The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. (…)
Source: Jackson, Shirley “The Lottery.” New Yorker, 26 June 1948.
Available at [🔗].
current affairs
Societies institute many traditions in which people willingly participate and take on substantial risks of harm, be it psychological or physical. Examples are hazing rituals in fraternities on university campuses. Should such traditions be outlawed for reasons of public safety? In The New York Times opinion piece, Frank Bruni asks whether fraternities should be made into a thing of the past.
links
questions
1. Why do you think that people reacted so negatively to Shirley Jackson’s story when it was first published? What does she herself say she wanted to convey through the story?
2. The New York Times article “Their pledges die. So should fraternities” documents some of the hazing fatalities in fraternities. Considering that there are bound to be (psychological and physical) injuries and fatalities in hazing practices as they are currently practiced, are these rituals any less barbaric than Shirley Jackson’s lottery? Should universities do everything they can to prohibit such rituals or is there some value in letting these traditions continue in some shape or form? And should we abolish the fraternities that perpetuate them?