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Bell Ringer: “The Lottery” – Think/ Pair / Share
1. Pick
a partner, and write down answers to the
small group discussion questions (yellow half-sheet)
(Put both names on your response sheet, this will be turned in later)
small group discussion questions (yellow half-sheet)
(Put both names on your response sheet, this will be turned in later)
*
Group Discussion.
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Read: “Biography of the Story” (in “Wednesday”
file)
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Blog: Questions on the “Biography of the Story”
= HW if not done before Dystopia discussion
= HW if not done before Dystopia discussion
1. Would
you have imagined that much of an emotional response from people based on the
story? Why yes or no?
2. What
is your reaction to the end of her ‘biography’?
3. Respond
to this quote:
“Explaining just what I had hoped the story to say is very difficult. I suppose, I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal ancient rite in the present and in my own village to shock the story's readers with a graphic dramatization of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives.” –Shirley Jackson
“Explaining just what I had hoped the story to say is very difficult. I suppose, I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal ancient rite in the present and in my own village to shock the story's readers with a graphic dramatization of the pointless violence and general inhumanity in their own lives.” –Shirley Jackson
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Literary Concept: Dystopia (discuss next slides)
Adam Lee
ReplyDelete1. I found it odd the way that all the newspapers and publishers reacted. How they didn't like it but they bought and published it anyway. As for the readers, I suppose I couldn't predict others responses to her story. No matter how emotional they were, but with some people I can understand why they don't like it and at the same time those who enjoy the story but don't ask for the why.
2. I feel as if she built up everything into almost a fairy tale ending. How she had this great idea and everyone went along with it but no one really enjoyed it. Then how she had tons of readers and people mad at her for the writing. Yet she finished it on a strong note on how people weren't asking for the why, but where it happened. Where all the people perform plays and other activities on it.
3. Her intent was to make the reader realize the "pointless violence and general inhumanity" that happened back then. She knows that it was a hard thing to write and also very graphic. But she did it anyway to show the reader how awful life really was.
Adam Lee 4-6-16
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ReplyDelete1. I didn't think that anyone would actually react to the story and write letters to her. I mean, it is frustrating that we don't find out the reason why but I would never write to the author questioning her as to why she wrote this story. I mean even her own mother said she didn't like it and that is just mean.
ReplyDelete2. I cannot believe that people actually thought these "lotteries" were real. And why in the world would people want to go and watch?!
3. Shirley Jackson didn't have an exact reason for writing this story. She just came up with the idea one morning and ran with it. She wanted to show that people are still inhumane today but in not such drastic ways.
1) I would have imagined a response like that because it is a crazy story. Innocent people are getting stoned because of entertainment and tradition. People after reading this story, will think that the author is crazy and want to know how she came up with this idea.
ReplyDelete2) I felt like the end of her biography was crazy. Why would people want to watch the stoning?!? That's insane! I feel like if people want to witness things like that, they are just as crazy as the story itself.
3) Jackson is basically saying how this brutal incident, can be seen in every day life. She's saying how the violence is pointless but still there, just like the Lottery. The Lottery is pointless, but still exists for entertainment and tradition.
1. yes because people did not know if it was true and they did not like what the story said
ReplyDelete2. it is upsetting because people believed that it was a true story and wanted to witness everything themselves
3. she wanted to show people how cruel things were but she did not know how to explain her thoughts or reasons for writing the story
1. No, I could imagine if people would get frustrated with the story because of lack of explanation of some big aspects that would make it more clear but to take it to the level that a lot of people did with the letters and criticism isn't justifiable in my view.
ReplyDelete2. It was surprising that people actually believed that the story was true and that with some time became intrigued enough to the point where they wanted to know where this lotteries took place in order for them to watch it happen.
3.I think that as she wrote the story she should have thought about the deeper message that this would be sending. If she would have she could have a better explanation of what it means and add it to the story and clear things up so that people didn't interpret it in a wrong way. Her intentions were well but the actions took to try to make it so were not all there.
1. A little bit. I think that because some of the most important parts of this story are left open to interpretation and discussion, people are angry and confused. And when people are angry and confused, they want answers, so they act out harshly to get them.
