Please put your Blogging Journal reponse here as a comment to this post by 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11. You may wish to read the article, "Monstrous Acts and Little Murders" for some background on Shirley Jackson and some interesting facts about the story.
NEW: Link to the story.
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14 comments:
8.Explore a social or ethical issue raised in the writing. Judge the behaviour of the characters or the views of the author. Are they right or wrong in your opinion?
Shirley Jackson nearly had to go into hiding after the publication of her most famous story, “The Lottery.” Hundreds of people cancelled subscriptions to the magazine that published it. In the story’s village, “flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.” It is beautiful place filled with ordinary people. And, alas, these ordinary people are capable of stoning to death one of their neighbours, selected randomly in a yearly lottery. Even Tessie Hutchinson’s son Davy is encouraged to participate in the killing of his own mother with “a few pebbles,” although he is clearly too young to understand what is happening. So, are people really such willing participants in evil? Is there any real difference between ourselves and the characters in Jackson’s story? I believe that she has read the human heart rather well. The difference is only one of distance, and it is easier for us because we don’t often really see evil close up. Others do our killing for us, but we allow it by our inaction or accept it as necessary. That makes us no different than Old Man Warner who argues for tradition, saying “There's always been a lottery.”
8.Explore a social or ethical issue raised in the writing. Judge the behaviour of the characters or the views of the author. Are they right or wrong in your opinion?
When I read the story, I think it is a lottery of 649 or super 7. Why the people get pebble stones in their hands for? When the husband win the lottery, the wife did not feel happy for him. Until the last moment, I realized it is a death match lottery and they both get the paper with a black dot. Are they going to be killed or serious injured or just a joke in this small village? It seems not a reasonable ritual for an ordinary people like us. It is hard for me to believe this story is true. What I can judge under normal thinking is that all the people involved in the lottery are insane even they are volunteer. If they are playing a game, then there are winner and loser. For the Hutchison family, “it is unfair,” does not mean you can not obey the rule which is follow by everyone. The game is against the social and ethical rules in the human society. To kill someone for fun or been killed without any crime is unacceptable and unreasonable. Who is going to take care of their son or daughter if both parents are killed in the game? For the game they play for fun is right but for the behaviour of killing is wrong in my opinion. It also remind me the story I read in Helen class “ Whale of the Killing”. The people with sympathy and empathy are too few in the world. Word counts 252
Topic 12
When I read the story ``The Lottery``, the atmosphere setting made me happy. It `` was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green.`` so this beautiful picture made me think that the lottery must be happy and exciting. However, when I finished the story, I know that the lottery is not a money lottery; on the other hand, it is a killing lottery. It really surprised me. I can’t understand why that nation has this rule to kill innocent people. Also, every villager participates this action, so I think they are foolish to do that because nobody can guarantee she or he will not be killed. Why don’t they revolt and abolish this unreasonable rule ?
In addition, the children gather the stones for killing the person who has the black dot paper made me angry. Children should be simple and pure, but they intentional to be a crime. Especially, I can’t stand that they ask the children to help them to kill their parents. It is a terrible scene. When I think about this story, my reaction is indignation for the fool villagers and sympathy for the be innocent killed people. It is very cruel, merciless and sorrowful.
