When Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" was first published in the New Yorker in 1948, it struck a chord with readers. “The story was incendiary; readers acted as if a bomb had exploded in their faces. . . Shirley struck a chord in mid-20th century America. . . She had told people a painful truth about herself” (Oppenheimer 129). Interestingly, the story hits the same point in readers today. When my English class recently watched the video, students who had not read the story before reacted quite strongly to the ending. I remember this same reaction when I was in high school. Our English teacher chose to show the video before a student had read the story. Almost everyone in the class reacted with horror at the end. Why do people react so strongly when they read the story or see the video? What's so disturbing about "The Lottery"? To understand, we must examine the very nature of humanity. Man's propensity for violence has existed since Cain killed Abel. In the Old Testament, the Bible frequently speaks of wars and murder. “And it happened. . . that all Israel returned to Ai and smote him with the edge of the sword. And all that fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand” (Joshua 8:24-25). The ancient Romans were known for their bloodlust. “The ancient Romans loved gladiators. They loved men, weapons, fighting and bloodshed. They also loved death” (Baker 2). While most people today would be horrified by "what historian Michael Grant called 'the nastiest blood sport ever invented,' [it] was highly regarded in ancient Rome" (Baker 3 ). It is also well known that over the years various cultures have practiced human sacrifice. « The Aztecs pr...... middle of paper ......ouse Publishers, 2001. 32-4. Print.Garcia, Stephen M., et al. “Crowded Minds: The Implicit Bystander Effect.” » Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 83.4 2002: 843-53. EBSCO Psyc Articles. Internet. April 25, 2011.Jackson, Shirley. “The Lottery”. Literature: an introduction to fiction, poetry and drama. Ed. XJ Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 10th ed. New York: Longman, 2007. 247-52. Print.Nebeker, Helen E. “The lottery: a symbolic tour de force”. American Literature 46.1 1974: 100-7. Academic research completed EBSCO. Internet. April 23, 2011. Oppenheimer, Judy. Private Demons: The Life of Shirley Jackson. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1988. Print. The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic text. Jewish Publications Society of America, 1917. Print.Yarmove, Jay A. “Jackson's The Lottery.” Explainer 52.4 1994: 242-45. MAS Ultra - EBSCO School Edition. Internet. April 26. 2011.