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reassignmenthelpfall_2017.zipThe Lottery.pdf
The Whimper of Whipped Dogs.pdf
instruction for the essay ENG 2001.docx
Instructions for Essay
This essay is on:
“The Lottery” (CLICK HERE to read) OR
“The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” (CLICK HERE to read) OR
BOTH “The Lottery” AND “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs”
The standard form for college-level essays is the 5-part essay. Remember that means:
First paragraph: Introduction, containing your THESIS STATEMENT (or ESSAY TOPIC) as well as some general remarks about the literature.
Second paragraph: Give and explain ONE thing (point of support) that backs up your thesis
Third paragraph: Give and explain ONE MORE thing (point of support) that backs up your thesis
Fourth paragraph: Give and explain ONE LAST thing (point of support) that backs up your thesis
Fifth paragraph: Conclusion, in which you briefly re-state your topic and your supporting points
You certainly may write MORE than five paragraphs! This is just a guideline. However, a complete essay is not LESS than FOUR paragraphs minimum. (Intro, two body paragraphs, conclusion) Length-wise, this tends to mean a minimum of about 2 (TWO) typed double-spaced pages, but you can write MORE than that. This is also just a guideline; it’s possible your essay might be a bit shorter, depending on your topic. Full essays are MORE than 1 (ONE) page.
You do NOT have to do any research for this essay – in fact, I strongly recommend you do NOT! However, if you choose to do so, you need to include FULL correct MLA citation. (NO WIKIPEDIA!)
When backing up your thesis/topic, you want to look at:
The actual reading
Our class discussion (refer to notes)
Our class website
What you’ve learned in other classes
Your own personal experience
Outside research sources (I discourage this last one for this essay!)
IF quoting from one or more of the readings, do it this way:
In “Name of Story,” the author (give the name), writes, “words words words words” (page number).
In “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs,” the author Harlan Ellison writes, “She had thrown up twice that day” (6).
Make sure you have read “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” by Harlan Ellison and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson (short story)
Thesis Statements/Topics for Essay
Topics on “The Lottery:”
· “The Lottery” demonstrates the importance of society changing with time.
· “The Lottery” demonstrates the dangers of blindly following tradition.
· Does “The Lottery” expose the darkness of human nature or the struggle for human kindness?
· “The Lottery” demonstrates what happens to people who are a threat to the existing social order.
· “The Lottery” demonstrates how women in patriarchal societies are oppressed and silenced.
· The horror that takes place in “The Lottery” mirrors the horrors of WWII (the Holocaust and/or the US atomic bombing of Japan).
Topics on “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs:”
· “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” accurately portrays the New York mindset of “minding one’s own business” in the face of violence and brutality.
· When difficult situations occur, people will come face to face with their own moral and ethical beliefs. Do the characters in “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” act out of indifference, fear, or for other reasons?
· “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” reveals the extent to which human beings are corrupted and animalistic.
· “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” demonstrates how and why people create religion and deities to worship.
· “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” demonstrates how easily an innocent person can be corrupted.
· “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” reveals the brutality and callousness of people in groups.
· “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” is an outraged response to the murder of Kitty Genovese.
Topics on both “The Lottery” and “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs:”
· Both “The Lottery” and “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” are stories about humans who are inherently selfish.
· “The Lottery” and “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” illustrate human nature at its core; violent, evil, and selfish.
· Both “The Lottery” and “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” demonstrate that we as human beings say we will help one another, but in the face of crisis we conform to what others do.
· Both “The Lottery” and “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” reveal what lies beneath the surface of a “civilized” society.
· Both “The Lottery” and “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” show the manner in which women are marked as victims in patriarchal societies.
· “The Lottery” and “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” both contain deadly rituals designed to ensure the livelihood and prosperity of the characters in these stories.
