...Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery Fiction Analysis Through common belief winning the lottery is a chance to easily enrich oneself with bountiful amounts of money and prosperity. Jackson’s “The Lottery” takes the connotation of the word ‘lottery’ and adds irony in all of its forms to it. Shirley Jackson toys with the reader's expectations and twists them to leave a surprise. Much of the reader's expectations of how a lottery should occur are being built up but the turn of this story makes it apparently obvious that this specific lottery will destroy you. The turn of events near the end of the story reveals the dramatic irony. The readers commonly view the lottery as an easy way to wealth and money but the characters in this story know the lottery to be a sacrificial ritual, supported by the angst and whimpering given by Tessie when she is stoned. This dramatic irony leaves the readers torn inside and add layers of depth where they are expecting a happy ending but rather receive an unpleasant surprise that leaves a certain “taste in their mouths” if you will. This can not only be seen as dramatic irony but as situational Irony because the readers expect the lottery to be enriching, but the exact opposite happens through the death of the lottery ‘winner’. The irony is also found in the story when Tessie Hutchinson is late to the lottery she “clean forgot which day it was” ( Jackson 411) This quotation shows irony because she is late to her soon demise. Tessie forgets the lottery...
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...“The Lottery and “Young Goodman Brown”. Making a decision which is better will be a tough choice. Although both stories are similar in its theme, it is transported differently in each story. The stories display different character analysis and word choice. I. My favorite pastime is reading short stories. a. Two stories I can read repeatedly. i. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. ii. “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. b. The authors battle with depression in their lives. i. Shirley Jackson was stricken server depression from time to time. ii. Nathaniel Hawthorne was depressed because of his ill health and the toll of the Civil War. II. Scenery and characters of “The Lottery” and Young Goodman Brown. a. Towns identified as small villages. i. “The Lottery” was a small village with no name. 1. The story gives a population of 300 people living there ii. “Young Goodman Brown” story took place in a small village called Salem. b. The wives in the story played contrast characters. i. Tessie Hutchinson was a main character that went through climax and denouement. ii. Faith Brown played somewhat of a static character. c. The husbands were portrayed differently in the stories. i. Bill Hutchinson persona was very multi-dimensional ii. Goodman Brown played the main character that was a foil to Ms. Hutchinson. III. How are we to use the themes of these stories? a. Analyzing the moral of the stories i. “The Lottery” is...
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...An Analysis of Author’s Purpose in Relation to Theme APA An Analysis of Author’s Purpose in Relation to Theme Thesis: “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “The Rocking-Horse Winner” by D.H. Lawrence differ in author’s purpose in that Jackson satirizes a society that blindly follows tradition, while Lawrence realistically portrays life’s problems; however, both share the theme of family. I. Jackson’s purpose for writing “The Lottery” is to satirize a society that blindly follows tradition. A. Jackson uses the graphic story to show the audience the brutality in society. B. Jackson’s short story also shows how society victimizes those randomly. II. Lawrence uses “The Rocking-Horse Winner” to highlight life’s problems. A. Paul’s mother, Hester, neglects to give her children the attention that they need and deserve to become healthy adults. B. Lawrence grew up in town where coal-mining was the livelihood. Lawrence’s father worked as a coal miner his whole life and expected his sons to do the same. Lawrence knew from an early age that he would not be a miner. C. Lawrence did not do well in school and was often alone and considered different. III. Both Jackson and Lawrence use their purpose for writing to portray theme. A. The lottery is based on family. Each member of every family are listed and must be present during the lottery. B. In “The Lottery” the unlucky person will experience their family turn against him or her...
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...Literary Analysis of “The Lottery” In the year of 1948, author Shirley Jackson wrote a non-forgettable, haunting, short story about a lottery that takes place in a rural city. The author writes the story to take place in a small city in New England. This is not the typical lottery that first comes to mind. This is not a lottery where a one or more lucky winners are chosen at random to be given a great amount of money, but rather a lottery that is held annually in the city and one individual is selected at random to be killed by the citizens of the village. The tradition of the lottery has been practiced for many years by the people living in the city. The setting of ‘The Lottery’ hides the significance and the purpose of the lottery that actually takes place in the small city. Typically, if a ritual such as “The Lottery” has been part of society for such a great amount of time the habit is hard to break. Even as negative as someone being chosen at random to be killed by the people around them, others seek out that it will happen once per year no matter what. Jackson uses symbolism throughout the short story through objects and names of characters that hold meaning to the lottery. This short story may infer that a theme for the story is that not all traditions are positive and the outcome could literally be life changing. The name of each character in ‘The Lottery’ holds a symbolic meaning within the story. By using symbolic names, Jackson can foreshadow things that...
