Examination Day By George Orwell

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“Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” It is universally acknowledged that governments and people in control use any methods to maintain their power and keep their subjects ignorant and induce fear. This is particularly true in the texts 1984 by George Orwell, Harrison Begeron by Kurt Vonnegut, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and Examination Day by Henry Sleaser. All of these texts explore the darker nature of man and the lengths people would go to in order to maintain authority, because power is what matters the most. 1984 explores how a government uses propaganda and fear as a tool to maintain ignorance for submission, Harrison Begeron highlights how a government forces everyone to conform and be ‘equal’. The Lottery illustrates how …show more content…
Rules, laws, traditions and customs are all part of society which keep people safe and happy. In theory, the best societies do the greatest good for the most people, which is why democracy is so popular. However, utilitarianism does not take into account the idea of justice, as it encourages sacrifice for one in order to improve happiness for the majority. This is worse if governments exploit the ideal of utilitarianism in order to maintain power and control. This idea is explored through the short stories, The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and Examination Day by Henry Slesar. Where one person is sacrificed because it is what the society or government has convinced its citizens is best for the good of everyone. The Lottery describes how people can blindly follow traditions and choose to be ignorant against an inhumane sacrifice which occurs annually: “Lottery in June; corn be heavy soon’. Jackson states that upholding traditions while not understanding why they exist is a form of control. This is dangerous because people should question why something exists or there could be detrimental consequences, like death. Death is foreshadowed through symbols like the black box, which is used to determine
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