The Lottery - Shirley Jackson

• Engel
• Middelbare school
• vmbo t
• Leerjaar 4

The Lottery - Shirley Jackson

The Lottery - Shirley Jackson (1948)

Literary Devices

1. Setting & Situational Irony

2. Characters

3. Plot & Freytag's Pyramid

1. Setting & Situational Irony

Setting = When? & Where?

Situational Irony - "When something happens that is unexpected or contradicts the current story."

What is the setting of the Lion King?

1. Modern times in Asia
2. Prehistoric times in Asia
3. Modern times in Africa
4. Prehistoric times in Africa

What is the setting of Harry Potter?

1. 1800 in England
2. 1950 in England
3. 1950 in Hogwarts
4. 1950 in Scotland

2. Characters

Characters = Who?

Protagonist = Main character or (anti-)hero

Antagonist = Main villain

Who's the villain in the Lion King?

1. Simba
2. Scar
3. Pumba
4. Mufasa

Who's the protagonist in Harry Potter?

1. Harry
2. Dumbledore
3. Hermione
4. Ron

3. Plot & Freytag's Pyramid

Plot = What? & Why? & How?

We can explain any story using Freytag's Pyramid, which is possible in five sentences.

In pairs: Try to outline the story of Lion King in five sentences using 1. Exposition, 2. Rising Action, 3. Climax, 4. Falling Action, 5. Resolution

1. Initial impression

· What kind of mood does the writer set at the beginning of the story? How does this connect to the situational irony in this story?

· What is the first impression of Mrs. Hutchinson in the story? How does that connect to the situational irony in the story? And how does her character link to theme of the story?

Answer the 5XW+H questions about Setting, Character & Plot

What is the first impression of Mrs. Hutchinson in the story?

2. Plot and structure

· Summarize the main events in The Lottery according to a plot diagram (exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution).

· How is the structure of the story used to build tension?

In pairs: Try to outline the story of The Lottery using 1. Exposition, 2. Rising Action, 3. Climax, 4. Falling Action, 5. Resolution

Now summarise and outline the story of The Lottery using 1. Exposition, 2. Rising Action, 3. Climax, 4. Falling Action, 5. Resolution

3. Character analysis

· Analyse the character of Mrs. Hutchinson. How does she evolve throughout the story?

· How are the men and women portrayed in the story? What does this say about the time the story takes place?

Which three characters are the most important?

1. Mrs. Hutchinson
2. Bill Hutchinson
3. Mr. Summers
4. Old Man Warner

4. Setting

· What is the setting of The Lottery?

· How does the setting contribute to situational irony?

Choose the correct setting for The Lottery

1. A small village in Europe, 1948
2. A small village in the US, 1948
3. A small village in Europe, June 27th
4. A small village in US, June 27th

5. Theme of traditions

· What is the theme of the story? What examples in the story support this theme? 

· How does the character of Old Man Warner support the theme? And how does the character of Mrs. Hutchinson challenge the theme?

Quote pro tradition

Old Man Warner snorted. "Pack of crazy fools," he said. "Listening to the young folks, nothing'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," he added petulantly. "Bad enough to see young Joe Summers up there joking with everybody." 

Quote anti tradition

Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held her hands out desperately as the villagers moved in on her. "It isn't fair," she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head. Old Man Warner was saying, "Come on, come on, everyone." Steve Adams was in the front of the crowd of villagers, with Mrs. Graves beside him.

"It isn't fair, it isn't right," Mrs. Hutchinson screamed, and then they were upon her

6. Irony

· What parts in the story support the situational irony?

· How does the title connect to the situational irony?

Drop examples of Irony

7. Symbols

· What does the black box symbolise in the story? How does this connect to the theme?

· What other symbols can you find in the story to support the theme?

8. Conflict

· What is the main conflict in the story?

· Is the conflict resolved? And is the resolution expected or surprising?

9. Foreshadowing

· Name three examples of foreshadowing in the story.

· How do these hints prepare the reader for the outcome? 

Examples of Foreshadowing in the Lottery

10. Author’s style

· Analyse Shirley Jackson’s writing style in The Lottery. How does the writing style contribute to the building of the suspense?

· How does the writing style connect to the theme?

Find examples of (rising) suspense in The Lottery. Copy the first three and last three words of the sentence and the page number.

I can explain the setting, characters, and plot of The Lottery

1. Yes
2. No

I can give three examples of foreshadowing.

1. Yes
2. No

I can give examples of situational irony, and explain the irony.

1. Yes
2. No

I can analyse the style of the writer to showcase suspense.

1. Yes
2. No

I can explain the theme of tradition and give examples of pro and anti arguments.

1. Yes
2. No

For the test:

You cannot use notes during the test! You can bring The Lottery and your book!

For the test:

Study your answers from the 10 questions we discussed.

Ask any questions you have at any point.

Good luck!