M OOD AND T HEME IN “T HE L OTTERY ” T UESDAY, A PRIL 8, 2014

Q UICK W RITE : C ONFLICT Look back to yesterday’s notes at the types of conflict that exist in “The Lottery.” As we discussed, some of the villagers appear to believe that the lottery should no longer exist. Explain why you think the villagers still participate in the lottery and are willing to kill Tessie Hutchinson, even though she is well-liked. If you were one of the villagers, what would you do? Explain.

O BJECTIVE, A GENDA, & H OMEWORK Objective: Students will identify the themes and examples of mood in “The Lottery.” Agenda: Quick Write Shirley Jackson Biography Theme Notes Mood Highlighting & Worksheet Homework: Finish mood worksheet! Study your Greek roots, and read your book!

B ACKGROUND RELATED TO “T HE L OTTERY ” Shirley Jackson ( ) grew up in San Francisco. She attended Syracuse University and graduated in She met her husband, Stanley Edgar Hyman, there. While she and her husband lived in New York, she wrote everyday and was published in The New Yorker. In 1945, she, her husband, and their children moved to a small town in Vermont for her husband’s job. She continued to write and publish. Unfortunately, many people in the small village accused Jackson of being a witch because she was interested in magic and haunted stories. In 1948, she published “The Lottery” and set the story in the small town where she lived.

T HEMES Write each of the topics in your notebook. For each topic answer: What does the story imply about ___________? What evidence from the text supports your opinion? Topics: Traditions Religion/Superstition Family Loyalties Human Nature

N OTES : T HEMES FOR F AMILY L OYALTIES Maintaining tradition is more important than family loyalties. People will betray their families to avoid being ostracized by the community. People will betray their families to save themselves.

N OTES : T HEMES FOR S UPERSTITION /R ELIGION Superstition can cause people to follow the crowd. When a superstition is a tradition, people don’t stop to question its validity.

N OTES : T HEMES FOR T RADITION While traditions are important, not all traditions are good ones. Traditions that are wrong or cruel should be abandoned. Traditions are deeply rooted and can be difficult to change or get rid of because they become a part of a community’s heritage and history. Sometimes, people blindly follow traditions because they believe the traditions define them and their heritage.

N OTES : T HEMES FOR H UMAN N ATURE Things are not always what they seem; seemingly normal people can do terrible deeds. Violence is inhumane, yet we are so used to it that we are numb to it. People’s true priorities are often revealed when the pressure is on them. Fear is a powerful motivator. People are more concerned with self-preservation than with doing what’s right.

M OOD Definition: Mood is the feeling or atmosphere created by the author for the reader. First, we will highlight examples with your mood color. On your worksheet, you will find evidence from the story to support each mood and shift in mood. This is due for a grade at the end of class. The mood begins as light-hearted. The mood then shifts to anxious. The mood ends as foreboding and then bleak. Remember that author’s create mood with: Imagery and descriptive words Specific word choice and figurative language The setting The characters’ emotions

G REEK R OOTS Using the word lists I gave you last week, look up the part of speech and definition of ONE WORD FOR EACH ROOT. Then, draw a visual. Look up 1 word for polis, polit. Look up 1 word for auto. Look up 1 word for gam. If you were not here last week, then look at the power point for those days on my website to get the 3 new roots with their meanings and word lists. Quiz is Friday!