The Lottery. † Traditions are passes on to gain that sense of continuity and bonding through each other. They are supposed to create that special connection between the fam ilies and in this case the town. That's not what it does though, No one knows the significants of the lottery anymore and no one questions ither. Old Man Warner says, â€Å"Pack of crazy fools† to the people that want to give up the lottery.They think that breaking this time-honored tradition would result in them (Tradition 1), such as drawing the paper from the box and having the men draw first then the family. Even though â€Å"So much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded Oackson 2),† they still keep that cultural sense to it. The reverence regularly provided in tradition indicates that people follow it willingly even if they don't know why. â€Å"The people had done it so many times that they only half listened to the directions. † People follow tradition unconsciously because it's what they are taught to do.This is their blind acceptance of the lottery and social paralysis of not wanting to change what they have continued to do for numerous years. T raditions are invoked to preserve the sanctity of the past family rituals. Societies keep traditions for social connectedness and memories (Tradition 3). Throughout the story, â€Å"The Lottery,† Shirley Jackson uses harsh examples of how the village blindly accepts their morally questionable traditions resulting in social paralysis. They don't want to change anything about the lottery even though most of he significance has been lost over the years.There is evidence throughout the story that shows how the people blindly accept what they are doing to their town and do it without question. This all demonstrates how society never changes or grows resulting in the social paralysis of the story. Their is social paralysis going on all around the world. Even in Pakistan there are people refusing to act upon the issue of suicide happening at large rates ( Poverty and Social Paralysis. ) The lottery is Just an example of how some societies refuse to change even though what they are d oing needs to or should be stopped. The lottery The Lottery Research Paper Shirley Jackson was a devoted mother and writer. Jackson didn't fit in well in North Bennington, and the town likely served as the setting for the New England town portrayed in â€Å"The Lottery. † â€Å"The Lottery' caused outrage and controversy when it appeared in the New Yorker in 1948, but many critics now consider it to be Jackson's most famous work. Jackson was sometimes thought to be a witch because of her interested in witchcraft and black magic. Almost all of Jackson's work is reflects horror, hauntings, witchcraft, or psychological unease.She also struggled with both mental and physical illnesses as an adult. Unlike other writers, she found the writing process pleasurable. â€Å"The Lottery' starts off in a town on a normal day with children going around and collecting rocks. The men of the households are called forward to a wooden box to draw slips of paper. When one of the men sees that he has the black dot on his slip, his wife immedi ately starts to argue with how the drawing wasn't fair. The family is brought to the stage where they are to draw their slips of paper. Tess (Mrs.Hutchinson) draws the paper with the black dot and is taken to the center of the town where the town's people take their stones that the children collected earlier hat day. As the villagers close in to primarily take Tess's life, all you can hear are her terrified shrilling screams. Shirley Jackson in her work â€Å"The Lottery' reveals the corrosive factors that result in our blind acceptance of morally questionable traditions that cause social paralysis. â€Å"The Lottery' starts off as a normal day in the village â€Å"it was clear and sunny with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day' Oackson 1).This is ironic because it starts off with this allusion of an enjoyable day but really by the end they end up killing one of their own villagers. Jackson does this to create a less serious atmosphere and reflect he attitudes of the community. Instantly, the boys are collecting rocks used to kill the lottery winner at the end of the story. This is an annual thing that the kids do because they have been raised and taught to do so. Because the kids are gradually and systematically exposed to these series of provoking objects and situations, they have become familiar with their actions making it an annual â€Å"game† for the kids (Linz 1).It has become a â€Å"game† for the kids because in the story it states that, â€Å"they gather together quietly for a while before they broke out into boisterous play' and that they find the smoothest and roundest rocks to stuff in their pockets. † Because the kids are repeatedly exposed to this violence it diminishes the negative affect that was once upon them. They can no longer see it as wrong or feel remorse. They blindly accept this task thats given to them every year and don't question it. The constant exposure to violence results in less physiological reactivit y to other violent actions going on around them (Linz 1).The killing of the villagers is the violence going on. Collecting stones has become a ritual that they believe is right, because it is what they have been raised to do, even though it is wrong. They are Just kids and haven't been taught that it is morally wrong to be killing friends and family. An example