Title: The Lottery
1Way of drafting people for different things war,
jury duty, etc.
Luck of the draw/fate
The Lottery
Gambling
Raising for charity
Winner gets the prize,usually
Playing the odds
2English Language Arts LOTTERY
3Read Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"
4Immediate Reactions
Foreshadowing
Suspense
Horror
Children Participate
Barbaric Ritual
Lottery?
Shocking
I don't get it
Stoned to death?
5Not knowing what's going to happen next
Uncertainty
Excitement
Suspense
Anxiety
Anticipation of an approaching climax
Awaiting a decision or outcome
Mysterious situation
6The Lottery
Suspense in
- The Lottery is a short story that keeps the
reader in suspense the entire time, until then
end, when the unthinkable happens. - The plot and setting add to the suspense in the
short story. - Jackson also uses conversations between
characters, characters actions, and descriptions
of demeanor to lead the reader to believe the
conclusion will not be a happy one, yet, she also
uses contrasting events and actions to confuse
the reader and build suspense. - Like scary movies, the end of The Lottery
catches the reader off guard. Yet, there is a
great deal of foreshadowing that leads up to the
climax. - The reader is fooled because most modern people
believe a lottery to be an event with a positive,
not a negative, connotation. This is the ironic.
7The Lottery
Suspense in
- When Mr. Summers arrives with the black box,
the villagers are hesitant to help him. This
insinuates that this event is not a happy one. - Mrs. Hutchinson is late for the event.
Strangely, her family did not tell her that she
was late, if this was a joyous occasion, they
would have made sure she was present and on time. - Tradition is mentioned. Some townspeople mention
that neighboring communities have eliminated the
lottery because it was not favored anymore. This
hints that the lottery is not a positive
experience. - When Bill Hutchinson picks the winning lottery
ticket, other villagers are relieved. - The author builds suspense by keeping her readers
guessing as to whether the lottery is a good or
bad thing. She uses foreshadowing to hint that
the conclusion will not be favorable. Also, the
overall tone of the crowd is somber.
8Suspense
What is suspense in fiction? It is that feeling
of uncertainty, that tension, that interest in
what happens next. Suspense is what keeps many
readers up late at night, turning the pages until
the wee hours of the morning. Here are some tips
on how to create suspense in fiction.
9Suspense
Create a feeling of urgency and immediacy. You do
not have to write in the present tense in order
to accomplish this. You can accomplish this by
showing your characters' immediate emotions and
paying close attention to the pacing of your
story. You do not need to completely eliminate
description, but you should learn how to use it
sparingly. Large amounts of description can slow
the pace of your story, extinguish suspense, and
bore your readers.
10Suspense
Astonish your readers by having the unexpected
happen. There is little worse than a predictable
story. That is not to say that the events taking
place in your novel should not be logical. They
should be logical yet unexpected. Suspense
requires some sort of danger. Indeed, a mystery
novel where the sleuth operates to solve the
murder without the distraction of danger would be
quite boring. And remember, the danger need not
always come from the killer himself. Suspense
should be built to a dramatic climax, and once
that climax takes place, the story should end,
not go on and on for no reason. A short and
simple denouement will suffice.