208 words
5. Describe your feelings as you read the writing and what sort of experience you had.
Reading the whole story gives me another magnificent chance to enjoy how dramatic result ironies can create. The author creates an illegible atmosphere which leads us to an unpredictable ending. First, the title is “The Lottery”; it makes us connecting with some good luck story. Second, the setting does not expose the cruel end at all. The beginning is bright: it is a summer day and settles with “clear and sunny”. Even the flowers and the grass are beautiful. Story happens in a village; people assemble together, happily: children “broke into boisterous play”; men are “speaking of planting and rain…” the game is conducted—“as were the square dance, the teen club, the Halloween program”. Everything is perfectly normal. Then Mrs. Hutchinson comes, a little bit late. The people “separated good-humoredly to let her through”—to her destiny. The game starts, people seem joinable as a ritual of their village. The husbands draw for their family households one by one. The marked paper goes to the Hutchinsons—the unbelievable cruel result, and most ridiculously accepted by all village members, including Mr.Hutchinson. Their Children Davy is too small to understand what is going to happen, and Nancy and Bill.Jr. “beamed and laughed”, when they find their paper are blank. People enjoy the game by throwing the pebbles to Mrs.Hutchison, they don’t forget to offer the chance to little Davy to get involved. These lottery games are actually happening in our real world everyday, and we are all participating in them with our pleasant sensation in a different way. We are all somehow one of their village members and becoming or being “Mrs.Hutchinson” ourslve.
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15. Write about something you don’t understand and try to find an answer in your writing.
A lottery always sounds lucky and means large amount of money and happiness to come in the modern society. In the reading “The Lottery”, it is a total different one, the one ends up to be a killing. Someone who was chosen will be killed by people intentionally or unintentionally. Even his friends or family members will be forced to be one of the killers. I can’t image how it would be to live in a village like the one in this story, and I can’t understand what this lottery is really for. Is it all because of the tradition, the tradition for a good harvest and no matter how it takes? The oldest man among the villagers who had been through this cruel lottery for 77 times in 77 years, who still insisted this tradition has to go on. Doesn’t he feel threatened enough, or he has gotten used to it already? I can’t agree with a tradition which against our humanity. Those villagers should have considered abolishing this heartless game to end such a misery.
Topic 5
I was feeling content which lead to questionable when it came to the auther describing the village, the peolpe and their rituals. As I went on I felt as if what was going to happen, shouldn't happen. I had the feeling that that something unusual was going to conspire. When the men chose the slips out of the box I felt dicouraged to read more. As I was hesitent to read further, I continued on. The family members of the man that picked a slip out of the box, has to draw one themselves. When there were blank pieces of paper revealed I felt releaved, until, the last family member kept the slip tight in her hand and wouldn't let go. I experianced knots tightening in my stomach. With that experiance came the end result. The stoning that women was gong to recieve, was with out a doubt, crude.
Topic 4:Write about something in the writing that reminds you of someone youknow or of something th
that has happened in your life.
A Surprising Difference
It is a great surprising difference to me about the lottery style between the village in the story of The Lottery and our modern life. Such as, the different of the model, tools, and prize. First, all the people of the village in the story “ The Lottery “, were participator once a year, and everyone could draw a slip of paper for themselves without paying the money. Today, we can decide ourselves to buy the lottery twice a week. We are not forced to participate the gambling by anybody because it is a kind of gambles. Second, The villager used the black box to keep slip of paper and people had to hold the box steady on the tool when Mr. Summers stirred up the papers inside it. Now we use a glass box and it is automatic control to stir the white ball inside it and the ball will jump out automatic into another glass box to show us what the numbers are. Finally, the winner of the village in the story, was hit by the stones form other villagers. How amazing it is! In present day, we can win a enormous money or a splendid house , boat, or trip. How wonderful it is ! I think some tradition is good we have to keep it like moral values, but some tradition can not suit in our life now. In opinion, changing sometimes can improve us having a good lifestyle.
1.Tell about how you feel toward this writing or its author and why.
