Evil is a present force in our society. It can’t be stopped; it spreads like cancer by the media and is embraced by the disappointed members of our society. In the story The Possibility of Evil‚ by Shirley Jackson‚ the protagonist‚ Miss Strangeworth‚ understands that evil is everywhere but does her best to stop it As a result; in Miss Strangeworth’s mind she is the guardian and protector of the town. She feels that this responsibility has been accorded her because her grandfather was one
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The Possibility of Evil Things aren’t always what they seem. In the short story “The Possibility of Evil”‚ Shirley Jackson writes about Ms. Strangeworth‚ an elderly lady‚ that looks to be kind and sweet but turns out to be a judgmental perfectionist. In the story‚ Ms. Strangeworth writes letters to people in her town judging them about how they live their lives. Clearly‚ Ms. Strangeworth proves that appearance can be deceiving because below the kind demeanor she is selfish‚ nasty‚ and bitter person
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The Possibility of Evil “The Possibility of Evil” is a classic mystery short story written by Shirley Jackson. This story is about an old lady named Miss Strangeworth‚ that shows how evil and mean she is. Miss strangeworth thinks she owns the town. People think that she is the perfect person that is friendly‚ charming and nice but the town doesn’t realize until the end that Miss Strangeworth has been living a different life behind peoples backs. Miss Strangeworth lives alone in her family
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least once in their lifetime. Author Shirley Jackson coveys both violence and human cruelty in her well known short story "The Lottery". "Jackson’s The Lottery" states‚ "The date of the lottery‚ its location‚ and the symbolic or ironic names of its characters all work to convey a meaning that is even more disturbing than the shock created by its well-known ending" (Yarmove 242). In Shirley Jackson’s "The Lottery"‚ she uses techniques such as symbolism and irony to reveal
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“The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson is a short story about an old woman that lives in a small town but has a big secret. Miss Strangeworth has stunning roses in her yard that have been passed down to her from generations; everyone in town comes to admire her roses. Even though Miss Strangeworth knows everyone and is nice to everyone‚ she anonymously sends letters to people. These letters contain things such as cheating‚ “accidental” deaths‚ and telling parents they aren’t fit to have children
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“The Possibility of Evil”‚ is a story written by Shirley Jackson‚ which includes many examples of irony within the short story. It contains three types of irony. They include Dramatic‚ Verbal‚ and Situational Irony. The definition of irony as a whole is language which usually means the opposite for a humorous or emphatic effect. It can be when the reader knows more than the characters‚ a person says something and they really mean the opposite‚ or the story goes another way than intended. All of these
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Satire/Irony in ‘The Lottery’: The Lucky Ticket The use of Satire/Irony within literature establishes situations where the unlikelihood of the occurrence of an event will happen. Jackson’s manipulation of his story‚ The Lottery‚ provides an unexpected twist to what one may seem to be a normal subject. Northrop Frye’s The Singing School‚ suggests that all stories are told in either one of four ways: Comedy‚ Romance‚ Tragedy or Satire/Irony (Frye 18). The use of Irony and its conventional associations
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In her short story‚ “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson‚ an American writer‚ tells a story of people gathering in a small town for an annual lottery‚ where children are playing with stones and adults are sharing stories about farming. Yet‚ the sunny and happy opening scene has a twisted shocking ending‚ as the lottery in the story does not involve winning a prize‚ but losing a life. Irony is an underlying theme that is used throughout the story. Irony is referring to a person‚ situation‚ or circumstance
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September 19‚ 2002 "Evil: A Host of Happiness" In the short stories "A Rose For Emily‚" by William Faulkner and "The Possibility of Evil‚" by Shirley Jackson both authors create similar characters and settings that illustrate daring images of evil. Both Emily Grierson and Adela Strangeworth are women who share similar characteristics yet pose completely different motives. Their stories take place in close-knit towns‚ which play essential roles in their motives for evil. Emily Grierson and
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The Possibility of Evil The Possibility of Evil is full of literary devices. The one that is mostly used throughout this short story is irony. A lot of things that appear to be one way‚ turn out to be another.This story leaves a feeling as if everyone can be evil… To portray this feeling the author uses three various types of irony; situational‚ dramatic and verbal. Dramatic irony plays a big part in what makes this story interesting to the readers. In the short-story it says "she was fond
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