Why did Shirley Jackson choose a lottery as her subject matter?

August 25, 2018 Educator

HISTORY

Were there wealthy and poor Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto?

Within the Warsaw Ghetto, there were Jews from all walks of life. Doctors, academics, carpenters, and teachers were all stripped of their rights in areas occupied by Nazi Germany. The ideology of…

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FAHRENHEIT 451

In part three, Beatty explains “Old Montag wanted to fly near the sun and now he’s burnt his damn…

In many ways Montag’s story up to this point parallels the Icarus myth. First of all, Montag is being lead by Faber, an older man who has devised Montag’s means of “escape”; a plan to destroy the…

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ARMS AND THE MAN

How is the theme of love explored in Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw?

Love is explored in Arms and the Man by Shaw in two places: through war and through romance. The major romance in the play is between Raina and Sergius. Superficially, they are an ideal match….

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BUSINESS

How do global factors influence the economy in the US?

This question is a bit ironic, because the United States is almost certainly the one country in the world that is least influenced by the global economy. As the world’s technological, military and…

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POLITICS AND THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

In George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language,” a sixth “language trick” is to write by…

In his essay “Politics and the English Language,” Orwell points out several common writing practices that lead, in his mind, not only to bad writing but also to poor and even dangerous thinking….

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SABOTEUR

Identify the protagonists in “The Things They Carried” and in “Saboteur,” then identify a…

The protagonist in The Things They Carried is Tim O’Brien, who is also the narrator. In Ha Jin’s Saboteur, Mr. Chiu is the protagonist. As for literary conflicts, there are four major ones: man…

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HISTORY

How is the Berlin Conference from 1884 still causing problems in Africa today? And there anything…

You can argue that the Berlin Conference is still causing problems in Africa because that conference split the continent up into countries without any rhyme or reason and because it gave those…

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THE OUTSIDERS

What is a good theme for the topic “loyalty” in The Outsiders?

Depending on who is or isn’t showing loyalty to whom, you could make a few different arguments about what S.E. Hinton is saying about loyalty in The Outsiders. I’ll put my various theme statement…

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ANTIGONE

Where do you find human vs. self conflict in Antigone? Give one example and explain the relevance…

In the Greek tragedy Antigone by Sophocles, Creon’s primary conflict is with himself, although he doesn’t see it that way until the end of the play. He believes he is struggling with Antigone,…

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ANTIGONE

In Antigone, what are examples of human vs. human and human vs. society conflicts?

In the opening scene of Sophocles’s drama, the discussion between Antigone and Ismene reveals different examples of conflict. As the drama opens, both sisters are struggling with the law that Creon…

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HISTORY

What was the nature of the opposition to World War I, both before and during American…

There was opposition to World War I before we joined the war and also during it. Before the war, Americans were shocked that the Europeans went war. We thought they were very unwise in going to…

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ON HIS BLINDNESS

What is the theme of the octave of “On His Blindness”?

John Milton’s “On His Blindness” is written in the form of a Petrarchan sonnet, consisting of an eight-line octave rhymed ABBA ABBA and a sestet rhymed CDECDE. As is typical of the genre, the poem…

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DREAMS FROM MY FATHER

How does the author end this introductory section? What is the effect of ending this section of…

This question may refer to the opening of Chapter One. Obama begins his story with the telephone call that tells him his father has died in a car accident in Kenya. He himself isn’t sure how to…

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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

What does Miss Gates say does not happen in this country and does happen in Germany?

Miss Gates is the teacher Scout gets in the fall following the Tom Robinson case. Miss Gates asks the class to bring in Current Events articles to present and discuss. Scout says that some of the…

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THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO

In The Count of Monte Cristo, how does M. Noirtier intend to break the engagement of…

Villeforte wants Valentine (his daughter from his first marriage) to marry the Baron Franz d’Epinay. This union is not motivated by love, but by Villefort’s personal political gains and Valentine’s…

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SCIENCE

Since mercury expands and contracts with temperature changes, how can it give consistent…

You’re correct that mercury exhibits thermal expansion, but it’s not enough to affect a mercury barometer reading for most purposes. Sometimes the degree of precision of pressure measurements…