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...Elements of Fiction In the story The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, the characterization is most found in three different characters. The first one is Tessie Hutchinson. She arrives late to the lottery, admitting that she forgot what day it was, she immediately stands out from the other villagers as someone different and perhaps even threatening. Whereas the other women arrive at the square calmly, chatting with one another and then standing peacefully by their husbands. Tessie arrives flustered and out of breath. The crowd must part for her to reach her family, and she and her husband endure good-natured teasing as she makes her way to them. Although Tessie quickly settles into the crowd and joins the lottery like everyone else, Jackson has set her apart as a kind of free spirit who was able to forget about the lottery entirely as she performed her chores. The other two characters are Old Man Warner, for his being the oldest and perhaps wisest to the lottery, and Mr. Summers for his frighteningly amount of power. The point of view in The Lottery uses the third person dramatic point of view to tell a story about an un-named village that celebrates a wicked annual event. The use of the third-person point of view, is an effective way of telling this ironic tale, both because the narrator’s reporter-like blandness parallels the villagers apparent apathy to the lottery, and because it helps build to the surprise ending by giving away bits of information to the reader through the...
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...Passage analysis from The Lottery by Shirley Jackson (355 words) The opening paragraphs of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson establish a scene of peaceful normality in a small village where the inhabitants are gathering on a summer’s morning to complete a traditional ritual. The selected passage describes the preparations for the lottery that is held every year in the square, organized by two respected men from the village. The relaxed informal mood of the opening paragraphs is maintained, however a sense of foreboding continues to grow as the reader is confronted with some unsettling questions. Jackson creates a scene where the characters are familiar with each other and are ostensibly relaxed and peaceful people. The adjectives used to describe Mr Summers – even his name suggests a cheerful man – are “round-faced” and “jovial” and the informal, friendly tone developed through gesture and dialogue when he “waved and called “Little late today, folks” clearly convey that this is not a man to be feared. The activities with which he is associated, “the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program” characterize him as a man to be trusted, one who is interested in community affairs. The other villagers even feel sympathy for him because he has “no children and his wife (is) a scold”. Elements of disquiet, however, are subtly introduced into this seemingly calm and casual scene. A second character is introduced, Mr Graves – again, the name is telling – who brings forth a “black...
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...Jim Andrzejeweski English Composition 102 Sect. 83 01/28/2009 Critical Essay on Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery “The Lottery” is shocking and horrible. A woman, (Mrs. Hutchins,) is selected and stoned to death by her friends and family because they believe her death will ensure a bountiful harvest. Jackson’s writing, character buildup, and imagery in the story are a thing of beauty. By use of her more than apparent skill as a writer, Jackson exposes a poignant and disturbing look into the darker side of humanity. Jackson uses adjectives like sunny, fresh, and full to describe the beauty of the summer’s day on which this “lottery” is being held; but all is not well in the small rural village. Whole paragraphs describe the children, the townsfolk and the general air of importance that surrounds the event. The black box that the townspeople draw tickets out of, gets stored in various different shops during the years time between each event; almost as if no one wants to accept full responsibility for it. There is also a disturbing undertone of “this is the way it has always been” “we have always had a lottery,” almost as if most of the town was trying to justify the performing of the lottery. The lotteries black wooden box is transformed into an ominous symbolic tool. Mrs. Hutchinson is introduced and woven superbly into the plot until her untimely demise for agriculture. In the lottery, we can see just how far a society will go so that it can prosper. Of course we...
