Short Stories and All quiet on the Western front

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Engels - Period 4

What?

• Poetry - Theory , 'Mort Aux Chats' and 'In Flanders Fields'
• All quiet on the Western front

• Vlog - give your opinion in English
  

Why?

It will help your reading skills, expand your vocabulary and give you an opportunity to practice speaking. 

VWO 4 -  The vlog and test together are 20% of your English mark (5% Vlog and 15% Test)

HAVO 4 - The vlog and test together are  25% of your mark this year and 25% of your  School Exams. (Vlog 8% and Test 17%)

HAVO and VWO 4

-    Vlog hand in via Magister.me
-    Test in Test week 4 –
       o    Questions about All quiet on the Western front
       o    Questions about the short stories from the lessons/homework

       o    Questions about the poetry from the lessons/homework

- You can use an English/Dutch dictionary in the test to help you.

What makes a short story?

Types of short stories

•    The ‘Story’ type (begin - middle - end)
•    The ‘Atmosphere’ or ‘Impression’ type
•    The ‘Idea’ or ‘Political’ type
•    The ‘Mystery’, ‘Mild horror’ or ‘Suspension’ type

No story will only fit into one category. It may contain elements of one or more of the types mentioned.

9 detailed characteristics in most short stories

1.    Subject matter - about daily doings, dramas and dreams of common people.
2.    Element of surprise – no predictable ending.
3.    Creating a ‘single effect’ - leaves the reader with a one main feeling
4.    Compactness, briefness – no irrelevant details or words.
5.    One or two main events – often beginning in the middle of things and ending abruptly.
6.    Concentration on one or two main character(s).
7.    Concentration on action rather than on description.
8.    Classical unities of time, place and action (24 hours max., single place, single action).
9.    Criticism on characters by the writer.

Now answer the questions in your stencil while watching the following short film about writing stories

The Lottery - follow the text in your reader

9 detailed characteristics in most short stories

1.    Subject matter - about daily doings, dramas and dreams of common people.
2.    Element of surprise – no predictable ending.
3.    Creating a ‘single effect’ - leaves the reader with a one main feeling
4.    Compactness, briefness – no irrelevant details or words.
5.    One or two main events – often beginning in the middle of things and ending abruptly.
6.    Concentration on one or two main character(s).
7.    Concentration on action rather than on description.
8.    Classical unities of time, place and action (24 hours max., single place, single action).
9.    Criticism on characters by the writer.

Now answer the questions about the Lottery in your stencil?

1. Were you surprised by the ending of the story? If not, at what point did you know what was going to happen?

2.    How does Jackson start to foreshadow the ending in paragraphs 2 and 3?

In the second paragraph, we discover that one of the village boys, Bobby Martin, has filled his pockets full of stones and that the other boys have followed his example. At this stage of the story, we don't quite know what's going on, but whatever it is, we sense that it can't be good.

An even more subtle clue can be seen in the third paragraph. Here we're told that the men of the village have begun to gather and that they're standing around away from the pile of stones made by Bobby and the other boys. As they stand, they make quiet jokes and smile rather than laugh....

3.    How does Jackson lull us into thinking that this is just an  
        ordinary story with an ordinary town?

The story takes place on a beautiful summer's day; the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and all the village's children are excited at the forthcoming annual ritual. What could be more normal than this?

4.    Where does the story take place? In what way does the
        setting
affect the story? Does it make you more or less   
         likely  to anticipate the
ending?

Very little information regarding the location is provided.

It takes place in a village, around 300 people live there. They believed that they need to do the lottery to sacrifice something, then the crops will grow.

'Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon'

5.    In what ways are the characters differentiated from one
another? Looking back at the story, can you see why Tessie Hutchinson is
singled out as the "winner"?

Jessie is singled out because she was being suspicious and shouts at Mr. Summers that he did not give enough time to Bill to choose. So she thinks it isn't fair. 

6.    What are some examples of irony in this story? For example, why
might the title, "The Lottery," or the opening description in paragraph
one, be considered ironic?

> "The Lottery," is ironic. The word 'lottery' has a positive connotation and implies the people playing want to win. A lottery consists of a random winner with the odds stacked against all contestants, but in this case, the winner, whose prize is death by stoning, would not be considered lucky nor do they want to win.

> The lottery is perceived as an important and necessary tradition, yet ironically, no one can seem to explain where the tradition came from and why they continue to partake in it.

> The day is described as nearly perfect, yet it ends in a violent murder.

> 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 ... School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of them; they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play, and...