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WE REAL COOL

I have an assignment where I have to analyze We Real Cool by using TPCASTT (title, paraphrase,…

You are doing an excellent job so far! I think your paraphrase is spot on, except the last sentence could be more dire than “get in trouble.” Perhaps you could say something like, “We don’t realize…

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RELIGION

Discuss the basic archaeological data used to divide Near Eastern antiquity into epochs such as…

The Neolithic is characterized by a wealth of specialized stone tools in the archaeological record. Stone technology originates with the Paleolithic, and these tool-making techniques were gradually…

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THE CATBIRD SEAT

In “The Catbird Seat,” what was the main reason Mr. Martin wanted to kill Mrs. Barrows?

Mr. Fitweiler hired Mrs. Barrows at his special assistant without knowing anything about her. Fitweiler, who is head of the big New York-based F&S company, is getting old and seems to be…

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THINGS FALL APART

Is Okonkwo a victim of a bad chi, or does he cause his own difficulties?

While it could be argued that Chinua Achebe depicts some events in a manner that suggests that Okonkwo is a victim of the Igbo gods, I argue that Okonkwo has brought about many of his own hardships…

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HISTORY

How did Great Britain change with the Industrial Revolution? 1 image

The Industrial Revolution had an enormous impact on Great Britain. Cities and towns grew in a process that is known as urbanization. Urban areas grew in population and importance because the…

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HISTORY

How did the Gulags affect relationships between the government and the people?

The Gulags were the forced labor prison camps that existed in the Soviet Union. Criminals, political dissidents, clergy, and suspected enemies of the state were sent to these camps. Because of the…

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A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

What is the significance of Shakespeare’s presentation of magic, madness, fairy folklore, and the…

After observing the humans who have wandered into the forest, Puck says to his master, Oberon, “Lord, what fools these mortals be!” Though this is a story that is focused on exploring how humanity…

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FAHRENHEIT 451

In Part Two of Fahrenheit 451, why does Montag now think about the old man in the park?

At the end of part one, Montag and his wife are reading books as he decides if he wants to go back to burning them. He’s been on quite a journey since he met a young girl named Clarisse McClellan,…

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THINGS FALL APART

In Things Fall Apart, what is Obierika’s opinion towards the white missionaries?

In Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo’s greatest friend and confidant Obierika is deeply suspicious of the invasive presence of the white missionaries, and is equally concerned by their…

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KILLINGS

In Dubus’s Killings, what moral conflicts does Matt battle?

Moral conflicts have to do with a person’s inner struggles (inner conflicts) with what they believe to be the difference between right and wrong. People also have inner conflicts when they argue…

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SCIENCE

Why did dinosaurs go extinct?

Dinosaurs flourished and dominated the earth for about 186 million years, during the Mesozoic Era. Dinosaurs went extinct at the end of the Mesozoic era and at the beginning of the Paleogene…

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THE GREAT GATSBY

How does race play a part in The Great Gatsby? How do you read Nick, finally? How sympathetic do…

From the early pages of the novel, Tom’s racism provides a backdrop to the action. When Nick visits him for the first time after moving to Long Island, Tom says he believes the “Nordic” races, to…

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COMPOSED UPON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE, SEPTEMBER 3, 1802

Why is there no mention of the people in London in the poem ‘Composed upon Westminster Bridge’ by…

Wordsworth does not speak of the peopled bustling city because his subject is the comparison of the city’s calm in the early morning (before people are out of bed) to the calm of nature: “Earth…

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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

What are some quotes about Calpurnia being educated in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Some of the strongest evidence to support Calpurnia’s being educated comes at the beginning of Part II, in Chapter 12, when Cal takes the children to her church- The First Purchase African M.E….

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ROMEO AND JULIET

How does Juliet lose her innocence in Act II of Romeo and Juliet?

In Act II, Scene 2 of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet the two young lovers meet on the girl’s balcony. They have fallen instantly in love with each other only an hour or two earlier when they met at…

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THE KITE RUNNER

Identify five ways in which culture and society have significant impact in The Kite Runner.

In Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, culture and society have significant impact on the decisions and behavior of the many different characters. For this response, I will list five examples…

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THE GREAT GATSBY

What other fictional or non-fictional character from a book or movie can Nick Carraway be…

I think this is a really interesting question. I’ve given it some thought and, while there are probably better examples, I have come up with three ideas. The movie Citizen Kane is similar because…

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THE POSTMASTER

What thoughts did the postmaster have when he left? How were his emotions different from those of…

“The grief-stricken face” of Ratan began to haunt the postmaster when he left for his home. The boat had already left the shore when he felt a powerful impulse to take Ratan along with him. But…

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A TALE OF TWO CITIES

When the man writes “Blood” on the wall, what literary devices are being used in Chapter 5, Book…

When the citizen of St. Antoine writes the word “Blood” on the wall with his finger dipped in the muddy wine of the street, his is a symbolic act. The wine symbolizes the bloodshed and foreshadows…

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HISTORY

How does Rousseau think about the basic goodness of humanity?

Rousseau felt that humans in their natural, uncorrupted state, were generally good. Though Rousseau’s beliefs in differing complexities of society were largely influenced by racist theories which…

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THE LISTENERS

How do we know that the house in “The Listeners” was very old and no one lived there?

The words chosen by Walter de la Mare tell us that the house of “The Listeners” is old and deserted, uninhabited by any living person. Let’s look at some of his lines. First, we can infer from a…

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HISTORY

In Ho Chi Minh’s speech declaring independence, he contains a demand that the free world support…

The original question had to be pared down, but I invite you to post the other questions separately because they are quite profound. I think that one of the “services” that Ho Chi Minh directly…

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SCIENCE

If RBC’s are lacking mitochondria then from where do they get ATP’s to generate energy

Red blood cells differ in many ways from other cell types in the body. One of the major differences is that they do not contain mitochondria, a critical organelle that typically is responsible for…

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ANIMAL FARM

Why does Orwell choose to call Boxer and Clover the pigs’ most faithful disciples?

Considering that Animal Farm is an allegory (or “Fairy Story” to use Orwell’s label at the beginning of the book) for the Russian Revolution, each of the animals represents a real-life human….

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THE PEDESTRIAN

What is the meaning of the phrase “tomb-like” in the story “The Pedestrian”?

Mr. Mead, the pedestrian in Ray Bradbury’s short story, is describing the houses he passes each night on his walks around town. He describes the houses as dark “tombs” and the streets as…

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GREAT EXPECTATIONS

How is Magwitch presented in Great Expectations, and how does this change throughout the novel?…

Pip’s attitudes towards Magwitch change throughout the novel. We first see Magwitch through the child Pip’s frightened eyes. To this young child, the convict is terrifying: Hold your noise!” cried…

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THE TELL-TALE HEART

What sound does the narrator hear at the end of the story that causes him to confess to the murder?

The narrator invites the officers who have come to investigate the cry his neighbors heard to sit directly over the spot where he has buried the corpse of the old man, his victim. Before long,…

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THE LUMBER ROOM

Can someone explain “The Lumber Room” by Saki??? 1 image

Nicholas has a plan. He cannot have the rest of the family around when he initiates this plan. So, the rest of the family is taking a trip to the sands at Jagboroug. Nick is not invited. In…

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SCIENCE

Why do effervescent tablets dissolve in water? Why do they dissolve faster in hot water? Why do…

The chemical reaction that occurs when effervescent tablets are placed in water is as follows: Reaction in Words: Citric Acid + Sodium Bicarbonate yields Water + Carbon Dioxide + Sodium Citrate…

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CHARLES DICKENS

Why was Charles Dickens so important during the victorian age?

Dickens was a major player in Victorian social reform, as lots of his stories told tales of impoverished people and criticized the exploitation of the lower classes by members of the upper class….

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THE VELDT

In regards to “The Veldt,” such detachment that leads to killing one’s parents is an extreme…

In “The Veldt,” we see several consequences of immersing oneself in virtual reality and how it can affect those who do it. First of all, using virtual reality to escape real life is dangerous….

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MACBETH

Analyze and explain Macbeth’s development over the course of the play. Based on the change in his…

Macbeth’s transition from a loyal and valiant subject into a traitorous, murderous tyrant conveys the idea that even someone who seems virtuous and good can be corrupted by ambition and pride. He…