The Running Of The Bulls
The Running of the Bullshit Trying to decide on a topic about traditions that make absolutely no sense and then researching it in relation to Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” was very difficult because are so many examples around the world. Being an animal lover I finally decided to write about The Running of the Bulls which takes place in Pamplona, Spain according to Randy James. This topic is perfect because it also dates back to the Middle Ages where it originated in Navarra, Spain according to Sarah Pruitt, making it the very definition of a tradition. It is a tradition that should no longer be allowed to continue due to the recklessness of the participants and the cruelty it inflicts on the bulls involved. It is a seven day celebration
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In the story, the character of Tessie is singled out and chosen in a similar way the bulls are chosen. They are both used as a form of entertainment, for example, when the children gleefully start to gather their rocks in Jackson’s story, and the spectators waiting hours behind blockades to see participants run with the bulls during the Running of the Bulls festival (James). Both Tessie and the bulls are doomed to meet their end in a gruesome and shocking way. The third similarity between the two is how the lottery and the Bull Run are both accepted as part of the norm even though it is inhumane. Each culture views these traditions as not only being okay, but being expected and fun. For another example, in both instances, the things that happen to Tessie and the bulls affect and hurt other people around them. In Tessie’s case, her husband lost his wife and their children lost their mother and people who were her neighbors killed her. An allegorical representation can be seen between how the lottery was started as a way to insure a good harvest compared with people running with the bulls to express their joy at successfully herding the animals from the corral to the bull fighting ring (James). Comparing the tradition of the lottery with the bull runs, there are close to over a dozen injuries a year during the runs and since 1924 fifteen people have been killed
In the story, the character of Tessie is singled out and chosen in a similar way the bulls are chosen. They are both used as a form of entertainment, for example, when the children gleefully start to gather their rocks in Jackson’s story, and the spectators waiting hours behind blockades to see participants run with the bulls during the Running of the Bulls festival (James). Both Tessie and the bulls are doomed to meet their end in a gruesome and shocking way. The third similarity between the two is how the lottery and the Bull Run are both accepted as part of the norm even though it is inhumane. Each culture views these traditions as not only being okay, but being expected and fun. For another example, in both instances, the things that happen to Tessie and the bulls affect and hurt other people around them. In Tessie’s case, her husband lost his wife and their children lost their mother and people who were her neighbors killed her. An allegorical representation can be seen between how the lottery was started as a way to insure a good harvest compared with people running with the bulls to express their joy at successfully herding the animals from the corral to the bull fighting ring (James). Comparing the tradition of the lottery with the bull runs, there are close to over a dozen injuries a year during the runs and since 1924 fifteen people have been killed