Higher Education and Society Attending public schools as a child, I remember learning the basic skills on how to add and subtract, read, and write. These basic skills are necessary in order to function in our society and work force in the United States. As we all know each child learns differently, some learn faster than others and some slower than others. Our public schools have become overcrowded and we do not have enough teachers to fit the needs of each student. Some students get left behind and are not learning the skills needed to move on to the next level. What these students are not learning they can learn in higher education such as a college or university. In this report, I would like to express the importance of a higher education. I will use the works of John Henry Newman, Jon Spayde and Mike Rose, all three writers believe in having an educated society. Our students’ needs are changing, there are a growing number of immigrants with children coming to the United States from all over the world. They bring with them the language and culture of their country. The age in which they arrive to the United States determines how well they learn English and what skills they will need to acquire to become productive in our society. The task of teaching our children the basic skills is becoming harder and harder each day, making it harder for our education system to achieve their goals. There are a high number of students graduating from high school who does not have the skills needed to meet the needs of the work force in our society. A higher level of learning is needed to make our society literate. The relationship between college and university are influential in our society. To have an educated society in the United States brings a safe and peaceful environment to live in. Society is defined as "a group of people with a common culture or a way of life. A group of people who unite to share a common interest" (Holt, Rinehart and Winston 678). An educated society also avoids social problems such as poverty, gangs, drugs and health related sickness. Most of all, having an educated society helps our country’s economy. For example, a citizen that acquires a college degree earns respect and can get a good job that pays well.
Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery', is a story that is filled with symbolism. The author uses symbolism to help her represent human nature as tainted, no matter how pure one thinks of himself or herself, or how pure their environment may seem to be. The story is very effective in raising many questions about the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and violence. 'The Lottery' clearly expresses Jackson's feelings concerning mankind?s evil nature hiding behind traditions and rituals. She shows how coldness and lack of compassion in people can exhibit in situations regarding tradition and values. Jackson presents the theme of this short story with a major use of symbolism. Symbolism shows throughout the setting of 'The Lottery,' the objects, the peoples actions, and even in the time and the names of the lucky contestants.
The Lottery is an amazing work of fiction not only because of its extraordinary twist on the concept of tradition, but for its classic irony and impeccable use of symbolism. The Lottery questions whether or not tradition should be respected for what it is or evolve to suit new generations. When asked the purpose of writing The Lottery, Shirley Jackson responded that the story was "to shock the story's readers with a graphic demonstration of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives." (237) Jackson was a true visionary as a female author who created a thought provoking and alarming story to readers in a time when tradition was still heavily weighted in society.
Jackson, Shirley. ?The Lottery.? Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X.J. Kennedy and Diana Gioia. 6thed. New York: HarperCollins, 1995.
Of the many intriguing varieties of literary methods used to write most short stories, the author of The Lottery, Shirley Jackson, uses symbolism, allegory and plot to make this story stand out. Of the many literary methods of writing, Jackson used symbolism and allegory to her advantage. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary classifies symbolism as “the particular idea or quality that is expressed by a symbol” and Allegory as “a story in which the characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas about human life or for a political or historical situation”. Jackson also organizes her story with a striking, broad message, which takes the reader by surprise. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary also lists Plot as “a series of events that form the story in a novel, movie, etc.” The combination of these methods assists the reader with the understanding of the story, the meaning, and the significance. Shirley Jackson uses symbolism, allegory, and plot to illustrate a theme of true human nature in The Lottery.
Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” is an unconventional story about a village annual tradition. The story narrates how villagers gather to celebrate the lottery. Although “The Lottery” is a yearly custom, the way it is setup, carried out, and the grand prize makes “The Lottery” unrealistic.
Burton, D. L. (2003). Male adolescents: Sexual victimization and subsequent sexual abuse. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 20(4), 277-296.
