Running head: FICTION ESSAYS 1 Compare and Contrast “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and “The Lottery” Tammy Tillman Liberty University Heather Spear Heather Spear: you want to try to make your title specific to your paper FICTION ESSAYS 2 Compare and Contrast “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and “The Lottery” The two stories, “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson exploit the setting element in an interesting and clever manner. Both Jackson and Lawrence use setting in the stories in a contradicting manner. This technique is very successful in presenting the weightiness of the issues presented in the stories. However, the two authors are using the setting element in a different way. Jackson in her story, applies setting as a way of used the setting as a way of sidetracking or distracting the readers from the matter at hand. Lawrence on the other hand, applies setting to establish and build the story. Setting forms a vital element when it comes presenting the author’s thoughts or themes in a given story. This is clearly illustrated by the two stories where by each depends on the setting to convey a particular viewpoint and directing the readers towards a given perception. Shirley Jackson in her short story “The Lottery”, uses the setting with the aim of distracting the readers from the real issues at hand. The author presents a beautiful scenario and memories images or visuals which makes the reader to rush into making an assumption about the ending of the stories. The irony is that, the story does not end as the readers would like to presume after going the setting. Jackson presents a blissful, peaceful, bright and warm environment in the story. The day is even described as “clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day” (Jackson, 1948). The main aim of this description is to create the notion of a peaceful, warm, blissful and bright sceneries in the readers in order sidetrack them. This technique proves to be a success since the readers are not able to correctly predict the events at the end of the story. Jackson successful directs the readers into believing that due the wonderful set up of the story, it will definitely have a happy and nice ending to it. However, the readers discover the Heather Spear Heather Spear: Where is your final outline and thesis? Heather Spear Heather Spear: no italics, only quotes for titles of short stories Heather Spear Heather Spear: your final thesis should be here; you want the specifics to be in the thesis--the story titles or characters Heather Spear Heather Spear: this idea is unclear Heather Spear Heather Spear: this gets closer to a specific thesis, but it is still not specific enough --what do you mean by "setting element," and what do you mean by "different way"? You want to give a clear and precise argument: "One story has a clearly defined setting while the other has a vague ...

1. Running head: FICTION ESSAYS 1
Compare and Contrast “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and “The
Lottery”
Tammy Tillman
Liberty University
Heather Spear
Heather Spear: you want to try to make your title specific to
your paper
FICTION ESSAYS 2
Compare and Contrast “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and “The
Lottery”

2. The two stories, “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D.H.
Lawrence and “The Lottery” by
Shirley Jackson exploit the setting element in an interesting and
clever manner. Both Jackson
and Lawrence use setting in the stories in a contradicting
manner. This technique is very
successful in presenting the weightiness of the issues presented
in the stories. However, the two
authors are using the setting element in a different way.
Jackson in her story, applies setting as a
way of used the setting as a way of sidetracking or distracting
the readers from the matter at
hand. Lawrence on the other hand, applies setting to establish
and build the story. Setting forms a
vital element when it comes presenting the author’s thoughts or
themes in a given story. This is
clearly illustrated by the two stories where by each depends on
the setting to convey a particular
viewpoint and directing the readers towards a given perception.
Shirley Jackson in her short story “The Lottery”, uses the
setting with the aim of
distracting the readers from the real issues at hand. The author
presents a beautiful scenario and

3. memories images or visuals which makes the reader to rush into
making an assumption about the
ending of the stories. The irony is that, the story does not end as
the readers would like to
presume after going the setting. Jackson presents a blissful,
peaceful, bright and warm
environment in the story. The day is even described as “clear
and sunny, with the fresh warmth
of a full-summer day” (Jackson, 1948). The main aim of this
description is to create the notion of
a peaceful, warm, blissful and bright sceneries in the readers in
order sidetrack them. This
technique proves to be a success since the readers are not able
to correctly predict the events at
the end of the story.
Jackson successful directs the readers into believing that due
the wonderful set up of the
story, it will definitely have a happy and nice ending to it.
However, the readers discover the
Heather Spear
Heather Spear: Where is your final outline and thesis?
Heather Spear
Heather Spear: no italics, only quotes for titles of short stories

4. Heather Spear
Heather Spear: your final thesis should be here; you want the
specifics to be in the thesis--the story titles or characters
Heather Spear
Heather Spear: this idea is unclear
Heather Spear
Heather Spear: this gets closer to a specific thesis, but it is still
not specific enough --what do you mean by "setting element,"
and what do you mean by "different way"? You want to give a
clear and precise argument: "One story has a clearly defined
setting while the other has a vague setting"--for example.
Heather Spear
Heather Spear: this gets closer to a thesis; but, if she uses the
setting as a distraction, then how does Lawrence use setting?
Heather Spear
Heather Spear: agreement
Heather Spear
Heather Spear: please see my note above about arguing
specifics and getting strong main points
FICTION ESSAYS 3
direct opposite as the story does not end as the setting suggest it
to end. The author achieves the
distraction by how she brings out the visuals about the lottery
box and the buildings. They are
presented in a positive manner which completely misdirects the

