Read Michel Foucault’s and Shirley Jackson’s and think about the ways that these two are connected. Write a response using textual evidence from both readings to show how the ideologies discussed in Panopticon may connect with the overall theme of The Lottery. Your post should be around 750 words and should depict a strong analysis of both texts. After you have created an original post, go back and respond to two other student responses. You can either add to their response or question it. Either way, you will need to incorporate textual evidence.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
The Interconnection of Michel Foucault’s Panopticon and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”
Michel Foucault’s concept of the Panopticon, as discussed in his work, “Discipline and Punish,” and Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” both delve into the themes of surveillance, power dynamics, and social control. By analyzing the ideologies presented in both texts, a connection can be drawn between the panoptic structure of discipline and the ritualistic practices depicted in “The Lottery.”
Foucault’s Panopticon serves as a metaphor for modern disciplinary societies, where individuals are subjected to constant surveillance and control. The central idea of the Panopticon is the presence of an all-seeing observer, leading to self-regulation and internalized discipline among the subjects. In contrast, “The Lottery” portrays a small town’s annual ritual where the community gathers to stone one of its members to death, showcasing blind adherence to tradition and collective punishment.
One can draw parallels between the Panopticon and “The Lottery” in terms of power dynamics and social control. In the Panopticon, the constant visibility and uncertainty of being watched induce self-discipline among individuals. Similarly, in “The Lottery,” the townspeople conform to the ritual without questioning its morality or purpose, reflecting a form of social control through collective obedience and fear of deviating from tradition.
Moreover, Foucault discusses how disciplinary mechanisms operate through normalization and examination, shaping individuals’ behavior to fit societal norms. This concept resonates with “The Lottery,” where the town’s adherence to the ritual has become normalized over time, ingrained in the community’s culture as a necessary tradition for ensuring prosperity. The fear of being ostracized or punished for non-conformity mirrors the disciplinary power exerted in the Panopticon.
Furthermore, Foucault emphasizes the role of power in surveillance and control, highlighting how institutions wield authority over individuals through mechanisms of observation and discipline. In “The Lottery,” the town’s leadership maintains control by orchestrating the ritual and enforcing compliance through fear and coercion. The lottery acts as a tool of social hierarchy, reinforcing the power dynamics between the ruling class and the townspeople.
In both texts, there is a sense of normalization of oppressive practices, where individuals internalize societal norms and conform to established systems of power. The panoptic structure in Foucault’s analysis parallels the pervasive influence of tradition and conformity in “The Lottery,” illustrating how systems of control operate through visibility, surveillance, and normalization.
In conclusion, the connection between Michel Foucault’s Panopticon and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” lies in their exploration of surveillance, power dynamics, and social control. Both texts illuminate how structures of discipline and punishment shape individual behavior and societal norms, emphasizing the pervasive influence of power mechanisms in maintaining order and conformity. Through a critical analysis of these works, one can discern the intricate interplay between visibility, authority, and compliance in shaping human behavior within institutionalized systems of control.