This is a terrified story which is filled with tense, thrilled and illegible atmosphere. The author, Shirley Jackson, is a genius, who shows us an unpredictable ending I have never thought. However, at first I think the story should be a comedy because of the title “The Lottery”, which likes super 7 and 649 we play. In addition, the setting of the story describes a bright and harmonious mood: “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.” Gradually, after keeping on reading, I feel something is strange—why the children select a great pile of stones, why the villagers look so nervous and upset when Mr. Summers calls their names. I feel extremely tense and can’t help breathing deeply. When I eventually realize the lottery for killing, I hardly believe it and am shocked a lot. What a cruel and evil game! How can the villagers endure it so long time? Why aren’t they against it? In contrast, it seems that the villagers enjoy killing someone including their families without any regret. I am still wondering about the theme of this story, whether the author wants to show a cold and cruel society around us. (215 words)
Topic 12
The ending of the story astonished me. The title “lottery” looks like this story should be a happy one, but it is a tragedy. In the story, the villagers hold the ritual every year to make the saying: lottery in June, corn be heavy soon, be fulfilled. The villagers are controlled by the saying, more precisely, what they followed is the ritual itself, but not the spirit of it. They hold the ritual hurriedly, not reverently. As if they just want to know who has to be sacrificed, and finish the ritual as quickly as possible. Then they can go back to continue their work. We read Mrs. Hutchinson wearing her apron ran to the crowd and says “Clean forgot what day it was.” It seems ridiculous at such a live or die ritual. The original meaning of the ritual is forgotten almost ,and the ritual is not treated as it ought to be, like the black box is made of only some pieces of the original one and was left somewhere at the rest of the year. So, the cruel, bloody human sacrifice becomes worthless and nonsense.
Topic 7
The most effective thing I notice in this story is about the villager's traditional ways. Commonly, the old people try to keep their traditional lifestyle, but everything in the world must have change depend upon the various conditions and circumstances. Even though the old people have many experiences in their life, they can’t notice that modern society must be adjusted and adapted to the new ideas. When Mr. Adams says to Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, about “the north village they’re giving up the lottery,” he snorts stoutly, “Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them.” They ignore the others better ways, so it makes another sacrifice Mrs. Hutchinson who insists the lottery isn’t fair. It reminds me Bible verse, “New wine must be poured into new wineskins.”
(135 words)
Topic 12
I was surprised when I finished reading the end of the story. I thought of someone must was selected to get some extra money, gift, or duty. The activity had been held so formally, and the people had regarded it so soberly. It is hard to believe they just were playing a traditional harmful game!It’s hard to stop to think about Mrs. Hutchchinson for me. How would the villagers treat her? Would everyone hit her by tossing stones including her husband and her children? Would Mrs. Hutchinson was hurt badly? Obviously, some villagers were keen on the stupid game, even he/she had the same chance to be the poor victim. What would happen if the selected person was a child? I was confused.
8.Explore a social or ethical issue raised in the writing. Judge the behaviour of the characters or the views of the author. Are they right or wrong in your opinion?
The Shirley Jackson story “The Lottery” narrates an exceptional lottery. The first part of the story describes a harmonious village with three hundred people: Children dismissed from school “talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands”, men “speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes”, and women “greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip”. All people with easy and delighted mood gathered in the square to take part in the lottery. However, when the Hutchinson family got the lottery, the story reveals it is cruel game: the winner will be killed by his/her neighbors. Even the members of one family are compelled to decide who will be the final victim, and folks will also attack the victim. In such a relative civilized society, people are still interesting and relentless to execute the ancient and brutal ritual. This lottery only leads human being to evil and chaos. It disobeys the human’s virtuous essentiality. I don’t agree this opinion; after all, most people have sympathetic and merciful minds. If such lottery existed, the humans would have been destroyed easily by themselves.
15. Write about something you don't
understan and try to find and answer in your writing.
Before reading, I thought that somebody who was taken the lucky lottery with huge amount money and delightful mind. Furthermore, the nature atmosphere was gorgeous:
"clear and sunny, fresh warmth of a
fullsummer, the flowers were blossoming profusely". However, "The Lottery" was a completely different and unpredictable story. I was astonished about the event:gathering stones for killing winer. Even though all villigers were not chosen in that year, they must be frightened especially in June. If I were in the villige, I would run away very far. Also, I wondered that is the lottery transmitted down from when, whom, and why. I could not figure out answer above the question, but I thought that they had been offering a sacrifice to evil every year.
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