Blog Post #4

4. In the written version of "The Lottery" there is less of an emphasis on any type of revolt or as is portrayed in the movie "The Lottery." Mrs. Hutchinson does struggle with her family being chosen, but she doesn't hesitate to bring up her older children to be part of her family, which would in turn decrease the odds of her or any of her younger children being picked. Although she struggles with being the one chosen there is no real revolt as we see in the movie where Jason's father ends up revolting against tradition in order to save his wife's life or where Jason himself revolts and doesn't participate in the stoning of Mrs. Dunbar. In the written version of "The Lottery"there is more of an emphasis on the bourgeoisie having influence over the proletariat. In the written version of "The Lottery" Mr.Summers is the mayor who runs the lottery on June 27th. Although he is the main person in charge it seems as though Old Man Warner has a big influence on the way Mr. Summers runs the lottery. They seem to be the ones running the show and the others the proletariats go along with the show, because they are below them and take orders from those who are the hierarchy. Old Man Warner seems to be the one who runs the show a little more than Mr. Summers does as to guide him in how to run the show by reassuring that the lottery is the right way and the only way to run a prosperous town. The others are those who follow through fear or possibly through the manipulation and brain washing of those above them to make them believe that the lottery was necessary and was tradition and that there was no other way. Ideology is in graved in us and in the people of the town where the lottery is done. We as humans are afraid of change and afraid of being wrong; it's a natural instinct. No matter what our traditions are the majority of us will follow the tradition and no one will question whether or not our traditions are right. Same for the people of the town they went along with the lottery, because it was tradition and they believed the lottery to be what brought order in the town. We, as those in "The Lottery," are at times manipulated and brain washed to think that certain things are true and right, because those of hierarchy told us they were. In "The Lottery" the people of the town were so focused with tradition that it mattered to them what box they used and what the tickets were made out of. They were afraid of change, but Mr. Summer's role as the bourgeoisie showed, because his authority change the tickets from being on scraps of wood to paper tickets. In the written version of "The Lottery" we see the influence that once ideology and traditions can shape ones moral and ethical ideals.

6. Both "The Lottery" and "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" suggest that the greater good is more important than individual intrests. For example in "The Lottery" the town views that the beauty of their town relies on the stoning of a person each year. In order for their world to have order there needs to be a "sacrifice" each year for them to be prosperous. We see a similar scenario happen in "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas," in the town in Omelas in order for the town to be jolly and perfect there needs to be a similar "sacrifice," but in their case rather than killing a person they lock up a child under the town and they believe the child must be there for the sake of the towns "well being." In both stories the children are raised knowing of the events, which take place. In "The Lottery" the children begin to participate once they are five or six, as shown in the movie, and in "The Ones who Walk Away From Omelas" children are exposed to the child when they are "old enough to understand." In both these stories children are brain washed to believe that the event, which happens is necessary. In "The Lottery" the stoning is described to the child as tradition and that it is what has always been done and it is necessary for the town to prosper. In "The Ones who Walked Away From Omelas" it goes more into detail of the emotional strain it has on the people who first see the child in the room. Here we see that the brain washing starts if a child can't understand why there is a child who is malnourished in a room their parents being to brain wash them and insist that it is need for their town to run the way it does. They continue the brain washing until the child comes to the conclusion that his or her parents are right and seems to understand the purpose of the dying child. In both stories the welling being of the town as a whole is more important than the well being of one person. They believe that sacrificing one person isn't has bad as the entire town being in poverty or having to struggle.