The Use of Selective Exposition in The Lottery, by Shirley...

A typical story is littered with details, explaining the history of the world the story takes place in, who the characters in the story are, all the while remaining correlated to the plot and subplots that drive the story forward. The story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson however does not follow these conditions, as the reader is left to interpret a majority of the story on their own as it progresses. Jackson is not the only writer to incorporate a style of selective exposition in their work; Raymond Carver is widely recognized for his rejection of explanation and the use of characters that do not always communicate with one another, both of which are elements which Jackson incorporates into her own story. Initially, a lack of exposition†¦show more content†¦Accordingly the reader has had ample time to form whatever interpretations they may have about the lottery, even given the sparse information that the story provides. What is certain about the story leading up to the very end, is that everyone in the town takes place in the lottery regardless of age, that there’s been a lottery for as long as anyone can remember, that this village is not the only one that keeps this practice, and that it is a declining practice (Jackson 239). Despite whatever conceptions the reader may draw about the mystery of the lottery, the truth is so unexpected that it perfectly demonstrates how something can possess immense and startling power (May 48). The reader discovers that the lottery is actually a public stoning. The exact process is that everyone draws a piece of paper from a box, and whoever draws the paper marked with a black spot, is stoned to death. An important thing to note is that in the beginning of the story, the villagers â€Å"made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square† (Jackson 235). These stones are not mentioned until the very end, where the villagers proceed to bludgeon the unlucky winner of the lottery. This brutal image is e nough to shatter any preconceived notions the reader may have formed, thus raising another mystery: what is the purpose of the lottery? Despite the many blanks that the reader is left to fill in, all of themShow MoreRelatedSelective Exposition in The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson1003 Words   |  5 Pagessomeone hears the word â€Å"lottery† the first thing that comes to mind is a large sum of cash that people compete against highly impractical odds to win. Shirley Jackson’s story The Lottery might imply a similar conception based on the title alone, but the story is filled with unknowns never revealing exactly when and where the story takes place, or why the lottery exists; even what the lottery is isn’t revealed until the very end. Yet despite Jackson’s omission of details in The Lottery, she manages to create

Essay on Odysseus as a Heroic Individual - 613 Words

Odysseus as a Heroic Individual Thesis: Odysseus was a true hero he showed this through his determination and courage. Odysseus, A True Hero? What is a hero? The dictionary defines a hero as being a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability; an illustrious warrior; a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities; one that shows great courage. Odysseus was a true hero; he showed this through his determination and courage. The dictionary definition of a hero includes courage, strength and great ability. Odysseus fits the dictionary description of a hero. Two characteristics that I believe are essential to the definition of†¦show more content†¦Like instead of just blinding the Cyclops he killed him but he choose to go another way. â€Å"My heart beat high now at the chance of action, and drawing the sharp sword from my hip I went along his flank to stab him where the midriff holds the liver. I had touched the spot when sudden fear stayed me: if I killed him we perished there as well, for we could never move his ponderous doorway slab aside.† (Homer ix. 312-318), This also could have been true in various other situations like instead of just leaving Calypso he killed her, or if had made and attempt to kill the God Poseidon. I don’t perceive killing every man or woman you come into battle with as a heroic action. Sometimes to be the hero of a situation you must be the bigger man and walk away from a battle letting the other man live. The difference being that his peers see the death of an enemy as a victory whereas I see it as a loss. Killing someone doesn’t make you a winner it only makes you a loser, a true victory is one that both people walk away alive and yet one person may have the upper hand on the situation. A hero is a person that thinks about others before themselves, whether it be physical or emotional. A hero puts others in perspective with every aspect of their life. Odysseus shows this when sail past the sirens. Odysseus and his men must sail past the island of seductresses. He plugs the ears ofShow MoreRelatedThe Characters Of Jacob And Odysseus913 Words   |  4 Pagesoneself.