Anirbas Posted July 12, 2003 #1 Share Posted July 12, 2003 I was just curious how many of you know what a lottery used to be. I remember in high school watching a movie it was probably titled the lottery - anyway a lottery used to be a drawing of all the towns people - and whoevers number was chosen was not LUCKY but unlucky - they would stone that person to death. I forget the reasons why but if anyone remembers please post them TY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizarro Posted July 12, 2003 #2 Share Posted July 12, 2003 http://www.underthesun.cc/Classics/Jackson/lottery/ its an essay by Shirley Jackson. quite a classic actually. lotteries were not like this one in the past. at least i hope not. its a work of fiction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anirbas Posted July 12, 2003 Author #3 Share Posted July 12, 2003 hm well i knew it was a "classic" and a story and all but i swear that someone told me that it was true! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schadeaux Posted July 12, 2003 #4 Share Posted July 12, 2003 Actually, lotteries have been used for one thing or another since biblical times. Brief timelines are given HERE. and THERE. I have found no cases, other than in fiction writings, that it was ever used as a punishment. Some of the most popular myths of the lotter use are: The starving shipwreck survivors, afloat in a raft in the middle of the ocean. The human sacrifice to appease the angry god. Sometimes restricted to virgins only. There are many others, but they all seem to have a negative contex. The only related case I could find on this would be when the kings had lotteries to determine which slaves would be given to his guests as gifts. Bad for the slave, not so bad for the guest. Always, lotteries were used as a way of determining a reward, at least by the players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anirbas Posted July 13, 2003 Author #5 Share Posted July 13, 2003 thanks DS and Schadeaux for making me less ignornat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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