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...FICTION ESSAY WRITING STYLE USED: APA OUTLINE I. THESIS: A thorough analysis of Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” reveals that different literary elements, such as tone and setting, are used to convey the characters’ arrival at dark, sinister places. II. INTRODUCTION III. SHIRLEY JACKSON’S “THE LOTTERY” A. Setting the tone: Peaceful and relaxing B. Irony: Even though the mood is relaxing, there is a premonition of something bad to come C. Ending: The ending is implied IV. NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S “YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN” D. Setting the tone: feeling of something evil to come E. Symbolism i. Faith – the wife and commitment to Jesus ii. Venture in to the forest – Journey of life iii. Traveler’s staff – Satan in the Garden of Eden F. Ending: Was it real or was it a dream? V. CONCLUSION A thorough analysis of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” reveals that different literary elements, such as tone and setting, are used to convey the characters’ arrival at dark, sinister places. Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” are two short stories that use completely opposite ways to get to the same destination: a dark, sinister place. Both stories are very dark, and almost morbid, but one story keeps the reader oblivious to the tragic event that is being set up, while the other story lays it...
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...APA Thesis Statement / Outline Shirley Jackson’s ‘The Lottery’ and D.H. Lawrence‘s ‘The Rocking Horse Winner’ use personification, characterization, and symbolism, to develop the different themes contained in their short stories. I. Introduction a. A brief summary of the “The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson b. A brief summary of the “The Rocking Horse Winner”, by D.H. Lawrence II. Overview of the use of, Personification, Characterization and Symbolism a. “The Rocking Horse Winner”, by D.H. Lawrence i. The personification employed in ‘The Rocking Horse Winner’ has a profound effect on the readers 1. The whispering house is the focus of the theme and plot i. Characterization of Paul and his obsession to gain his Mother’s love and fulfill her wish for more money that eventually leads to his death 1. The money hungry character traits that is passed down from Mother to child 2. Paul’s obsession has sexual overtones between him and his Mother i. Symbolism in developing the plot in “The Rocking-Horse Winner’ 1. The Mother’s insatiable need for wealth symbolizes superiority 2. Materialism replaces Love a. “The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson i. Personification is omitted from this story ii. The Characters in “The Lottery” is developed through description 1. Every day people conducting life...
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...Analysis “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson is about a lottery, taking place in a small village. This though, is no ordinary lottery. On the 27th of June, the entire village gather at a square, where they begin collecting stones. Then all the villagers are assembled, the head of the lottery, goes to the stage, with a black box full of paper slips, one for each family household. The families names are then called one by one, and the head of the family goes to the stage and picks a slip of paper. When all the slips has been spread, the family possessing the slip marked with a black dot is the chosen one.all the slips are then collected, and a special pile of slips are made. Each member of that family, has to pick a new slip, and the person who gets the dot-marked slip, is stoned, and probably killed. The story takes place, as mentioned before, in a small village in the countryside, on a square between the post office and the bank. The People we hear about in the story, are the residents of the village, where the story takes place. The most noticeable character in “The Lottery” is possibly Mr. Summers, who is responsible of the lottery. Mr. Summers is described in the text as a round-faced, Jovial man, in charge of the local coal business. The rest of the people in te village also feel sorry for him, because he has no children. Further more, the story tells us, that mr. Summers is very good at leading the lottery To begin with, the...
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...2013 Kenneth Sellers APA April 8, 2013 My Outline: Fiction Essay My Topic: Compare Contrast My Attitude: Analysis the differences and similarities between the two stories My Purpose: To analyze the differences and similarities between the two stories. My Thesis Statement: In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” D.H. Lawrence’s “ the Rocking-Horse Winner the reader can look into the lives of two families that are in different time but share some similarities. “The Lottery” and “The Rocking Horse- Winner have the theme of gambling and through the plot of both stories you will see that the author’s view of winning was very different. “The Lottery” gives you a sense of winning while “The Rocking-Horse Winner” takes you up and down throughout the story. I. Introduction: A. The theme and setting of both stories II. Learning Benefits: To tell the difference between the two writers A. Jackson uses irony B. Lawrence uses emotions to portray everyday life problems III. Social Benefits: A. Able to relate to what’s taking place B. Capture the reader’s attention IV. Spiritual Benefits A. See some good in a bad situation V. Conclusion A. While both Jackson and Lawrence has some similarities in both of their stories. The readers can see how they are very different from each other. Jackson makes the reader believe that there is happiness in the town due to the conversations and all that is taking place in the beginning. Lawrence...