5. readers. The characters in the
story also played a major role in distracting the readers from the
real ending of the story. They
were all calm throughout the story, not giving a clue to the
readers on what just about to surprise
them. With time, the readers start discovering what is truly
about to occur in the story and it is
cruel and gruesome.
The short story “The Rocking Horse Winner” by D.H
Lawrence, on the other hand,
applies the setting element to construct the story unlike in “The
lottery” where it is used as a
distraction. The author uses real life locations in London to
establish the setting. In addition to
this, real life hobbies and events are also utilized in order to
create a tight bond between the
readers and the setting. This approach applied by Lawrence,
helps the readers to in visualizing
the setting of the story.
Lawrence also gives an outline on the struggles of the
characters as they involve
themselves in competition with the neighbors. One of the
outstanding element of the story is how

6. the author uses the gardens and houses to create a visual image
on the readers mind about the
conflict present between the actual lifestyle and the income
earned. The environment together
with the mood created by the author perfectly builds the story.
Furthermore, the real life events
form a perfect way of constructing the story since when the
readers goes through what they are
already aware of, they tend to flow with the story easily.
In "The Rocking Horse Winner", the author uses one word that
perfectly describes the
mood in the house where the character Paul, lives; and the word
is anxiety. The house is
described as loaded and producing weird whispers with is being
heard being "There must be
Heather Spear
Heather Spear: it is only a construct--only where the story had
to take place? There is no other function?
Heather Spear
Heather Spear: this is a completely new topic
Heather Spear
Heather Spear: mood is another completely different topic
FICTION ESSAYS 4

7. more money" (Lawrence, 1982). This is as a result of the family
members’ self-involvement,
which causes them to ignore each other.
The two stories are alike in one aspect. They have settings that
are believable and
persuasive. Further, both of them have been set in areas that
actually exist. The two places within
which the stories are set are also areas where the possibility of
life is great. This makes both
stories easy for the readers to relate with. However, there is a
significant disparity between the
two stories. This can be seen in the way they are narrated. “The
Lottery” has been narrated in a
manner that shields the reader from the awful truth about the
stoning ritual, which takes place
towards the end of the story. All through, the story appears to
be a happy one, with no sign of a
terrible event coming. This causes the reader to be shocked once
they read how the story ends.
However, in “The Rocking Horse Winner”, there is a continuous
revelation of what is actually
taking place in the story, such that the reader has a clear picture
of the events as they take place.

8. The story flows in a way that the readers can relate the past
events to those about to happen,
which makes it possible for them to get into the next part of the
story with no major surprises.
In spite of the different ways in which the two authors involve
the readers’ cognition,
they are both similar in a way. They both focus on the settings
of their stories, but for completely
different reasons. Clearly, in “The Lottery”, the setting does not
appear to be of so much
significance when the reader gets to the end of the story. This is
because they are met with a
whole new turn of events, which they had not been prepared for
during the narration. In “The
Rocking Horse Winner”, on the other hand, the setting has been
used to help the reader
understand the story as it goes. Every part of this story is of
significance, as it leads to a
subsequent significant event. Even with the different ways in
which the settings are used, they
both have a common goal; to express the significance of both
stories.
Heather Spear

9. Heather Spear: this is another possible thesis
FICTION ESSAYS 5
References
Jackson, S. (1948). The Lottery. The New Yorker.
Lawrence, D. H. (1982). The Rocking-Horse Winner. Perfection
Learning Corporation.
Short Paper “SP” Explanation
SPs should in some way touch upon at least one of the required
readings, and attending themes, that we have addressed during
the given timeframe. You may also wish to bring in other
readings/sources, whether from or beyond those covered in the
course. Finally, you also may want to [hint, hint] draw upon
other relevant research and scholarship in these papers, which
will entail a certain “added” initiative (a trip to the actual or
virtual library, perhaps?) on your part. The ultimate goal of
writing SPs is to cultivate the development of your own critical,
analytical, and creative voice.
Things to consider in writing your SPs:
· Isolate a specific concept/theme/topic in the text(s) that most
piqued your interest.
· How is this concept/theme/topic analyzed by the author?

10. · How is this concept/theme/topic relevant to the author’s
overall argument or claim?
· What questions or concerns do you have about this
concept/theme/topic? (Your questions or concerns constitute the
beginning of your own argument and analysis. In other words,
your argument and analysis will ultimately be your attempt to
address these questions or concerns.)
· Offer your own argument and analysis concerning the specific
concept/theme/topic you have isolated.
· What is your “take”?
· Support your argument (consider examples).
· Consider contemporary applications of ideas discussed in
reading (e.g. through art, music, literature, film, other media;
through social/cultural/political themes and discourses; etc.)
· What’s at stake? (Who cares? Would anyone disagree with
what you’re arguing?)
· Focus, focus, focus.
Technical requirements for SPs:
1. Use footnotes or endnotes. [In Microsoft Word, this should
be as easy as choosing “References” in the top menu and then
choosing either “Insert Footnote” or “Insert Endnote.” In
scholarly parlance, this mode of citation is typically called
Chicago style. I have included sample paper using Chicago style
in the Content area of our Blackboard course.]
2. 4 pages minimum (excluding any bibliography, title page,
etc.)
3. “Common” font (e.g. Times New Roman, Garamond)
4. 12” font size
5. Double-spaced
6. Left-justified
7. 1” margins
8. Paginated (header or footer acceptable)