is at the end of the story when Mrs. Hutchinson's son was handed a few pebbles to throw at his own mother and didn't hesitate. When they are repeatedly exposed to violence 2). â€Å"Both beamed and laughed Oackson 6). This shows how they still find Joy in the situation even though they are about to kill a member of their family. The story goes on to talk about the families that are attending this so called lottery. The women are described as â€Å"housewives that gossip† Oackson 1) and aren't as authoritative as the men. While the boys are all collecting the stones, the women are â€Å"standing aside talking among th emselves. † In the story â€Å"the women began to call their children, and the children came reluctantly, having called four or five times. † When their father calls to them â€Å"they came quickly' Oackson 1).It is as if their mothers hadn't even said anything. This shows how the men are portrayed as the head of the house and they women more as Just the â€Å"housekeeper. † Their voices are not heard in this part of the story and neither at the end when Mrs. Hutchinson claims that, â€Å"It wasn't fair† and no one does anything about it but continues with the est of the lottery. Women have been known to rarely work outside the house and live their lives caring for their husbands and children while taking care of their home. Most males are prevailed as the dominant gender.The women are seen on a lower status (Gender Prejudice 1). The lottery seems to be run mostly by the men of the town. They are the ones that are in charge of the black box and most of th e ceremony. In the story the women are more resistant to the lottery while the men are the ones in control of it. This results in social paralysis of the town because no one wants to change how the lottery is run or who it's run by. When its time for the drawing, Mr. Dunbar is unable to draw so because he and his wife don't have kids the â€Å"Wife draws for the husband† Oackson 3).This all goes back to the role of the men and women in the village. The women are to produce many children so that it gives their family a better chance of surviving if their spouse is chosen in the first round (Oehlschlaeger 1). Men are the ones that go out and prevail in the business world while their wives stay home all day. When Mrs. Hutchinson arrives late she makes the statement that she â€Å"Thought my old man was out back stacking wood† and that she Wouldn't have me leave m'dishes in the sink Oackson 2),† implying that her husband was doing the hard labor out in the yard while she was inside doing dishes.They mention that most of the ritual has been forgotten over the years. â€Å"The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago Oackson 1). It has become a habit that no one wants to stop. The lottery has become a social paralysis over time, not allowing anyone to step up and want to change or stop what the lottery is doing to their village. No one questions why they still do it and no one even really knows why they do it in the first place. It has lost its significance over the years and become a yearly act that no one has tried to stop.They don't want to make a new box because â€Å"No one wanted to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box Oackson 1). Tradition is a belief that has been passes down from generations, Just like in â€Å"The Lottery. † Traditions are passes on to gain that sense of continuity and bonding through each other. They are supposed to create that special connection between the fam ilies and in this case the town. That's not what it does though, No one knows the significants of the lottery anymore and no one questions ither. Old Man Warner says, â€Å"Pack of crazy fools† to the people that want to give up the lottery.They think that breaking this time-honored tradition would result in them (Tradition 1), such as drawing the paper from the box and having the men draw first then the family. Even though â€Å"So much of the ritual had been forgotten or discarded Oackson 2),† they still keep that cultural sense to it. The reverence regularly provided in tradition indicates that people follow it willingly even if they don't know why. â€Å"The people had done it so many times that they only half listened to the directions. † People follow tradition unconsciously because it's what they are taught to do.This is their blind acceptance of the lottery and social paralysis of not wanting to change what they have continued to do for numerous years. T raditions are invoked to preserve the sanctity of the past family rituals. Societies keep traditions for social connectedness and memories (Tradition 3). Throughout the story, â€Å"The Lottery,† Shirley Jackson uses harsh examples of how the village blindly accepts their morally questionable traditions resulting in social paralysis. They don't want to change anything about the lottery even though most of he significance has been lost over the years.There is evidence throughout the story that shows how the people blindly accept what they are doing to their town and do it without question. This all demonstrates how society never changes or grows resulting in the social paralysis of the story. Their is social paralysis going on all around the world. Even in Pakistan there are people refusing to act upon the issue of suicide happening at large rates ( Poverty and Social Paralysis. ) The lottery is Just an example of how some societies refuse to change even though what they are d oing needs to or should be stopped.