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...THE LOTTERY - SUMMARY In A Nutshell "The Lottery" caused major controversy when it was first published in the June 26, 1948 issue of The New Yorker. Shirley Jackson's implicit critique of the brutality underlying the rituals and values of America's small towns outraged magazine readers, many of whom cancelled their subscriptions (see the Encyclopedia Britannica for more on the tale's publication history). As a side note – Jackson based "The Lottery" on her life in North Bennington, Vermont (source). Some of us here at Shmoop happen to be from that fine state, and we'd like to assure all potential tourists that despite what you may read in "The Lottery," you don't have to worry about sudden stoning in the Green Mountain State. Anyway, back to the matter at hand. The anonymous, generic village in which "The Lottery" is set, in addition to the vicious twist the story gives to a common American ritual, enhance the contemporary reader's uneasy sense that the group violence in the story could be taking place anywhere and everywhere, right now. Jackson's skillful warping of a popular pastime has become an American classic, establishing her position as one of the great American horror writers. Why Should I Care? So, if you've ever been hanging out with a group of friends and done something truly stupid, you may have heard the refrain, "If your friends jumped off a bridge, would you jump, too?" Your answer is probably "no," but Shirley Jackson disagrees. She thinks you – and...
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...The Lottery vs. The Rocking-Horse Winner Dashua Murphy Liberty University Online Fiction Essay Thesis Statement: While “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and “The Lottery” differs on some levels, both stories carry the theme of death as a sacrifice for greater gain. 1) Need a. “The Lottery”: the village needs to uphold a cruel tradition to ensure a bountiful harvest b. “The Rocking-Horse Winner”: Paul needs to get “lucky” to satisfy the never ending needs of his mothers “unluckiness” 2) Unhealthy Support systems a. In “The Lottery” many of the villagers unconsciously support the cruel tradition of stoning one of its members for a better harvest b. In “The Rocking-Horse Winner” Bassett and Uncle Oscar unwittingly attribute to Paul’s failing of health and considerable need to stay “lucky” 3) Ritual practices a. The lottery is conducted yearly to select the “winner” who will become the “sacrificial lamb” that will preserve the life of the village b. Paul madly rides his rocking horse on a journey to where “luck” is until he receives an answer for who the winning horse will be in the next race 4) Untimely Death a. Tessie is stoned to death after her husband selects the slip of paper that has the “black spot” and her family has to re-draw for the “winning” ticket b. Paul dies as a result of pursuing an answer for his greatest and most rewarding Derby gamble 5) Real World * “Jackson” declared the purpose of “The Lottery” had been “to shock the stories readers...
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...[pic] JPPSS ELA COURSE GUIDE 2011-2012 ENGLISH I The JPPSS Instructional Sequence Guides are aligned with the LA Comprehensive Curriculum. JPPSS Implementation of Activities in the Classroom Incorporation of activities into lesson plans is critical to the successful implementation of the Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum. The Comprehensive Curriculum indicates one way to align instruction with Louisiana standards, benchmarks, and grade-level expectations. The curriculum is aligned with state content standards, as defined by grade-level expectations (GLEs), and organized into coherent, time-bound units with sample activities and classroom assessments to guide teaching and learning. The units in the curriculum have been arranged so that the content to be assessed will be taught before the state testing dates. While teachers may substitute equivalent activities and assessments based on the instructional needs, learning styles, and interests of their students, the Comprehensive Curriculum should be a primary resource when planning instruction. Grade level expectations—not the textbook—should determine the content to be taught. Textbooks and other instructional materials should be used as resource in teaching the grade level expectations...
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...HOW TO Prepare Your Curriculum Vitae Revised Edition Acy L. Jackson and C. Kathleen Geckeis Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 0-07-142626-4 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-07-139044-8 All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps. McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. For more information, please contact George Hoare, Special Sales, at george_hoare@mcgraw-hill.com or (212) 904-4069. TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-Hill”) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve...
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