Thursday, September 3, 2009

"The Lottery." Shirley Jackson.

On-minute review: This is not your usual $35 million-dollar lottery. The “winner” in this story, who receives the black spot, is stoned to death as part of an age-old sacrificial ritual. Why? “Lottery in June, Corn be heavy soon.” The author presents a detailed account of the preparation, the gathering of the rocks and the concluding moments so that the crowd can be home for lunch at noon.


Comment: I’ll never understand why this story is used with middle school children. However, it is in one sense a grim depiction of the ultimate witch hunt or bullying that occurs almost every day, the human need for a victim. RayS.


Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Eds. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1989.

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