The Lottery
Pre-reading Activity: Read the following sections from the story and answer the questions using you own paper. Write a complete sentence for each answer!
The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o’clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had to be started on June 26th, but in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, 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.
1. Who participates in the lottery?
2. What do you think the atmosphere is on the day of the lottery, according to the first paragraph of the story?
Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes. They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed. The women, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, came shortly after their menfolk. They greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their husbands. Soon the women, standing by their husbands, began to call their children, and the children came reluctantly, having to be called four or five times.
3. What other details do you learn about the town from this paragraph?
4. Guess what the possible prize for the Lottery could be if it is held in all of the neighboring towns. My guess is:
STOP: Read The Lottery by Shirley Jackson before answering the next questions.
Answer #5-18 on the same paper you used for the pre-reading questions #1-4. Use a complete sentence for each answer!
5. In the third paragraph, what suggests that the lottery is a serious event?
6. Who helps Mr. Summers set up the lottery? Why are the villagers reluctant to help?
7. What paraphernalia is needed the lottery? How big do you suppose the black box is?
8. What do Mr. Summers and Mr. Graves do the night before the lottery?
9. What are the rules concerning people who can’t attend the lottery?
10. What signs are there of the people’s nervousness during the drawing?
11. What arguments does Old Man Warner present for keeping the lottery?
12. Normally someone "wins" a lottery, but that word is never used in the story.
What expression is used instead?
13. A lottery winner is generally very pleased with his luck. How does Bill Hutchinson react when he "gets it"? What is Tessie’s reaction? Is her accusation fair?
14. What phrases suggest Mrs. Hutchinson’s extreme apprehension- and her efforts to keep it under control?
15. In what order are the papers opened? How does the crowd react as each is revealed?
16. What is the final step of the lottery? Who participates?
17. What does the story imply about traditions and ceremonies? Support your opinion from the story.
18. Usually a lottery is something good. When do you begin to suspect that, in this case, no one wants to “win” the lottery?
Creative Writing Assignment for “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
Consider why Shirley Jackson chose to end the story the way that she did…with an ending that was completely unexpected.
Now, it’s up to you to tell us what you believe should’ve happened at the end of the story by creating your own ending to the story. Your starting point is from where it says,
“All right, folks,” Mr. Summers said. “Let’s finish quickly.”
Before writing your ending, you must consider the answers to the following questions:
· Who should win the lottery? Why?
· What does winning the lottery entail?
· What kind of resolution does the lottery have, if any?
· How might some of the themes we see in the story (such as tradition, rituals and customs, community, and family) influence the way the story may end?
Since you will only be focusing on the ending, make sure to stay true to the characters we have already been introduced to. Be prepared to present your work to the class and discuss why you chose to end the story the way that you did.
Your grade will be based on how well you transition from the point in the story above, and the clarity of your writing. Remember – this is a creative writing assignment, so use your imagination! Also, you are encouraged to consult the dictionary and/or thesaurus to help you with the writing process.
Your ending should fill an entire page.
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P.S.: When writing the character’s dialogue, remember to indent and start a new paragraph every time a different character speaks. For example:
“Allen.” Mr. Summers said. “Anderson….Bentham.”
“Seems like there’s no time at all between lotteries any more,” Mrs. Delacroix said to Mrs. Graves in the back row.
“Seems like we got through with the last one only last week.”
“Time sure goes fast,” Mrs. Graves said.