Essay Sample on Lottery & Sister Flowers: Chris Abani's Youth Years

The 'Lottery' from Chris Abani is a narration of the events that happened in his youth years. It was primarily about vigilante groups and their rights and how a mob would determine the life of someone through their actions. The crowd would render their verdict and proceed to convict the people they find guilty without any due legal process. They would move to harm the accused regardless of whether they were innocent or not. 'Sister Flowers', on the other hand, is a description of a mentor of Maya's who greatly influenced her life. The piece is taken from one of Maya's autobiographies called 'Why The Caged Bird Sings.' This paper will compare and contrast the two pieces and point out the main messages from the two narrations.

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Chris Abani's narration has nothing to do with cash and gambling, but the title is used figuratively. 'The Lottery' is used to explain how one's chances of survival were minimum if they crossed paths with the mob their innocence notwithstanding. From the title, someone could create a rumor about another individual, and the rumor is treated as the gospel truth (Rosen & Rosen, 2012). The vigilante would rally for action and move to enforce justice by themselves. It was likened to the Ruskies roulette. The mob is the ones likened to the bullet for targeting an individual. There was no controlling when they would attack, but one could control and avoid them, and if successful, then they were considered to have won the 'The Lottery.'

The occasions in this essay are likened to that of Salem, where no matter the innocence of the person, they would still be attacked and get to face the wrath of the masses. The large group of people was the majority in the group, and their decision was final as the ordinary person could not contest it. It was sad that once they started, the ultimate destination was death, and nothing could be done about it either. There was no other form of alternative punishment from death, and being targeted meant that was the last that could be heard of the person before the mob took its course. In both stories, the accusers appeared to show no mercy whatsoever, and they would do just the same to the next victim. The events narrated by the writer in the fifth paragraph validated the story as a nonfiction one.

Maya Angelou's 'Sister Flower' is a narration of her most cherished character and important mentor, Mrs. Bertha Flowers. The narration is founded on Maya's poetic voice and describes the words of love and courage that Marguerite receives from her mentor (Angelou, 2012). The author reveals her poetic nature that comes out more strongly as she describes her mentor. The narrator is unaffected by the wrangles and all the contemporary issues going on around her, such as the racial tensions going on and the weather. The mentor is out on a mission to teach Marguerite how to speak and communicate well. She asks her to come to her home. She inspires the girl as she is a symbol of virtue and manners and encourages Marguerite to embrace the freedom of expression and to be a free thinker. She teaches Maya about self-awareness too.

The revelation about Maya Angelou's literary influences is evident in her poem 'Sister Flowers' when Marguerite, her surrogate, hears 'A Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens read out aloud and is engrossed at the moment. She says that she had poetry for the first time in her life. Maya's purpose for her poem was to show her reader when she first discovered her love for literary forms, that is poetry to be precise. She also introduces the person behind the love of poetry and how she started to write her works. Through her mentor, she explains the beauty of the art and the literary forms that she cherishes and that she has never failed to impress.

Bothe, the two stories are narrations from the lives of the two authors about their time when they were still young. Chris describes what happened in her life while he was still a youth while Maya, too, describes her experiences as a little girl. Chris, through her narration, we see the horrible society he lived in. The people from that society were forced to live with the constant fear of the mob who were unpredictable and could act impulsively even when the stories were rumors and not yet confirmed. It shows a society that does not respect the sanctity of life and is very quick to take it away through the condemnation of suspect criminal cases. The people would live in fear all their lives for what might happen whenever they are caught in similar situations.

Maya's piece, on the other hand, gives and showcases a society that roots for the growth of its people, especially the youth. They are ready to support their own and go an extra step in ensuring they grow into respected citizens and accomplished too. Maya's mentor influences her behavior and the way she later interacts with her by teaching her the importance of communication and why it is essential. She molds Maya into the poet that she becomes and sets the precedence for her to grow in poetry. Whereas Chris's community is a hostile one, Maya is a supportive one and provides people with all the support they need.

There is also a difference in the way the narrations have been presented. Chris has presented his work as a continuous story while Maya presents hers as a poem. Chris has elements of literary forms, such as juxtaposition, to bring out her ideas. Maya has used the literary styles of poetry to bring out her narration as well. In the end, the two are nonfictional stories as told by the writers about their different backgrounds, although they have been presented differently.

References

Angelou, M. (2012). The collected autobiographies of Maya Angelou. Modern Library.

Rosen, S. M., & Rosen, D. M. (2012). Representing child soldiers in fiction and film. Peace Review, 24(3), 305-312.