Short story --- "The Lottery"

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I recently began my first year in high school and i am enrolled in an english 1 class. our assignment over the weekend was to read "the lottery" which i believe is a somewhat famous short story written by Shirley Jackson in 1948. i already read it and did all the work but i want to be prepared for our next class. now i am asking for your help because i believe that the members of this forum will give me a more detailed and insightful opinion/reflection of what this story really means. I thank you so much and i am new here so if i posted this in the wrong section, please someone point me in the right direction.

thanks again

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It might be helpful if you posted your view of the story before you ask others.

What did the story say to you? Was it straight forward? Any emotional reactions from it? Like or dislike?

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Hi T--

I am acquainted with the story.

(You haven't read it, have you.) Naughty!

I think it's highly symbolic of society's "little sacrifices." It's sort of harrowing, to me. It was considered shocking in it's time. You can interpret it probably several ways. I think everyone should read it. (Including you.)

Give me some impression of yours about the story, and I'd love to examine it with you.

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Does it seem parallel to the draft to you?

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if my teacher had not told me it was banned in certain countries and what not i would have been more surprised at the shocking ending. The time period definetely was different from our society today especially to me as a 14 year old.

My thoughts on the story were very vague Smile

mostly because i dont know how to repsond to it. I detect a moral or lesson to be learned from it but i lack the ability to retrieve it. I know i will get better at this as the school year drags on but I would like to stay on top of the class. Thank you

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You will get better!

Really, I think the most important ingredient to getting better at analyzing writing is interest. And, you have that.

Some people will tell you that you were supposed to get "a certain thing" from a piece of writing--and I disagree. I think everyone can take away something unique.

When I read it, I thought of some of the things that our society does that have become normal--but are incredibly cruel--to me, anyway.

Did it seem really odd that the families went along with the ritual?

Why do you think they did?

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after reading the story again i noticed how slow the people were to change. The people feared change, they wanted to keep everything the way it was. This is still evident in our society today. I believe the families went along because they had been doing it theyre entire life, the ritual had a certain "sentimental" value if you will. Your thoughts are bulding tracks to my train of thought, keep 'em coming Very Happy

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Great!!

Can you pinpoint why they submitted to this?

<hint: lottery in June, corn be heavy soon?>

How does that translate to you--in modern day--? Or what does it make you think?

Can you think of any examples of our lotteries?

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(Don't feel the need to respond to all of this, T. I thought I'd just jot some stuff down.)

What did you think of the children playing around the periphery of the crowd as they gathered?

What did you make of the conversation between Adams and Old Man Warner near Line 30? Can you see that conversation taking place now--about a different subject?

Did you think it was going to be Tessie? This sort of bothered me. Why make the sacrificial one seem like she deserved it? Did that make it easy for the writer? Easy for the reader? Was she trying to convey something--that the one who was killed maybe had it coming?

More later, maybe.

I'm enjoying reviewing the story, T. If you liked this story, pick up The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula LeGuin. (Better, to me.)

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throughout the story Old Man Warner was speaking of other towns getting rid of the lottery and how its ridiculous how the people of those towns "listened to the young folks". I guess the people of that town relyed on people like Old Man River whos been in the lottery 77 times and has experience. None of the population questioned authority, nobody became a leader they were all followers at that point.

I think that how they do it right after the children are let out of school for the summer is significant but i cant pinpoint anything to the corn (probably because im a city boy Smile

)

This makes me thiink that people are too scared or just plain lazy to take the spot of a leader and start a so called "revolution" and make their own traditions.

As for examples of lotteries today i cannot think of anything really of that magnitude. (i think i need a hint there Smile

)

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tcook215 wrote:

throughout the story Old Man Warner was speaking of other towns getting rid of the lottery and how its ridiculous how the people of those towns "listened to the young folks". I guess the people of that town relyed on people like Old Man River whos been in the lottery 77 times and has experience. None of the population questioned authority, nobody became a leader they were all followers at that point.

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Very powerful observations. So applicable to reality. A lot of thoughts popped up for me at this point. You know how old people said TV was an invention that was a fad, and wouldn't last long... How older people don't want to learn how to use a computer, because it's new to them--and maybe they're afraid they can't do it, or they are sad that something else has been invented to make them feel older and more out of touch... or how some people hold on o religion because that's what they know and they're afraid to jump off into the possibility that what they've learned their whole life wasn't correct? (Not a religious statement--just an example re "some" people) So, the old people apply a lot of pressure to keep the status quo--and for some befuddling reason, everyone else goes along with it.

I think that how they do it right after the children are let out of school for the summer is significant but i cant pinpoint anything to the corn (probably because im a city boy )

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Heh. I think it references the thing we were just talking about. The kids grow up with this process--and are conditioned to it. If you walked in to town one day and saw this going on--how would you respond differently to a kid who had been playing in the periphery since he was a baby? Sort of shows we might get used to anything we consider "normal", eh? It would be good to try to think of what some of those things might be.

This makes me thiink that people are too scared or just plain lazy to take the spot of a leader and start a so called "revolution" and make their own traditions.

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Great. How about something not as big as a revolution? How about befriending the kid everybody makes fun of? How about chaining yourself to a cage in the dog pound and demanding they stop euthanizing dogs? How about taking your grandmother to a movie on a Saturday night and telling the kids that tease you to *** off.

As for examples of lotteries today i cannot think of anything really of that magnitude. (i think i need a hint there )
Hints, above. :wink:

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Another example of how kids grow up with traditions and grow accustome to them no matter how cruel they are is the Bull fights in Spain where many bull die for no reason. This tradition is shunned by outsiders and even the Spaniards might be having second thoughts, but the thought of trying to stop this tradition which was started byt the "almighty" founders or whoever if too overwhelming to them, they say to themselves "Why me, bob can do it, frank can do it"

I believe "the lottery" had a very powerful message, a very controversial message, but a message noentheless.

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Hooray!!!

I enjoyed talking to you.

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Short story --- "The Lottery"

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