The loterry. Analatical essay

A symbol is: “a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract” For example: “the limousine was another symbol of his wealth and authority” (The Oxford English Dictionary) “Symbolism [in literature] is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.” (LiteraryDevices.net) Your second paper assignment is to focus on a symbol in one of the short stories or poems we have read so far in class. This symbol should be something concrete (ie. the rocks in “The Lottery”, the shoeboxes in “Ex-Girlfriends”, or the crucifix in Dracula), and your goal is to do the following: •Explain the symbol’s denotation (its literal meaning) ◦For example: a dog is by definition an mammal belonging to the canine species, typically kept as a domesticated pet •Explain the symbol’s connotative properties (the cultural associations that come with that symbol; make sure to consider various viewpoints and associations) ◦For example: dogs often represent loyalty and companionship or, in other instances, scavengers or denoting low status or low opinion of one’s appearance or behavior •Explain to your reader where this symbol is used in the literary work ◦Where are dogs mentioned in the literary work? In what context were dogs mentioned? •Explain what an understanding of all the above things contributes to a greater understanding of the literary work as a whole ◦How does an understanding of the definition and cultural connotations about dogs, as well as how dogs are used in the text contribute to a greater understanding of the literary work? Make sure you are focusing on a symbol that truly has greater meaning and that you have the ability to write a great deal about. For example, while it is absolutely possible that Tessie Hutchinson’s dishes in “The Lottery” have greater symbolic significance, there is only one mention of them in the story. A greater focus would be on the rocks, the black box, or the scraps of paper in “The Lottery”, which are mentioned more often in the story and that have greater symbolic meaning. Focus in on repeated nouns in a text; chances are, if an author repeats a certain noun (a person, place, thing, or idea) throughout the literary work, he or she is trying to place a higher level of significance on it. Any and all of the poems and stories that have been assigned are fair game for this assignment; in addition to the poems specified on the first short paper assignment sheet, here are the short stories we have read for class: “Orientation”, “Girl”, “The Lottery”, “The Man in the Well”, “A Visit of Charity”, and “The Use of Force”. Feel free to also use Dracula, though if you intend to write about this novel for your final paper, you will want to finish the entire novel. You MAY write about the same poem you wrote about in paper 1, though make sure you are saying something NEW about the literary work and not just repeating your first paper. Make sure you analyze areas of the text that describe/mention/use this symbol as well as areas of the text that are affected by this symbol. While you do want to quote lines from the literary work and analyze these lines, make sure the bulk of your writing is your own, and make sure you are not just summarizing the literary work (aka repeating the general plot of the story/poem) but that you are interpreting the literary work (inserting your own opinion as to what it means). A good way to check this is to ask yourself: “can this portion of my essay be written by anyone who has read this literary work, or is this exclusive to my own viewpoint?” When using outside source material (the poem itself as well as any sources used for research about your symbol do count as “outside” sources), make sure you are citing using the proper MLA standards and including a Works Cited page (even if the only work you are citing is the poem or story you are writing about). Please consult the Purdue OWL for help with citation: https://owl(dot)english(dot)purdue(dot)edu/owl/resource/747/01/ The formatting for this paper is as follows: at least 600 words, double-spaced, with 12 point standard fonts (Times New Roman, Garamond, Arial, etc.), and standard 1 inch margins on all sides. Your name should be on every page. Remember to use spell check and grammar check before turning anything in. Reading aloud yourself, or having a friend (or writing tutor!) read your paper aloud is a fantastic way to catch small errors and edit for clarity.

"The Lottery" (1948)

by Shirley Jackson

The morning of June 27th was clear and sunny, with the fresh warmth of a full-summer day; the flowers were blossoming profusely and the grass was richly green. The people of the village began to gather in the square, between the post office and the bank, around ten o'clock; in some towns there were so many people that the lottery took two days and had to be started on June 2th. but in this village, where there were only about three hundred people, the whole lottery took less than two hours, so it could begin at ten o'clock in the morning and still be through in time to allow the villagers to get home for noon dinner.

The children assembled first, of course. School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of them; they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play. and their talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands. Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix-- the villagers pronounced this name "Dellacroy"--eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys. The girls stood aside, talking among themselves, looking over their shoulders at rolled in the dust or clung to the hands of their older brothers or sisters.

Soon the men began to gather. surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes. They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed. The women, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters, came shortly after their menfolk. They greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their husbands. Soon the women, standing by their husbands, began to call to their children, and the children came reluctantly, having to be called four or five times. Bobby Martin ducked under his mother's grasping hand and ran, laughing, back to the pile of stones. His father spoke up sharply, and Bobby came quickly and took his place between his father and his oldest brother.

The lottery was conducted--as were the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program--by Mr. Summers. who had time and energy to devote to civic activities. He was a round-faced, jovial man and he ran the coal business, and people were sorry for him. because he had no children and his wife was a scold. When he arrived in the square, carrying the black wooden box, there was a murmur of conversation among the villagers, and he waved and called. "Little late today, folks." The postmaster, Mr. Graves, followed him, carrying a three- legged stool, and the stool was put in the center of the square and Mr. Summers set the black box down on it. The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool. and when Mr. Summers said, "Some of you fellows want to give me a hand?" there was a hesitation before two men. Mr. Martin and his oldest son, Baxter. came forward to hold the box steady on the stool while Mr. Summers stirred up the papers inside it.

The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born. Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition as was represented by the black box. There was a story that the present box had been made with some pieces of the box that had preceded it, the one that had been constructed when the first people settled down to make a village here. Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking again about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done.