English 7 – Old Man Fehln er & Miss Felts
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Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”
Discussion Questions
1. This story begins with a mood that is very different from the mood at the end of the story. How are
these two moods different? What specific words show this?
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2. In the second paragraph of the story, the children are gathering stones, seemingly just for fun. The
end of the reading demonstrates why they were actually gathering the stones. What literary device
does this exemplify?
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3. What does it say about the culture of this village that the lottery was conducted in the same manner
as “the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program.”
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4. The actual lottery happens on page four. The tone of the section is one of anxiety. What specific
words does the author use to show this feeling of worry?
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5. On the bottom of page 3, Mr. Adams states that in a neighboring village they don’t even have a
lottery. Old Man Warner responds that those villagers are a “pack of crazy fools”. Why is this
ironic?
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