† Acts of heroism are witnessed each and every day, some insignificant, while others more memorable. Present all over the world, individuals are admired for their great bravery, courage, and noble qualities. The Odyssey and the Holy Bible, two distinguished works of literature, clearly elucidate one’s journey to heroic status. Joseph, son of Jacob, and Odysseus, wanax of Ithaca, endure and surmount multiple obstacles in pursuit of fame and glory, with some assistance from divine interventionRead MoreEssay about Heroic Code in the Iliad and the Odyssey979 Words   |  4 PagesHeroic Code in the Iliad and the Odyssey In Websters Dictionary, a hero is defined as a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of purpose, especially if this individual has risked or sacrificed his life. In the Iliad and the Odyssey, the code which administers the conduct of the Homeric heroes is a straightforward idea. The aim of every hero is to achieve honor. Throughout the Iliad and the Odyssey, different characters take on the role of a hero. Honor is essential to the HomericRead MoreA True Hero in the Epic of Gigamesh Essay1689 Words   |  7 PagesWhat makes a hero? A hero can be born into greatness and lead an ordinary life. A hero can achieve and glory greatness and carry a noble death to their name. What turns an individual into the characteristic of a â€Å"hero† will depend on the journey they set upon. From ancient Greek culture, the concept of a hero was built from idolizing a religious figure, a deceased person who received cult honors and was expected to return home bearing prosperity in f orms of plants or animals, back to their peopleRead MoreHeroism In Oedipus The King And The Odyssey1132 Words   |  5 PagesBrady Stobbe Dr. Dutch October 17 Heroism in Oedipus the King and The Odyssey Life is filled with a multitude of challenges and obstacles; in this case, life is often defined in relation to the ability if an individual to overcome and defeat such things. Aspects of heroism are evident in the situations and events that arise in the life of someone. This essay dives into the element of heroism that is evident is the stories: Oedipus the King and The Odyssey. Oedipus the King and The Odyssey shareRead MoreOdysseus Heroism in The Odyssey Essay584 Words   |  3 Pagesdecision to fight, not necessarily physically, for their values. Odysseus, the main character in The Odyssey, should be considered a hero. He put his own life in jeopardy to protect his men from the supernatural threats that they faced throughout their journey. Odysseus should be regarded as a hero because he is brave, clever, and cautious. Odysseus shows his heroism through his bravery. When Circe turned his men into swine, Odysseus confronted her: I drew my sharpened sword and in one bound heldRead MoreEpic Passages of The Epic of Gilgamesh and Homers Odyssey921 Words   |  4 Pagesa hero. Historically, in the texts, heroes such as Gilgamesh and Odysseus are protagonists viewed and credited with great bravery and most certainly heroism. Nearly all of the heroic figures throughout time, both fictitious and living and are viewed as a protagonist in their own epic challenge or struggle when looked back upon. Though many core elements of histories hero are found in today’s and it is epic passages such as Odysseus and Gilgamesh that have played a part in shaping the characteristicsRead MoreOdysseus The Hero Essay1504 Words   |  7 Pagesaccepts who he is as an individual, but strives to change himself for the better. In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, the main character Odysseus is a valiant king who embar ks on a life-changing voyage. While traveling from Troy back to his home in Ithaka, King Odysseus overcomes daunting obstacles, and in doing so discovers his place in the world. Odysseus is truly a heroic figure because he demonstrates courage, improves his character, and wins the support of the gods. Odysseus is a hero becauseRead MoreOdysseus A Hero730 Words   |  3 PagesIs Odysseus a Hero? Heroes are often thought of as great figures that conquer evil, kill the monster, and save the day. Odysseus is often referred to as a hero. He is a strong individual striving to complete his goal, return to his wife and son and remove suitors that have taken his home. Although he is seen as a hero by definition and he appears to be one as well there are decisions he made that may not be truly heroic. