Comparing Traditions In The Lottery And Things Fall Apart

The Wrongs and the Rights of Traditions "The Lottery" and Things Fall Apart both underscore societies' need for certainty through traditions, beliefs, and rituals. This is shown in the two works through the use of highlighting negative outcomes and by blindly following traditions. Without the use of ever questioning the customs or having curiosity in determining the drawback in exploration of other customs, nothing else is ever known to us. "The Lottery", a short story by Shirley Jackson, unravels an annual tradition where each year one unfortunate person is randomly chosen and sacrificed by the rest of the village. Everyone in the village selects a slip of paper from a box, and the person who selects the marked paper has stones thrown at them by the other

The village values a man who can fight, provide for his many wives and children, and above all show no fear or hesitation. Okonkwo, realizing the strength of his tribe is gone and has been replaced with weakness, kills himself in a desperate attempt. Given that both works have such tragic endings, they shed light on the necessity of updating traditions and beliefs in the current age. In my personal life, traditions hold immense significance and meaning. Outside of school, I am a member of the rowing team, dedicating much of my time to practices held nearly every morning or afternoon, depending on the season. The commitment I have placed myself in stems from the traditions that have been within the team. Some of these traditions are decades old, while others have been added with the intent of passing them down to future generations of the team. One tradition during the spring season that has been around for years, is our Friday night pasta party before a regatta. We do this as a way to energize before a race and as a way to forge connections with one