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The Mayflower Fact Analysis

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Analysis: The communities in “The Lottery” and “The Mayflower Compact” blindly adhere to the traditions and guidelines of their people. In “The Lottery”, the villagers’ blind acceptance of the murder ritual allows it to become a permanent aspect of the tradition that occurs every year. Year after year, the fact that the ritual has always been an essential part of the village serves as a sufficient justification for the majority of the population. None of the villagers feel the need to question Old Man Warner or the motives of the lottery because it has been ingrained into the town’s culture. The villagers are oblivious and unaware of the barbaric nature of the lottery. Similarly, in “The Mayflower Compact”, the soon to be American colonists …show more content…

Similarly, in “The Mayflower Compact”, the idea of yielding to God and his will is repeatedly highlighted in the compact, which has been an essential aspect of British and Pilgrim history for centuries. God and the black box play the role of reminding the current people in the two civilizations of their longstanding beliefs and traditions. While the actual black box is not important to the villagers, the image of the black box conjures all past memories of the lottery because of its role in the drawing of the papers. The British Empire was largely influenced by religion, especially the Pilgrims who made up the vast majority of the population of the ship. The Pilgrims blindly follow God’s path in all components of their life without any visual evidence or proof, yet the newer generations all succumb to God’s will because it has always played such a large role in Pilgrim history. Similar to the Pilgrim belief in God, the younger villagers all buy into the lottery and the role of the black box because it has been ingrained into the tradition, as it has been going on since the village’s …show more content…

The rituals continue to be accepted because of their importance to the history and tradition of the two groups. In both writings, the people are raised to believe in these concepts, so that when they are able to make decisions and judgements for themselves, these younger members of society have no reason to not follow along with the customs.

3. What is my topic (unifying idea), and how did I arrive at it?

The unifying idea of the quotes is blind adherence to traditional ideas and beliefs, even when these concepts are not always substantiated or morally right. Each generation of Pilgrims is raised to believe in both God and adhere to the British Empire and its monarchy. These beliefs are highlighted in the compact by repeated documentations of the people being “loyal subjects” of the king and following “the Grace of God”. The villagers in “The Lottery” grow up witnessing and participating in the lottery by throwing rocks, so once they are old enough to draw the paper and understand the effects that the lottery has on the village, they are blind to its inhumanity.

4. Draft thesis statement: I will argue that...

I will argue that following a tradition for an extended period of time causes it to become ingrained into the culture and to be blindly adhered to, even when it is morally wrong or

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