Coincidentally, I have read both of these short stories before; however, being that they are so interesting and that I forgot some of the details, I definitely did not mind reading them again. The lottery has a particularly slow build-up, then there is so much that happens so quickly at then end with Tessie getting stoned. It isn’t really revealed what the lottery is all about until the very end, which is great for building suspense. Anyways, on the leadership side of things, I have so many questions. It isn’t really clear who enforces this, rather it seems that the village does it every year out of pure ritual. Given how many years the lottery had taken place, it makes me wonder why no one ever took a stand to stop it. I think it’s particularly interesting because the village members aren’t being submissive to a person or a group, rather just an idea\/ritual. It makes me wonder whether the village is subject to very severe groupthink.<\/p>\n
The story of the Omelas is another really mind-boggling one. The setting is first introduced as this wonderful place by the sea in which there is a life of perfection for all of its residents. Who wouldn’t want to live there? However, once it is said this is only possible because of an imprisoned and tortured child who never sees the light of day, it flips the entire story upside down. Of course, the biggest question then is whether you would live there knowing that your happiness is based on the misery of a child. This question could be debated upon for hours, and there is not necessarily a right answer. Nobody would want to be the one tortured, but it comes down to whether or not you could live with yourself knowing the reason for your happiness. Many people in the story decide to leave after they are told about the child, but many decide to stay as well. Does leaving make you a better person than one who stayed?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Coincidentally, I have read both of these short stories before; however, being that they are so interesting and that I forgot some of the details,…<\/p>\n