Lottery Questions.

Questions from the LA teacher.
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

1. Should tradition override relationships?

My opinion is that tradition should never override relationships, unless it is for the improvement of a relationship between individuals. When tradition destroys instead of creating, it should not exist, let alone override relationships. If two enemies become friends because of tradition, then that particular tradition should be allowed to override relationships.

2. Do the villagers feel remorse for killing Mrs. Hutchinson? Why?

No. A simple answer, but why? In this village, the tradition is so s0trongly rooted in the villagers that they do not mind killing one of their own. Imagine yourself as a cannibal. Your tribe has been eating others for centuries. It is thus considered normal to eat human flesh, what we, as the new generation, would probably consider inhuman. An orphan who survives the Vietnam War does not even flinch at the sight of death. We, the digital natives, would most probably faint upon seeing a dead rat.

There are others who see the insanity in tradition, and would feel remorse for killing Mrs. Hutchinson. Only a handful.

3. How do I view the community in The Lottery?

The community may be very tightly knit, but they have learnt to let go of their loved ones quite easily. This is what I can interpret when the murder of Mrs Hutchinson was about to begin. The entire village, no matter how friendly they seem towards any individual, could at any moment, give up a loved one for the sake of tradition.

4. What is the significance of the characters names?

Mr Summers represents life in the lottery, and Mr Graves, his counterpart, represents death.

AAP

This is an advertisement for the Nokia N96. The shots that persuade the viewer to buy the phone used in this video are tracking shot, close-up shot, extreme close-up shot. The tracking shot tracks the action to show how much effort the two men put in not to spoil the television, all to end in nothing (0:00 ~ 0:15). This reinforces the viewer’s feeling of the man’s disappointment and the N96 solving the man’s problems, allowing him to feel happy. The close-up shot allows the emotions of the characters to be framed, especially the parts where the man feels disappointment and sadness (0:12, 0:21, 0:29~0:30, 0:47, 0:51). The close up shot allows the viewer to see the man’s emotions (mostly happiness, a hint of amazement at 0:55 ~ 0:59).

E-Learning Homework

Interpersonal
Write a 250- word response to the hypothetical question (it will published in an Aunt Agony Column of a newspaper).

Alright, it starts after here.
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“I feel sad when I see Charlie lock himself up in his room and refuse to let anyone in. I want to help him, but he does not want to see me and I don’t know else to do. What can I do to help Charlie?”
~Miss Kinnian


Well Miss Kinnian, Charlie is probably feeling angry and helpless at himself. He does not want to disappoint you or make you feel sad, thus not allowing you to go into his room. This shows that he loves you very much. You can help him by helping to settle his bills and standing by his side no matter what happens. This will allow him to trust you and eventually let you become an important figure in your life. Remember, no matter how much he tells you he dislikes you, don't listen and keep trying to coax him into allowing you to help him. Those words are just to mask his true feelings.

Yours Truly,
Aunt Agony.