7. Jackson gives interesting names to a number of her characters. Explain the possible allusions(toespelingen), irony or symbolism of some of these:

• Delacroix
• Graves
• Summers
• Bentham
• Hutchinson
• Warner
• Martin
  

•  

7. Jackson gives interesting names to a number of her characters. Explain the possible allusions(toespelingen), irony or symbolism of some of these:

• Delacroix     > Mrs Delacroix: > woman who selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands. 
                                 Dickie Delacroix > He is, clearly, very excited  about stoning an innocent person to death later,like so many
                                 people  who had no problems about crucifying Christ.
  
• Graves          >  the postmaster, brings the stool for the black box to the town square. Mr. Graves is quite intimately connected
                                 with the lottery and graves also means 'graven'!
  
• Summers     > Summer is associated with warmth and pleasant times. Ironically, Mr Summers' name is contrasted to a task
                                 that signifies exactly the opposite.
  
• Bentham      >  Likely a reference to Jeremy Bentham, a British philosopher who advocated for the principles of utilitarianism
  
• Hutchinson > The name Hutchinson alludes to Anne Hutchinson, a religious leader of New England who was eventually
                                 excommunicated and exiled.
  
• Warner         >  the town’s oldest resident and he claims to have gone through 77 lotteries. Old Man Warner  represents the
                                continuity of the lottery system.
  
• Martin           > The name Martin could allude to either Martin Luther or the Latin "Martinus," which in turn refers to the Roman
                                 god Mars.
  

•  

8. Take a close look at Jackson's description of the black wooden box (paragraph 5) and of the black spot on the fatal slip of paper (paragraph 7). What do these objects suggest to you? Why is the black box described as "battered"? Are there any other symbols in the story?

Symbolism. The black box into which the slips of paper are inserted is symbolic of fate and of the bizarre traditions the town follows. Though the black box is old and shabby, the townspeople do not want to replace it. Jackson writes, "no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box."

The stones are also symbolic of the hate that the townspeople direct to each other. For example, Jackson writes, "Mrs. Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands."

The author also uses alliteration , or beginning words with the same sound. Examples are "tractors and taxes" and "black box." The use of alliteration makes these words eerily rhythmical and memorable

8. What do you understand to be the writer's own attitude toward the lottery and the stoning? Exactly what in the story makes her attitude clear to us?

"The Lottery" was published in 1948, just after WW2.

 a) the horrific capacity of the human brain to compartmentalize (verdringen)
      even inhuman acts (that would be the Nazis)

- the villagers, who take the stoning tradition as a matter of fact.

b)  the fact that there are people who are physically able to commit these
      crimes

- the villagers stone the chosen victim without hesitation.

9. This story satirizes (hekelt) a number of social issues, including the reluctance of people to reject outdated traditions, ideas, rules, laws, and practices.

What kinds of traditions, practices, laws, etc. might "The Lottery" represent?

Shirley Jackson examines the dangers of blindly following some traditions and rituals throughout her short story "The Lottery ."

 One suggestion of the theme is "Don't be afraid to question tradition."  Other suggestion: "Don't be afraid of change" and "Think for yourself."

 

Selfishness:

Tessie’s selfishness becomes evident when she demands that her married daughter should participate in the family lottery. Tessie does not try to protect her children from death. Instead, she attempts to increase her own odds of living. In her final moments, she screams that the lottery is unfair and immoral. However, she has likely helped stone countless others in previous lotteries. By this reading, Tessie’s objections only begin when her own life is in danger.

10. This story was published in 1948, just after World War II. What other cultural or historical events, attitudes, institutions, or rituals might Jackson be satirizing in this story?

The lottery could really represent any tradition or practice that now seems outdated, meaningless, or even inhumane.  The story conveys just how important it is to keep evaluating traditions for their value and not simply to continue them because they are traditions.

Slavery -   Obviously, that tradition was reevaluated and considered to be inhumane, and so it was done away with. 

Women's rights - There was a time when women's subservience to men was a tradition; women had to fight for the right to vote.  That tradition, of the legal submission of women to men, was reevaluated.

Missed some answers?

Read the text again in your own time and check your answers with the answer sheet:

Magister.me > Engels Studiewijzer > Poetry and Short Stories > Bronnen

The Black Cat - follow the text in your reader

Now answer the questions about The Black Cat in your stencil?

Missed some answers?

Read the text again in your own time and check your answers with the answer sheet:

Magister.me > Engels Studiewijzer > Poetry and Short Stories > Bronnen

What makes a poem a poem?

Answer the questions on page 13 of your stencil