The Lottery
Plot
June 27 arrived in the form of a bright morning; sunlight bringing out the vivid colors of the flowers and the grass, and heralding in a day of longstanding tradition in a rural town. On this morning, the annual lottery was to be held. Townspeople gathered together, socializing, sharing stories, remarking on the day’s work and last year’s lottery as children played and gathered stones into a pile. They took time each year to participate in this time-honored tradition, but not so much time that they couldn’t get back to their daily chores and the management of noon dinner. As the jovial social scene plays out, Mr. Summers, who had officiated many social events in the town, arrives. He bears a black box and is trailed by the …show more content…
According to Roan, a vignette is a short story that focuses on a single scene, character, idea, setting, or object; with less emphasis on maintaining the traditional cadence of conventional theatrical or literary structure, or story development. (Roan, 2014) The story does chronologically focus on one specific event, which is the lottery and itself and the final disposition of the “winner.” Although only one short event is focused on, there is a subtle hint of foreshadowing included. As the reader approaches the passage in the story about the men of the family being encouraged to take in the responsibility of drawing for their wives and small children, the question is raised as to why. In general, especially during the time this piece was written, when the man of the family is expected to perform a task for his family, it is an unpleasant one. The idea of how today’s reader may view a lottery and this subtle turn in the ambiance of the story can cause a conflict as to exactly what this lottery actually represents and means within the …show more content…
It would have been appropriate at the time it was written and due to it’s simplicity and lack of difficult or flowery verbiage, is relevant in regard to language to this day. The sentence structure maintains short, to the point sentences that don’t overcomplicate what is put forth as a simple, easy read. The reading level of this piece seems to be appropriate for even a junior high-level reader. This simplicity can been seen with phrases such as “Get up there, Bill” , “Shut up” and “It isn’t fair.” (Jackson, 1948) Even given its simplicity, it gets the meaning and point across to a vast array of
Plot
June 27 arrived in the form of a bright morning; sunlight bringing out the vivid colors of the flowers and the grass, and heralding in a day of longstanding tradition in a rural town. On this morning, the annual lottery was to be held. Townspeople gathered together, socializing, sharing stories, remarking on the day’s work and last year’s lottery as children played and gathered stones into a pile. They took time each year to participate in this time-honored tradition, but not so much time that they couldn’t get back to their daily chores and the management of noon dinner. As the jovial social scene plays out, Mr. Summers, who had officiated many social events in the town, arrives. He bears a black box and is trailed by the …show more content…
According to Roan, a vignette is a short story that focuses on a single scene, character, idea, setting, or object; with less emphasis on maintaining the traditional cadence of conventional theatrical or literary structure, or story development. (Roan, 2014) The story does chronologically focus on one specific event, which is the lottery and itself and the final disposition of the “winner.” Although only one short event is focused on, there is a subtle hint of foreshadowing included. As the reader approaches the passage in the story about the men of the family being encouraged to take in the responsibility of drawing for their wives and small children, the question is raised as to why. In general, especially during the time this piece was written, when the man of the family is expected to perform a task for his family, it is an unpleasant one. The idea of how today’s reader may view a lottery and this subtle turn in the ambiance of the story can cause a conflict as to exactly what this lottery actually represents and means within the …show more content…
It would have been appropriate at the time it was written and due to it’s simplicity and lack of difficult or flowery verbiage, is relevant in regard to language to this day. The sentence structure maintains short, to the point sentences that don’t overcomplicate what is put forth as a simple, easy read. The reading level of this piece seems to be appropriate for even a junior high-level reader. This simplicity can been seen with phrases such as “Get up there, Bill” , “Shut up” and “It isn’t fair.” (Jackson, 1948) Even given its simplicity, it gets the meaning and point across to a vast array of