2. What is the purpose of the lottery? Does anyone in the story explain its exact purpose? Why does Jackson include several references to parts of the lottery that have been lost or forgotten? The purpose of the lottery is not known for most of the story. I read almost the entire story assuming that The Lottery is a good thing. It is revealed in the end that the person with the winning lottery ticket gets stoned to death. No one in the story explains the exact purpose of the lottery, except that it is a tradition that has been around for a long time. The only character that hints to the purpose is Old Man Warner when he says, "Pack of crazy fools, listening to young folks, northing's good enough for them. Next thing you know, they'll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work anymore, live that way for a while. Used to be a saying about 'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.' First thing you know, we'd all be eating stewed chickweed and acorns. There's always been a lottery." This makes me believe that they believe that if they do not do this, then they will regress to hard times and won’t have good crops. Jackson includes several references to parts of the ritual that have been lost or forgotten because she is trying to portray how long this ritual has been around and how important it is to the people. For example, the black box that is used today is not the same, but parts of it were from the original box. They used to use chips of wood, but now that the town has grown, they use paper to pick the lottery winner. So many things about the ritual have changed that it isn’t really the same anymore, but because of the stories they heard, and that have been passed down from generation to generation, they are afraid to not do the ritual.

4. What point do you think Jackson is making about certain kinds of rituals and traditions? About the unquestioning “nice” people who thoughtlessly follow them? About the possible connection between violence and irrational thinking that demands scapegoats?

I think that Jackson is making several points about these kinds of rituals and tradition and about the unquestioning “nice” people who thoughtlessly follow them. The whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner. These people have been doing for years and it seems like no big deal. It says that after Mrs. Hutchinson realized it was the 27th , she dried her hands on her apron and came a-running, and her reason for being late to the lottery was "Wouldn't have me leave m'dishes in the sink, now, would you, Joe?". Those are just two examples of how insignificant they make you feel about the event the ultimately leads to the torture and murder of Tessie Hutchinson. Jackson is trying to show the evil side of human nature and the danger of ritualized behavior and conformity. She is showing the cruelty even a “nice” person is capable of when they follow a group and don’t question things. Jackson shows that people depend on what they are used to determine what is right or wrong. There is a definite connection between violence and irrational thinking that demands scapegoats. When people get the idea that what they are doing is wrong, they blame someone or something else to justify it. In this case, it has been engrained in them that this ritual is something that they have to do.

Toulmin Model
Claim: Even though the claim is not clearly stated I think that the claim is that there is danger in ritualized behavior and conformity. Jackson is showing the cruelty even a “nice” person is capable of when they follow a group and don’t question things. The Lottery shows that people depend on what they are used to determine what is right or wrong.
Grounds:
These are a few examples but the entire feel of the story is the grounds. * The whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner. These people have been doing for years and it seems like no big deal. * It says that after Mrs. Hutchinson realized it was the 27th , she dried her hands on her apron and came a-running, and her reason for being late to the lottery was "Wouldn't have me leave m'dishes in the sink, now, would you, Joe?". * “All right, folks,” Mr. Summers said. “Let’s finish quickly.”
Warrant: The examples of how the town’s people were acting before the event that leads to the torture and murder of Tessie Hutchinson shows that people can be desensitized to something awful when they follow a tradition or ritual.
Rebuttal:
* Jackson might not have a claim. She might just be telling the story. * It is good to have rituals.

Real life example where nice people follow senseless and potentially harmful ritual
Running with the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain is very famous but also very dangerous. This festival is to honor the patron saint for the city. In this festival people run with the bulls and can get trampled by them. A lot of people do it just for the adrenaline rush and to say they accomplished it.
Fallacies that apply to the lottery
Appeal to ignorance: The people don’t know that it is wrong. They think it is the only choice they have but what they don’t know is not an excuse. They should seek information and find out that sacrificing a human being does not help the town.
Appeal to authority: Children look up to their parents as authority figures. These people have been performing this ritual since they were children. It is what their parents taught them and they didn’t have a choice. We all depend on the knowledge of our parents when we are young but as we get older we need to start questioning their authority and making our own decisions.