The Power and Pain of Traditions Essay - 539 Words

Traditions are like a two-edged sword. They can be very powerful and helpful or they can be very hurtful and painful. Traditions gain momentum with each passing year, and in many cases they become difficult or impossible to stop. In â€Å"The Lottery,† Shirley Jackson uses situation irony, suspense, and dialogue to show that some groups of people have traditions they do not want to end, even if there is no reason for the tradition. One way Jackson shows the importance of traditions is through situational irony. At the beginning of the story, all the people in the town seem sweet and innocent. But by the end of the day, they change, and they throw rocks at Tessie Hutchinson and kill her. Mrs. Hutchinson is the one that loses the lottery†¦show more content†¦Foreshadowing is a part of the story because you get clues about what is going to happen next. Watson was nervous to draw for his family but no one knows why he was so nervous. Before the lottery had started, â€Å"the people had done it so many times that they only half listened to the directions: most of them were quiet. Wetting their lips. Not looking around.† (Jackson 3) As the story unfolds, the tension builds without knowing what is going to happen. The foreshadowing continues through the very end of the story because Jackson never talks about what actually happens to the winner of the lottery. The story ends as the whole town closes in on Tessie Hutchinson with stones in their hands leaving people to assume what happens to Tessie though Jackson does not reveal the details of how Tessie dies, you sense the power and frustration of the tradition. Jackson’s story conveys the power and tensions associated with traditions through situational irony, suspense, and foreshadowing. Traditions are powerful because many people believe they are for the good of the community. Many times people participate in these traditions without really thinking about the end result. When traditions cause someone to be hurt or lose their life, these kinds of traditions should be evaluated. Unfortunately, in many communities and in many nations traditions continue because people say, â€Å"we have always done it this way.† WeShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Poem The Diamond Of The Ocean 1261 Words   |  6 Pagesease, as we’re seen when Citizen is calmed down as soon as she steps in the room. Aunt Ester is known to have miraculous healing powers to wash the souls of people. Everyone knows who Aunt Ester is, and she knows mostly everyone in her town. Aunt Ester represents all of the Africans that lost their lives in the middle passage, she embodies their culture, traditions, and their memories. She means faith and trust to the other characters, and she is important to the play because she is the bridgeRead MoreFoot-Binding Essay1615 Words   |  7 Pagesbe continued. 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