It was a feeling I had never felt before. My hands and feet tingling under the pressure of the earth surrounding. The sand entering itself into every available space in my body, and slowly watching the ground move closer and closer towards my neck. I struggled, moving my body towards the solid sand, but it only made the sand creep up faster. I fluttered my eyelids, once, twice, and a third time until my breath was cut off by the pressure of sand pressing against my throat as I sunk deeper, and deeper. I took a breath and breathed in that hot air like I never had before. I closed my eyes and held my eyes closed as the sand pulled me into the earth.
“A picture!” said the old gentleman with the haunted head. “A picture!” cried the narrator with the waggish nose. “A picture! a picture!” echoed several voices.
Frederick Douglas would rather that people treat him with contempt than conforming to other's desires, thus betraying himself and his values. This shows that he wants to be true to himself, and in a world where other people's opinions matter more than your own, that is a very bold statement. Some people have beliefs that are very valuable to them, yet they consider abandoning them for the sake of popularity or preventing ridicule.
There are several things that Shirley Jackson accomplishes by using stock Characters in "The Lottery", but the best would be that the reader focuses more on the story.
