Similarities and Differences Between “the Lottery” and...

In this semester, we’ve read â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† from the textbook. They are two short stories; â€Å"The Lottery† was written by Shirley Jackson, and â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† was written by Kurt Vonnegut. This essay is to compare the similarities and differences between them. The first similarity is that both of these dystopian stories demonstrate how people force themselves in a tradition that they have been told to follow even if they have an option to seek for change, and to explore the negative consequences of mob rule. In both stories, individuals within the community fail to think independently and refuse to question their preconceived traditions and beliefs. The consequences of this blind obedience to tradition are†¦show more content†¦Even though people did not like the way Handicapper General was treating them, they did not protest against her. It is not bad to change the lifestyle if it’s for the best. â€Å"The Lottery† and â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† describe how people are vulnerable to great leadership and are blinded in how it is affecting their lives. In â€Å"Harrison Bergeron† the Handicapper General forces everyone to wear handicaps to enforce equality within the society. What the people don’t realize is that they are being mistreated by the Handicapper General in the name of equality, people are being abused by the handicaps but they are all blinded by Handicapper Generals great leadership. In â€Å"The Lottery† old man Warner is the one that strongly wants to follow a tradition that limits the population by killing people. Everyone is blinded by the culture old man Warner has shown them; the people believe that there is no other way to feed everyone if the population keeps increasing, because old man Warner is strongly with this culture they follow, people are not aware of how cruel and foolish their culture is. It is not easy for humans to resist great leadership but we must make sure that we are not blinded by it. On final similarity between these two stories is their controversial reception. Many readers and critics alike were offended by The Lottery. Harrison Bergeron was also very controversial. Many