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Story Vocabulary
Elements Are Your Friends
Thinking Time
100
What is the title of the story, who is the author, and when was it written?
"The Lottery". Shirley Jackson. 1948.
100
How is imagery used?
Imagery is used to help the reader envision the small town and things happening amongst the villagers gathered. It also helps to convey the mood of the story much more clearer.
100
What does the term household mean?
Household contains the people who live in the family.
100
What genre does this story fall under?
Short Story.
100
How does one overcome tradition?
For starters, the introduction of new traditions encourages variety. Traditions must be customs that benefit everyone and do not require that others sacrifice something or someone they consider valuable. Another to overcome or escape tradition is by being unique. Being an individual is extremely more important than being part of the crowd.
200
Who was stoned to death and where?
Tessie Hutchinson. Town Square (between the bank and the post office).
200
What type of financial trade do the townspeople heavily rely upon? (Find examples from the text)
(pg. 1, 3rd paragraph; pg. 4, 2nd paragraph) The townspeople use an agricultural based economic system. In particular, they rely upon farming.
200
What does paraphernalia mean?
The original material used for the lottery.
200
Is "The Lottery" a short story? Why?
-Yes. *It's a fictitious story that has: 1 plot, 1 setting, limited amount of characters, & occurs during a short period of time.
200
Compare and contrast the short stories "The Most Dangerous Game" and "The Lottery".
Both stories are centered around the switched roles of certain characters (Rainsford-hunter became hunted, Tessie-someone who stoned others became the one stoned to death) and ethical concepts that are greatly lacking in these stories. The differences can be found in the more obvious things like setting, story length, and the number of characters present.
300
Who was Ms. Dunbar and why was she drawing in the lottery?
Town member. Her husband had a broken leg so she had draw for him since he couldn't make it.
300
What is the Watson boy's name and describe the role and/or feelings of he has during the lottery?
His name is Jack and he has to draw for his family. Jack is afraid to do so. The reader can imply that his nervousness is derived from the fact that his father was stoned in a previous lottery. Jack doesn't want to end up like his father.
300
Where is the word perfunctory located?
pg. 2. 3rd paragraph. Line 5.
300
When and when does this story take place? (Be specific. List at least 5 details/factors.)
A small town in the town square (between the bank and the post office). June 27th, Morning, 10 a.m. to Noon. Clear and sunny summer day. School has just let out and the kids are collecting rocks or talking/playing with each other. Children, men, and then women arrive in the square. Women are wearing faded clothing.
300
What is the overall message the author conveys towards their reader in relation to tradition or the cultural norms of a society?
Tradition is no excuse to abandon one's sense of morality. The sacrificing of one person's life is not justified. It's not justified-even if fate dubs it so. To take the life of another is murder rather than a prestigious honor.
400
Who is Old Man Warner, how many times has he participated in the lottery, and what object is older than him?
He is the eldest town member. 77 times. The stool that the black box is is placed upon.
400
What are the procedures of the lottery? (Be specific and detailed. You must be able to list 5 of the rules.)
The night before, the official and postmaster make a list of the head of the families, households, and the members of the families. The official of the lottery is sworn in by the postmaster on June 27th. The heads of families are called to draw first. The official speaks to those coming forward to draw from the black box. The person with the black dot on the paper must draw for their household. Children married already draw with the male spouse's family. Everyone in the household draws. Whomever receives the paper with the black dot is stoned by the children and then the adults.
400
Definition: Under the foot or feet; on the ground; underneath or below. Find the word. (Hint: pg. 2, paragraph 1)
Underfoot.
400
What is the climax of the story? How is symbolism linked to it?
When the head of the families start drawing from the black box. This is the rising action because it symbolizes the beginning of a habitual tradition, but the ending of a life.
400
Describe the theme(s) and explain how it affects the reader's understanding of the story.
-Following traditional norms or customs is no excuse to loose touch with the aspects that make us human. -What goes around, comes right back around. These two main themes help the reader realize how a custom can cause people to stray away from the things that makes us human. Yes, human beings aren't perfect but the fact that we possess feelings, just like animals, means that we should not forget them. Through our feelings, human beings form morals. Also, karma interferes with fate. In the lottery, anyone could be chosen and stoned. Those stoning another would soon become the stoned. In a way, the universe repaid those people with a grim ending.
500
What was the purpose of using the wood chips in the black box?
The wood chips were used in the original lottery when the town had a smaller population.
500
Explain how Mr. Summers serves as a symbolic icon throughout the story.
Mr. Summers is the man in charge of carrying out the drawing procedures of the lottery. And being the nice person he is, Mr. Summers is cordial to everyone who comes to draw from the box. However, he also invokes fear into the citizens.
500
Fill in the blank: [...] tuneless chant that had been rattled off_____each year. Define the missing word in relation to the story.
[...] tuneless chant that had been rattled off duly each year. Duly means that the chant was recited accordingly or this was a procedure performed on a regular basis during the lottery.
500
What type of general conflict is represented in "The Lottery"? (List the possible sub-conflicts and explain how they relate to the general conflict.)
-External Conflict. Man v. Man: Tessie Hutchinson (the chosen one) is physically against the other towns people's action to begin stoning her. Man v. Society: Tessie Hutchinson faces the town's custom (the lottery). Man v. Circumstances: Tessie is opposing her fate on the grounds that the lottery is "not fair"-even though everyone was given an equal chance.
500
Identify the dominant group and how their actions influence or encourage the existence of the lottery.
The dominant group is the male population of the small town. Due to their agricultural based economic system, the men rely heavily upon the lottery. It's their crutch. They do not object to it because they've had continuous "luck" since the very first lottery. The men are able to feed their families and make a profit so to them there is no need for a change in their ways as Old Warner put it.