Introduction EL Project Group Members:Louis, Yao Quan, Liwani, Darren
Jul 01, 2015
IntroductionEL ProjectGroup Members:Louis, Yao Quan, Liwani, Darren
Foreshadowing
So what exactly is foreshadowing? It is actually a warning, or an indication, of a future event that is going to happen.
Comic Strip
The Lottery
The “Lottery”
Upon hearing word “Lottery”, what will you think of? Happiness, luck and all positive words will flow upon your mind. But, it isn’t the case for “The Lottery”. In fact, it is the direct opposite. Full of gloom, despair, hatred and sadness.
Main Characters
Tessie Hutchinson- She is, unfortunately, the “loser” of this lottery. She draws the paper with the black marking on it, and is thus being stoned to death. She is happy about the holding of the lottery. However, she protested that it wasn’t fair when her family was drawn.
IT ISN’T FAIR!!
Main Characters
Old Man Warner: The oldest man in the village, having already participated in 77 lotteries. He condemns the young people who have stopped holding lotteries. He believes that the lottery keeps people from back to their barbaric state.
You must participate in this lottery, or else.
Main Characters
Mr Summers: The man who conducts the lottery. He prepares the paper slips that go into the black box and calls the names of the people who draw the papers. He is high-ranked, one of the village leaders.
Main Characters
Bill Hutchinson: First drew the marked paper, but drew a blank one during the second drawing. Fully willing to tell everyone that her wife drew the marked paper. He didn't, in his effort, try to save his poor wife.
Main Characters
Mrs Delacroix: Name pronounced as de-la-KWAH. It means “ of the cross” in French and the Lottery makes an absolutely unwilling woman bear the burden of the community’s ritual murder. Mrs Delacroix is the only person who speaks to Mr Graves.
Mrs Delacroix selected a stone so large she had to pick it up with both hands and turned to Mrs Dunbar, showing the anticipation and the eagerness she has in the action of killing Tessie.
The lottery appears completely natural to Mrs Delacroix, as she doesn’t feel a bit pity and unwillingness in this!
There are a number of foreshadowing in this text and here are some examples of them.
They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed.
--> Clearly shows that they were reserved and treated the Lottery not as a game. Fear of the result and they might be the one being stoned.
The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool.
--> No one wanted to help Mr Summers in keeping the stool steady while he poured in the slips of paper into the black box--> fear, something gloomy and weird is going to happen--> unusual for a “lottery”
The pile of stones the boys had made earlier was ready; there were stones on the ground with the blowing scraps of paper that had come out of the box
-> Extremely unusual for a lottery to have stones!
There is a sinister air about the lottery conducted each year. Mr Summers and Mr Graves--His name suggests death. They make the slips of paper and place them in the “splintered-badly box”, locked in the safe of Mr Summer’s coal company( black also)
When Mrs Hutchinson arrived late and protested that her husband had not enough time to select the paper, there is a suggestion that something is sinister about the activity the townspeople is holding.
Process Techniques
Jackson builds suspense in “The Lottery” by relentless withholding information and does not reveal the truth until the first stone hits Tessie’s head. From the beginning, we learn about the importance of the lottery to the villagers, going through the entire ritual, hearing names and watching the men proceeding to the box to select the pieces of paper. Jackson never tells us what the lottery is about, or mentioning any prize. She starts to reveal the awry feeling when they “collect stones”. By withholding information until the last possible second, she builds the suspense and creates a shocking, powerful conclusion.
Q AND A
Thanks!
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