Sarah Pim

21 October 2011

English 103, Section 30

Mr. Stowe

Research Paper Outline

1)    Introduction

a)     Hook

b)    On a grand scale, the lottery is an excellent source of funds for all sorts of government expenditures, usually education.

i)      LIFE scholarships in South Carolina are funded by the lottery.

c)     Thesis: The lottery may have positive impacts on society as a whole, but on a personal level it is negative.

2)    Paragraph 1- How the modern lottery system works

a)     A description of what the lottery actually is, how it works, who it benefits, laws regarding it, and how much it costs to play.

b)   

3)    Paragraph 2- Realistic odds of the lottery system

a)     Realistically, it is more likely to be struck by a meteor than to win the jackpot.

b)   

4)    Paragraph 3- Common demographics of lottery ticket buyers and why it is economically irresponsible to buy lottery tickets

a)     People in a lower socio-economic bracket are the common demographic of buyers of lottery tickets

b)    Poor people spend, on average, three percent of their annual earnings. This is wasteful because that money could be used to pay off other debts or improve their economic situation.

5)    Paragraph 4- The Curse of the Lottery

a)     It seems like most of the people who actually win the lottery end up losing all their money within a year

b)    Winners are harassed and become distrustful of family and friends’ intentions

c)     Abraham Shakespeare was murdered after winning the lottery

d)   

e)     Many winners end up needing therapies they did not need previously

6)    Paragraph 5- Why do people still buy lottery tickets if they know their chances of winning are so low, and there are so many negative side effects?

a)     The pleasure receptors in the brain release serotonin and other “feel-good chemicals” when it thinks there is a possibility of financial profit. These chemicals are the same as those sent out for any basic rewards, like food, sex, shelter, and safety.

b)    Financial security is so important that people are willing to hurt themselves through the lottery system, on the off chance that they may actually win.

c)    

7)    Conclusion

a)     The lottery has an overwhelming number of negative effects on all participants involved.