The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

...

woman defies the arranged marriage, her own family may carry out an honor killing. An honor killing is when male family members kill female members to punish them for behavior they deem unacceptable, such as having an unapproved boyfriend (Ijaz). Attempting to change this tradition is dangerous. The individual could become the target of rejection, ostracized from your community or worse. The male elders of Pakistani society had so much power that only recently Pakistan’s Parliament passed legislation against honor killings – mandating life imprisonment of convicted murderers even if the victim’s relatives forgive them (Jazeera).

Consequently, social pressure and how individuals perceive others are two powerful influencers’ affecting if a person takes a stand for what is right or remain a complicit silent bystander. Blindly following a barbaric tradition does not absolve someone from being responsible for their own actions. Legal entitlement to carry out an act does not excuse that action if it is morally wrong.

Works Cited

Ijaz, Saroop. “’Honor’ Killings Continue in Pakistan Despite New Law.” Human Rights Watch, 25 Sept. 2017, www.hrw.org/news/2017/09/25/honor-killings-continue-pakistan-despite-new-law.

Jackson, Shirley, “The Lottery” (Fiction). Patterns for College Writing A Rhetorical Reader and Guide for Broward College. 13th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015. 308-315. Print.

Jazeera, Al. “Pakistan Adopts New Law to Tackle ’Honour Killings’.” News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 6 Oct. 2016, www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/10/pakistan-adopts-harsh-law-honour-killings-161006165613623.html.

Orwell, George, “Shooting an Elephant”. Patterns for College Writing A Rhetorical Reader and Guide for Broward College. 13th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015. 133-139. Print.