I choose to write my second essay about Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Franz Kafka’s “In the Penal Colony.” These two short stories were very interesting and both deal with a tradition that is out of the ordinary and are also both very gruesome. The two stories keep my attention and I found that I could write a lot in this essay. There are many things that I could come up with comparing and contrasting these short stories. The prompt states that I should pay attention to the language and imagery in my descriptions. This should not be a huge problem because I found a lot of imagery from both.

What really interested me in this particular prompt was that both stories had a tradition that they both felt needed to be continued because it has always been done. They were both almost meaningless and could both be dropped from the society. Many people were not sure why the traditions were being continued, and this makes me think about my life and if the traditions I practice are even practical or needed anymore. The people continue these traditions because it has always been done.

When I read the other possible prompts I found this one the best. The other ones did not stink out to me and I do not enjoy Edgar Allen Poe stories that much. His stories are full of sadness and I also found the other stories need interesting. This choice will hopefully be easy to progress with and I hope to write a great essay out of it. But we shall see!!