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus decisions to value his crews life, andRead MoreHow Does Homer Use The Effectiveness Of Ajax s Speech1723 Words   |  7 Pagesfinds most compelling. Conversely, Odysseus, although the most adept orator sent, is the least effective in convincing Achilles to rejoin the war. In my opinion, this is because while Odysseus uses a well-reasoned and debatably superior argument, Ajax, as a character, is similar to Achilles and is able to more effectively direct his argument towards Achilles’ defining characteristics. In this paper, I will argue that Hom er characterizes Achilles as an individual who is guided primarily by his emotionsRead MoreAnalysis Of Odysseus1716 Words   |  7 PagesKyle Hoffmann CPLT 2010 Paper 3 Odysseus from Hero to Villain One of the more famous characters of the ancient Greeks, Odysseus, has been written about for millennia. Homer composed an epic poem entirely about him. Dante wrote about Odysseus while describing his journey through the afterlife in Inferno. These two writers, though describing the same man, portray him in different lights – Homer lauding him as a valiant hero and Dante condemning him to burn for eternity. Each portrayal is a product

The Hummer Campaign An Overview Free Essays

OVERVIEW When General Motors Corporation (GM) acquired the commercial marketing rights to the Hummer truck, the civilian version of the U. S. Army’s Humvee, it faced the challenge of promoting a vehicle that was never intended to be sold in high numbers. We will write a custom essay sample on The Hummer Campaign: An Overview or any similar topic only for you Order Now Part of the solution was to design smaller, less-expensive versions, the H2 and H3, but much of the success would have to depend on the marketing. Rather than turning to a roster of ad agencies it usually worked with, GM hired a young Boston creative boutique, Modernista! , in 2000. The initial goal of the $35 million campaign, begun in August 2001, was to establish Hummer as a luxury brand. Thus, images ofmud-splatteredHummers that played up the vehicle’s off-road capabilities were scrapped in favor of shots that made it seem jewel-like. Once the brand was repositioned, the marketers’ goal was to pitch the lower-priced H2 and H3 to a wider market, hopefully to more women. Factors such as rising gas prices and the perception that the Hummer was oversized for most consumers proved to be major hurdles for the marketers. However, by the end of 2003 the campaign had succeeded in redefining the Hummer brand, and with the introduction of the H3 in 2005, the marketers took on a new challenge: selling the Hummer to a mass market. HISTORICAL CONTEXT The Humvee was designed for the U. S. Army in 1979 by AM General Corp. , based in South Bend, Indiana. The 3. 5-ton vehicle became a star of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, spurring consumer demand for a civilian version, which was introduced in 1992 as the Hummer. It catered to an exclusive market, as demonstrated by the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the first buyers. The vehicle never received much advertising support; AM General spent less than $1 million on marketing the Hummer in 1999, when it sold about 700 of the trucks. Nevertheless, AM General did enough business to attract the attention of General Motors, and in the end bought the Hummer brand in late 1999. GM signed a seven-year contract with AM General to produce the next generation, GM-designed version, the Hummer H2 sport-utility vehicle (SUV). The agency Modernista! was hired to promote the brand. Prior marketing efforts had played up the military connection and the Hummer’s off-road capabilities, billing the vehicle as ‘‘the world’s most serious 4Ãâ€"4. ’’ Modernista! won the account because it was the only agency that attempted to fashion a wider appeal by going beyond the tough-guy, army-truck image. The principals involved in the campaign did not lack experience in selling cars. Modernista! ’s cofounder, Lance Jensen, had worked with Hummer’s advertising director, Liz Vanzura, when she was at Volkswagen of America and he was with the Boston-based ad agency Arnold Communications. Both played key roles in developing Volkswagen’s award-winning ‘‘Drivers Wanted’’ campaign. Vanzura commented that, while the Volkswagen ads were aimed at ‘‘cool, young people,’’ her new mission was to sell Hummers to ‘‘cool, rich people. ’’ TARGET MARKET Even before hiring Modernista! , GM had done a great deal of market research. According to Ted Evanoff, writing for the Indianapolis