The Lottery Essay

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7. Take a close look at Jackson's description of the black wooden box (paragraph 5) and of the black spot on the fatal slip of paper (paragraph 72). What do these objects suggest to you? Why is the black box described as
"battered"? Are there any other symbols in the story?

The black box and the black spot on the paper both show that they are from old times.
For example, the story describes the box as battered. Nothing would be battered unless it is old, which in this case, the box is. Also, not many people work in coal factories anymore, especially if that person is the one hosting a lottery. Another thing is that in modern days, people don’t just make marks on paper and call that the winner. Lotteries look a lot fancier. These are all the symbols in the story, and they all represent one common thingoldness. 2. Where does the story take place? In what way does the setting affect the story? Does it make you more or less likely to anticipate the ending?

The story takes place in the a little town after World War 2. This allows us to anticipate more about the ending. If there are less people there is a higher chance of you winning. As a result, you may be able to tell who will be the winner, someone who stands out a lot. The setting also allowed the kids to pile up rocks, which is something kids normally wouldn’t do. This made them a little strange, also enabling the reader to guess what will happen. The setting allows the readers to find out what will

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