When people hear the word lottery they probably think of a game where you can win money. While winning money is great, there are some things you should keep in mind before you start buying tickets!
In Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery,” the winner of a local lottery is stoned to death. While the villagers in this story may have good intentions, they fail to recognize that their behavior is irrational and harmful. Jackson’s story raises several important issues about the power of tradition and blindly following outdated traditions. The story also demonstrates how quickly people can turn on someone who does not fit into their society, and how difficult it is for a person to escape from these practices.
The word lottery derives from the Latin loteria, which means “fate.” It was originally used to refer to a procedure for distributing money or goods, such as land, based on chance, with each person having an equal chance of drawing the winning number. The practice was a popular form of raising funds for various purposes in Europe, and it later became a popular method of taxation in the United States.
The earliest state-sanctioned lotteries in the US date to 1776, when the Continental Congress approved them as a way to fund the American Revolution. Since then, public lotteries have grown increasingly popular and controversial, with many critics arguing that they disproportionately benefit upper-income neighborhoods while having a negative impact on lower-income populations.