Many remember the actions throughout the story but never really think about the symbols. The box that the villagers were drawing from was old and black. This represented their tradition of having the lottery. The box was falling apart and faded black from how old it was. The box is a symbol to their loyalty to the tradition. They all had to know what they were doing was wrong. Yet they came back every year willingly. Another Symbol that is used is the two main characters, Mr. and Mrs. Graves. Thier last names being “graves” hints at the end of the story but rarely anyone pays attention to it. This symbolises how we are warned about our economy and the risks of our “winnings” all the time but never pay any attention to it. We always have our eyes on the prize rather than what could come of it. I believe that Jackson did not mean to always look at the negative in life but be more aware of the real world in front of us and the predicaments we are faced with everyday that goes unacknowledged. In the beginning of the story the boys piled up a bunch of stones which seemed to have irrelevance until the end of the story where they were put to use. Theses stones represent how we are fighting against each other instead of helping each other. Hurting each other just for money or power instead of helping each other. We are fighting ourselves instead of seeing what the true issues
Colleges and Universities, in a way, are businesses selling financial stable futures. There are many futures to buy, some a little more expensive than others, but in all, with a college degree, individuals have the chance and opportunity to achieve certain success.
In Shirley Jackson's short story "The Lottery" symbols are used to enhance and stress the theme of the story. A symbol is a person, object, action, place, or event that in addition to its literal meaning, suggests a more complex meaning or range of meanings. (Kirszner & Mendell 330) The theme of the story is how coldness and lack of compassion can be exhibited in people in situations regarding tradition and values. That people will do incredibly evil and cruel things just for the sake of keeping a routine. Three of the main symbols that Shirley uses in the story is the setting, black box, and the actual characters names. They all tie together to form an intriguing story that clearly shows the terrible potential if society forgets the basis of tradition. The story also shows many similarities between the culture of the village, and the culture of Nazi Germany. How blind obedience to superiors can cause considerable damage to not only a community, but the entire world. Symbolism plays a large role in "The Lottery" to set the theme of the story and make the reader question traditions.
As the story of “The Lottery” comes to an end, readers are left with a shocking reaction. Shirley Jackson’s Characters continuously participate in a lottery, where the reasoning for it has been forgotten. Throughout Shirley Jacksons Story of “The Lottery” readers can see how conformity can bring out the evilness in human nature, by characters continuing a tradition regardless of immorality.
...he past years has been the decline of educated citizens in our country. We have quickly been surpassed by many nations in terms of literacy, intelligence, and resources to education. It is the foundation in America for a quality future in terms of employment, equality, social stratification, and ending the cycle of poverty. In addition, it is key to the growth and development of our nation. Although every child has access to public education, there is a vast difference between education and quality education. In addition, with insurmountable college fees, the ability to earn a degree, which is almost necessary to have an upper level career, is definitely a challenge. The struggle to provide every citizen a quality education has been a never-ending problem in our country, and it will take major economic, cultural, and political changes to revolutionize the system.
By the time a high school student is ready to start college there are endless career possibilities available. The question becomes college the key factor in determining how successful a person will be? In today’s rapidly advancing society, students are pushed to go to college, but college does not always build successful people. In many cases, a secondary education provides all the necessary skills for a person to become successful. Each year, taxpayers pay thousands of dollars to provide public services, including funding public secondary education for students. Using the funds for secondary education is a positive use of the money.
Ma, Martine. ”Literary Analysis Essay: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson. http://martinema.wordPress.com, N.p, 10 Jun 2013. Web. 17 Mar 2014
Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 989.
Nowadays education has become a part of each individual 's life. With a specific end goal to survive and be fruitful one need education. Despite the fact that there are numerous approaches to live, education assumes real part in underlining one 's ability. Educated individual with a professional education can lead a happy life and has incredible esteem in the blink of an eye in the general public. A person holding a degree empowers him/her to achieve more and give students strength to pick a right alternative. We can 't purchase information it must be gained from instructors or coaches. To gain knowledge we have to study, to gain wisdom we have to observe so educated person with college degree have more career opportunities and lead respectful life in the society.