Star, ‘‘In 1999 researchers stumbled across the notion that an unlikely cross-section of America—surgeons, dot-com millionaires, rock stars, high school students, corporate execs—prized their individuality. And they regarded the rugged Hummer as a symbol of individuality, especially compared with the typical sport-utility common in suburbia. ’’ Modernista! was given 2,200 pages of market data to distill into an advertising message. The agency was also handed a brand that skewed very much toward males, averaging 50 years in age and with an annual household income of more than $200,000. The target buyer for the less-expensive H2, while still male, was 42 years old on average and had a household income above $125,000. Vanzura told Chris Reidy of the Boston Globe that the coveted audience included ‘‘rugged individualists, adventurous entrepreneurs, and adrenaline junkies. ’’ In other interviews she described the target market as ‘‘successful achievers’’ and ‘‘style leaders. ’’ She also told Evanoff that Hummer had to vie with other purchases the well-to-do might consider, such as yachts or vacation houses, stating, ‘‘We’re really not competing in an automotive category. ’ COMPETITION The yacht, vacation house, and other status symbols notwithstanding, Hummer competed in the luxury-SUV category against other SUVs, including the Lincoln Navigator, Land Rover’s Range Rover, and the Lexus LX 470. But Hummer’s chief opponent was DaimlerChrysler’s Jee p Wrangler. Boasting similar military roots but extending back to World War II, Jeep had defined the SUV category and at its height in 1993 controlled nearly 30 percent of the traditional SUV market. Over the following several years, however, the brand failed had to introduce new models, and its lessexpensive ones faced increasingly stiff competition, resulting in a severe erosion of sales. As long as Hummer was not a direct competitor, DaimlerChrysler took little notice of it, but as soon as GM acquired the right to mass-market the Hummer, DaimlerChrysler recognized the threat at the high end of the SUV category and became determined to hold on to Jeep’s reputation as the premier heavy-duty, off-road brand. The two vehicles had slightly different target markets, however. Jeep appealed to consumers who loved the outdoors and might attend one of the dozens of Jeep Jamboree off-road events held throughout the year. Typical Hummer customers, on the other hand, wanted the off-road capabilities the vehicle had to offer but were more interested in the image it created. They were as likely to drive their Hummers to an upscale mall as up a mountain. MARKETING STRATEGY In preparation for marketing the lower-priced H2, Modernista! instituted a bridge campaign, paid for by AM General, to sell the H1 while repositioning the brand. As Will Uronis, an associate creative director at Modernista! , explained to the Boston Herald ’s Greg Gatlin, ‘‘Hollywood had defined what Hummers stood for—war, explosions and arrogance . . . We just took a look at another facet of the truck. ’’ Jensen added, ‘‘We went out and talked to guys that drove them . . . they don’t all hunt and kill things. ’’ Nevertheless, Hollywood movies had done a good job of making consumers aware of the Hummer. Market research conducted in 1999 indicated that as many as one in five buyers of full-size SUVs considered purchasing the Hummer. The bridge campaign was intended to play to the ‘‘rugged individualists’’ who, research revealed, were attracted to the Hummer and to set the stage for the launch of theH2 by creating an emotional attachment to the brand that transcended the hard-edged image fostered by Hollywood. According to Evanoff, writing in the Indianapolis Star, the promotion of the H1 was intended to create a ‘‘halo’’ over the brand, providing ‘‘the foundation for a brand image that will carry the smaller H2. ’’ The first national ads for the GM-owned Hummer began appearing on August 13, 2001. It was an all-print campaign that featured photographs of the vehicle in lush locales in Chile. Not only did the pictures suggest where the H1, with its off-road prowess, could take the viewer, but they also made the big truck look small. It was the first time Hummer was not portrayed covered in mud or linked to the military. Reinforcing the visual message of the ad was the text, which included the headline ‘‘How did my soul get way out here? ’’ and the concluding text ‘‘Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere. And sometimes in the middle of nowhere you find yourself. The legendary H1. ’’ Hummer’s longtime tagline, ‘‘World’s most serious 4Ãâ€"4,’’ was replaced by ‘‘Like nothing else. ’’ The four ads ran through the rest of 2001, appearing