ReplyDelete2. I was disgusted and confused about how people thought that this Fiction story was actually true, and that some people wanted to go and witness the stoning of another human being was disgusting. Why would you want to go watch people murder other people? It shows how odd and different people are.
3. Shirley is hoping that putting a brutal and 'weird' ritual into perspective of today's society, that it would open people's eyes to what brutal or sad things might actually be happening in their own lives.
Breanna and Kathryn
ReplyDelete1) Yes, but the way they reacted was ridiculous because obviously the story wasn't real or based off of a real life situation. People just didn't understand and just wanted to criticize her.
2) It is awful that anyone would believe her short story to be real and even worse that someone would want to witness The Lottery in action. It is just disgusting.
3) She is just trying to open people's eyes to what is actually happening in their lives.
1. No, I understand why people were upset and confused, but I do not think they should have reacted the way that they did. It was only a story and she didn't think it would cause people to over react like they did.
ReplyDelete2. I think it's terrible. I can't believe that anyone thought her story could possibly be real. Even if these people thought that it was real, I don't know what kind of a person would want to go and watch that.
3. She didn't know exactly her reason for writing it. I think she is trying to show people that sometimes we don't realize the bad things that are going around us because we are so used to them that they don't seem bad anymore, even if they are.
No, I wouldn’t have expected that large of an emotional reaction to the story. I didn’t anticipate people caring that much about the story, not enough to write angry letters and be rude and critical. I thought that people would question the story, and maybe be a little upset about it, but not enough to take the time out of their day and write letters to the editors, or making comments on their daily commutes.
ReplyDeleteThe end of Jackson’s biography made me feel mystified. Even if the lotteries were actually real, I can’t fathom going to one of the lotteries and watching it occur. The concept is interesting to think about, as is the message, but I really wouldn’t want to watch or participate in one. The reaction of some of the public towards the lotteries reminded me of the citizens of the Capitol in The Hunger Games, with their complete fascination of the games, and treating the games as entertainment.
I think that she did a good job of making the reader think about the story, and while trying to figure out the background of the lotteries the reader almost had to think about how unnecessary the violence seemed, and how they might see unnecessary violence in their own lives- in the media, in literary works, and in the other aspects of society.
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ReplyDelete1.No, I don’t think people would respond that way because. I think people would have just moved on from it after reading it and disliking it. I think a few people would send letters because they were confused what it was supposed to be about, but I don’t think there would be that many and defiantly not that many angry letters.
ReplyDelete2.The first time I read it, I was shocked and didn’t see it coming. When I read it this time, I knew how it was going to end and thought the people in the town were crazy.
3.Jackson is trying to exaggerate what was actually happening in the lives of the people to get their attention and realize that what they were doing was pointless.
1. I would not have expected that much emotional response. I understand that some people enjoy writing to authors, but the fact that it caused such an uproar is usual.
ReplyDelete2. I feel like the end of her biography really says something about people. All these people harassed her and told her they didn't like story, but at the same time they want to watch these things happen? In my opinion, it reminds me of people who claim to hate drama, but the second drama starts up, they're there to watch.
3. Jackson used satire in her story to point out the inhumanity in society. She wrote this fictional story and everyone was confused and astonished about what was happening it in, because they thought it was absurd. There's a sense of irony in that, considering that the story was made to point out how absurd the world they were living in was.
1. I wouldn't think people should have a problem with it, but there's always people who have a problem with everything.
ReplyDelete2. They seems sort of hypocritical, they claim to hate the story, but they were curious about it.
3. Jackson wrote this story to point out the inhumanity in society and I think, in a way, this uneased the people, but the truth can be uncomfortable.
1.No, not at all. I would think that they would be scared and nervous never did I think that they would be intrigued by the ideas of the lottery and want to go to one. I think that the characters in the story didn't really know what to think that they wanted to hate it but were still intrigued by the idea of it.
ReplyDelete2.I was really shocked, when I read the last sentence I was shocked. It kind of wrapped up the story though. It didn't leave the readers hanging which was nice.
3. I agree with her that the lotteries were pointless violence and inhuman in their own lives. I think that this quote shows Shirley's perspective on the topic of the lottery.