The Lottery Shirley Jackson Vocabulary Give the definition and part of speech for each word as it is used

in the story. Write sentences with ten words of your choice, and underline the words in the sentences. Lottery Reprimands Survey Scold Ritual Generations Profusely Raid Reluctantly Paraphernalia Tradition Household Boisterously Clung Jovial Shabby Discarded Swearing in

Questions:

Write brief answers to the following questions.

1. When does the lottery take place? 2. Where does it take place? 3. What is the population of the town, and how long does the lottery take? 4. What are the boys in the square doing? 5. What details suggest this is a social event? 6. Who conducts the lottery and what business does he run? 7. To what other civic activities is the lottery compared? 8. What procedure is followed to determine who will win the lottery? Describe it. 9. Why do all the townspeople open their papers from the first drawing at the same time? 10. Why is it ironic that Mr. Summers says, Thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie when Mr.Hutchison is late? 11. What family is chosen as a result of the drawing? 12. What person is drawn to become the victim? 13. At what point in the story does the reader realize what is going to happen? Quote the two key lines. 14. How does the story end? 15. Can you think of any ritual or custom that is practiced in our society but seldom questioned? Name one, and discuss why traditions are not often questioned.

Writing Think about how the author uses events in this story to address morality and tradition in our society. Then formulate your own opinion and write a composition as directed. This is an ironic story that makes a statement about a tradition in a small town. This tradition is a ritual that is performed every year. The townspeople never question whether it is morally right. What happens when rituals or traditions go unquestioned? Should the int ent of these practices ever be questioned? Some traditions you might consider discussing are those connected with male and female roles in our society for example, roles of fathers and mothers in divorced families; men s and women s roles in the workplace; toys placed with by boys and girls; the use of a males-only draft. Write a one-page (sinple spaced) or two-page (double spaced) composition presenting your attitudes toward the place of tradition in society. Provide reasons and examples to support your opinion.