in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Esquire, Spin, Wired, and Red Herring. Hummer’s 50 dealers were also encouraged to use the ads created by Modernista! to bring continuity to the brand’s makeover, with some of their media costs being reimbursed by a cooperative advertising program. The H2, based on GM’s Chevrolet Tahoe full-size SUV, was introduced in July 2002. A second model featuring a small pickup bed and a cargo door was supposed to be offered at the same time, but the launch was pushed back, partly because the vehicle needed more work but also as a way to extend the marketing buzz the brand was creating. The new H2, with a base price of $48,000, was about half the price of the H1 and, despite being called the ‘‘baby Hummer,’’ essentially the same size. But it featured a smaller, less noisy gas engine rather than a cumbersome diesel one, and it had comforts and customizable options the H1 lacked but that were expected in a luxury SUV. The introduction of the H2 was supported by another print campaign developed by Modernista! While the ‘‘Like nothing else’’ tagline of the previous ads was retained, the look of the new ads was markedly different, relying on dramatic close-ups set against bold, sky-blue backgrounds. Like the first ads, the new ones ran in a wide range of magazines, with the text tailored to the publication. For example, in the Robb Report, which covered all things luxurious, the text read, ‘‘Excessive. In a Rome at the height of its power sort of way. ’’ The Vanity Fair text read, ‘‘Threaten the men in your office in a whole new way,’’ part of an effort to increase the number of women buying the vehicles. Another ad proclaimed, ‘‘Perfect for rugby moms. ’’ About 10 percent of H1 owners were women, and one goal of the H2 campaign was to increase that number to 25 percent. Outdoor ads were also produced, running in 14 major markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit. Print and outdoor ads were made available for the use of dealers. The first Hummer television ads aired in mid-August 2002. The initial three 30-second spots, intended to romanticize the truck, were shot in Iceland and in Vancouver, British Columbia, and featured both natural and urban locations. They showed friends in a Hummer speeding over the tundra of Iceland or a professional woman weaving through traffic in a city. Set to rock music, the only words in the spots were text statements such as ‘‘Maybe if you can, you will. ’ A second phase of the television campaign played on people’s perception of the Hummer as a gas-guzzling road hog. In one spot a young boy constructed a small wooden version of the Hummer to enter in a soapbox derby, while The Who’s ‘‘Happy Jack’’ played in the background and the little girl next door looked on. At the start of the big race the other boys scoffed at little Jack and his less-than-streamli ned racer, but he prevailed by abandoning the asphalt course, breaking the rules to go cross-country and win the race and the girl. Through the humor of the spot Jack was portrayed not as a blatant cheater but as a heroic iconoclast, offering subliminal reassurance to potential Hummer customers who might feel guilty about buying a vehicle that got about 13 miles to a gallon of gas on the highway. A second Hummer spot, also displaying a tough side, hearkened back to the Asteroids video game of the 1980s, with a spaceship blasting boulders only to confront an indestructible Hummer, which chased the ship off the screen. OUTCOME GM and Modernista! ucceeded in introducing Hummer to a wider market, but after a strong showing in 2003, sales began to tail off, partly because of high gas prices. To regain lost ground, in 2004 GM introduced the H2 SUT (sport-utility truck). This was followed by the unveiling in 2005 of the H3, a midsize Hummer priced from $29,500 to $32,000. Almost 17 inches shorter, 1,700 pounds lighter, and more fuel-efficient at 20 miles per gallon, it was a vehicle GM hoped women and younger drivers wo uld find more appealing. In pitching the vehicle to a mass market, Hummer and Modernista! aced a new task. Putting a positive spin on the challenge, Jensen told Jeremy W. Peters of the New York Times, ‘‘The brand has a lot of different personality levels . . . You can do the serious capability stuff, the real rough-and-tumble rock climbing stuff, the peaceful back-to-nature stuff. ’’ Industry analyst Mary Ann Keller disagreed, telling the New York Times that it was impossible to sell Hummer to the masses: ‘‘How in the world can you possibly fathom that something that looks like a military vehicle is practical for the average driver? ’’ How to cite The Hummer Campaign: An Overview, Papers