Emotional Uproar In Society In The Lottery By Shirley Jackson

Throughout history, writers used literature as a means of inciting political and social change. Literature is a medium that is exceptionally effective at inspiring emotions, molding beliefs, and transforming societies. In many instances in history, literature is the impetus behind grand societal shifts such as revolutions and cultural modes of thought. The many instances of literature’s role in causing extreme emotional reaction and radically transforming human society show the importance and effectiveness of literature as an expressive medium. A wonderfully exemplary instance in which a work of literature caused an emotional uproar in society is Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery”. First published in 1948, “The Lottery”, is a short story describing a ritual lottery in a small American town. The setting is, initially, seemingly benign and relatable; however, when it is revealed that the ritual lottery is a sacrificial rite, readers were expectedly shocked. The short story garnered superfluous amounts of outrage in the form of copious amounts of hate mail (Kennedy, et al. 139-149). This visceral

Two of the most impactful works in history are Plato’s The Republic and Karl Marx’s and Friedrich Engels’ The Communist Manifesto. In The Republic, Plato details the first republican government system. What Plato detailed in this work later became the foundations for the governments of of the Roman Republic, the United States of America, and the governments of many other nations in the modern world. In slight contrast to The Republic, the ideals of The Communist Manifesto, were the basis for many communist revolutions across the world, resulting in the Cold War and the many smaller wars related to it, all ultimately leaving a clearly lasting impression in today’s world (Books that Changed the