Do Now (5 min)

Tradition is the passing of customs or

beliefs from generation to generation. What
are some traditions our society has? Why
do you think we have them?

THE
LOTTERY
Learning Targets:
1.

I can cite several pieces of text-based evidence to support an analysis of a text (RL.7.1)

2.

I can determine the central idea of a quote and analyze its development over the course of a text
(RL.7.2)

3.

I can analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (RL.7.3)

4.

I can use context to clarify the meaning of unknown words (RL.7.4)

LETS REVIEW
LITERARY DEVICES
Setting is the physical location and time in which a story takes place.
To identify setting, we must note the specific details the author
provides concerning:
The storys location.
The time in which the action takes place.
The social environment of the characters, including the manners,
customs, and moral values that govern their society.
Mood is the feeling that a text conveys to readers
Foreshadowing is when the writer gives the reader a hint of what will
happen in the future

DO NOW (10 min)

How does Jackson foreshadow the ending?
At the same time, how does she make it seem
like this is just an ordinary story with an
ordinary town?
(Use evidence from the text to support your
answer)

Changing Tradition
Re-read The Lottery and pay attention to details that
answer the question below:
What aspects of the lottery have remained true to
tradition or changed over time?
Find 4 quotes from the text and determine whether they
show how the lottery has remained the same, and how
it has changed over time.

Historical Context: 1948

Post-WWII
United States is trying to
recover from the war
Return to TRADITION
and the past before the
war

What are some of the

events that occurred
during WWII?

Historical Aspects:
The Holocaust
The Holocaust
Mass genocide of 6 million Jews by
Adolf Hitler
Often called The Final Solution
Many people knew about the existence of
concentration camps, but didnt do
anything about it

MOB MENTALITY: How people

are influenced by their peers to adopt
certain behavior without questioning it

Eichmann in Jerusalem
Adolf Eichmann had been a leading official in Nazi Germany and a key
player in the planning and development of concentration camps
Eichmann was put on trial and he became the only person in history to
be sentenced to death in Israel
In her book, Eichmann in Jerusalem, writer Hannah Arendt argued that
Eichmann, was in fact not a monster but actually just a thoughtless
worker, passionate only in his desire to please his superiors.
To describe how simply we could go from
unquestioning support to enormous evil, Arendt coined
the phrase the banality of evil
Banality: commonplace, unoriginal

Applying Context to The Lottery

The story takes place on June 27th, and The Lottery was
published on June 27, 1948.
Why did Jackson choose to do this?
What do you think shes trying to tell her readers?
Jackson Says:
I suppose, I hoped, by setting a particularly brutal ancient ritual in
the present and in my own village to show the storys readers with a
graphic dramatization of the pointless violence and general
inhumanity in their own lives

WHAT IS THEME?
Theme: Life lesson, meaning, moral, or message about life or
human nature that is communicated by a literary work.

A theme is not a word, it is a sentence.

You dont have to agree with the theme to identify it.
Examples
Money cant buy happiness.
Dont judge people based on the surface.
It is better to die free than live under tyranny.

Theme
Themes are often not explicit (clearly stated).
Themes are implied.
Themes are bigger than the story.

Small
World
of the
Story

Big World of the Theme.

Applies to the Real World.

Socratic Seminar
Socratic comes from the name Socrates, who was a
Classical Greek philosopher. Socrates was convinced
that the best way to gain knowledge was through the
practice of disciplined conversation
Usually a Socratic Seminar involves an inner circle of
people who talk, and an outer circle of people who
listen and take notes. Halfway through the discussion,
the circles switch
Today we are going to have a modified Socratic Seminar
where the floor is open to everyone and the
discussion will be very open-ended

Rules for the Socratic Seminar

-Refer to the text when you need to during the
discussion.
-Do not stay confused; ask for clarification.
-Stick to the point; make notes about ideas you want to
come back to.
-Don't raise hands; take turns.
-Speak up, so that all can hear you.
-Listen carefully.
-Talk to each other, not just to the teacher.

Expectations
Do not talk over other students or act rude during the
seminar
If two students begin to speak at the same time, let one go and
then the other can follow

Do not carry on side conversations

You will be removed from the seminar and receive a zero

Everyone should share at least once

Keep the conversation going. Pay attention and be
engaged

Guiding Questions:

You can use these to guide your discussion, but you should be
asking the questions you generated as well!

1.What is the theme of The Lottery?

2.What did the black box symbolize? Why was it battered?
3.Does this compare to anything you know in real life?
4.Are there any events that have occurred in your community that
remind you of the events in The Lottery?
5.How did your initial understanding of the term lottery compare
to the lottery in the story? How did your initial understandings
help or confuse your interpretation of the story?