English II - Part 5 "The Lottery"
The word ritual is used four times to describe the lottery. Why might viewing the lottery as a ritual inhibit the villagers' possible objection to it?
A ritual is something that is performed regularly to a prescribed order so for the villagers this a way of life and they do not know anything different.
At the end of the story, Mrs. Delacroix selects a huge stone and urges Mrs. Dunbar to hurry. Explain why this is ironic or unexpected. What important idea is bring brought out by this instance or irony?
Because she wants to get back to what she was doing at home. Even though it could have been her that had been choses. They are so accustomed to the lottery every year its a long-standing tradition and they do not know anything different.
Explain why Jackson waits until the end of the story to reveal the conflict - the purpose of the lottery. How would the story be less effective if the conflict was revealed earlier?
It makes it sound like a fun tradition that everyone participates in like a holiday and then the ending is such a surprise because the beginning of the story does not give you the impression that it will end in murder.
Do you find the narrator's tone strange, or even shocking? Why? What theme about cruelty or injustice does this tone help communicate?
No. Her tone sounded normal like it was a normal everyday story about winning something great.
How does the author use foreshadowing to increase suspense in the first four paragraphs of the story? Provide specific examples and explain their connection to the story's outcome.
She is very specific about the details of the town and the date/time/place which is the same exact every single year in the village. There are specific rules that take place each year for the lottery. That everyone stops everything that they are doing and they go to the center of town. That they are a little bit nervous but that people are still joking somewhat. And then all of this makes the ending such a surprise because you don't think that the ending with be about murder.
The author does not include the year in which the story takes place or the name of the village. Why are these details of the setting omitted?
She wants you to try and imagine what year this story takes place in. As you read you may think in the beginning that it could be in our time but as you read on and the language that she uses leads you to believe that the story takes place in a much earlier year.
In the first part of the story, readers learn about characters, setting, and plot through the narrator's exposition. The second part of this story depends mostly on dialogue to advance the plot. How does this change affect the pacing and mood of this part of the story?
The characters talk about the lottery as if its a normal part of life. They are nervous but because its a normal part of life it seems almost like a casual part of their day to them.
How would you describe the narrator's tone throughout the story? Identify words that convey this tone to readers.
The narrator's tone seems very normal/casual throughout the story. She gives so implications that the ending will be such a drastic surprise.