Whats in a Name by Henry Louis Gates, Jr – https://www.nfei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/whatsinaname.pdf

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson – https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1948/06/26/the-lottery

Video clip – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3PJ3Du_zDc&feature=youtu.be

These stories and video clip one fiction story, one video clip based on a fiction story, and one non-fiction essay describe the ways in which people go along to get along. In other words, they do not go against the majority, even if what others are doing or saying is unjust, unethical, or unlawful. Many times, participants and bystanders alike abandon reason and persecute others without question. Sometimes victims, such as Gates father and Tessie Hutchinson, protest; other times they stay silent for various reasons. The same can be said of bystanders who may protest or become participants or victims themselves through their action or inaction.

Prompt
After critically reading and annotating the two stories, write an argument essay that explores the idea of mob mentality: a behavior that happens when people are influenced by their peers and conform to behaviors they would otherwise avoid and perhaps even regard with disgust. In the case of our two victims, why do you think that one passively accepts his mistreatment, while the other decides to outwardly protest her fate?

– 750-1000 words. In MLA 8 format

MLA 8
Proper Heading              Typed                              1 Margins                      Double-spaced                             
Indented paragraphs    TNR or Calibri font        12 pt. font      Last Name/Page #s      Proper In-text Citations              Works Cited page