What Is a Dystopia - Dystopia is an imagined place where everything goes horribly wrong and is imperfect. Nothing goes right and it is unpleasant to be in. it is the opposite of a Utopia which is a perfect world.
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Word Definitions
jovial - someone is in a Cheerful and friendly mood
profusely - A lot
paraphernalia - Specific Equipment, Apparatus, or materials used for its specific purpose.
interminably - having no limits towards anything.
petulantly - Moody or childish
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The Lottery Questions
1. Describe the setting, using specific details from the story in your answer.
A: It was a clear and sunny morning, as it was summer. flowers were blooming and the grass was a rich green. Everyone was told to meet up in the towns square, between the post office and bank. It was slightly windy, the breeze strong enough to pick pieces of paper off the ground.
2. Explain the feelings of most people in town toward the lottery.
A: Kids are feeling slightly free, knowing what's going to happen but their brains not fully processing the information. Adults are dreading the lottery but are trying to get their minds off of it by talking to other adults. When it was time to pick someone for the lottery their entire moods change and they are all nervous for what is about to happen. They dread getting picked by the lottery as they know what will happen to them is they are.
3. What evidence is there that the lottery has been going on for a long time?
A: In one sentence Old Man Warner explains that this is his seventy-seventh lottery that he has been in since he was born. In the text, it also says that long before he was born the box used for the lottery was still being used before that. Old Man Warner is the oldest man in the town so if the box was used before he was born it must mean that the lottery has been going on for more than seventy-seven years.
4. What is Old Man Warner’s attitude about those who would like to change things?
A: He thinks that anyone who is against the lottery is a fool. He believes that young people want to go back in time and become barbarians instead of what he believes is the future.
5. Explain how the lottery works.
A: Every Year the whole town gathers up in the square, getting ready to be picked for the lottery. Children assemble first, then fathers and then mothers. Children gather stones for after someone has been picked form the lottery. Everyone greets each other and then lines up in their family households. Someone comes with the box to pick out pieces of paper that are black, one of them has a dark black circle that was made with coal on it. Mr Summers ( The one holding the lottery) calls out the household name and the heads of the families come and grab a piece of paper. After everyone has picked they then check who has the mark, whoever has the mark comes up to the front with their whole household to pick again. The family members pick again and whoever gets the black mark is hit with stones. This whole process usually takes around two hours for this specific town.
6. In what way is the title, “The Lottery”, misleading? Why would the author want to trick the reader by having a misleading title?
A: It was a clear and sunny morning, as it was summer. flowers were blooming and the grass was a rich green. Everyone was told to meet up in the towns square, between the post office and bank. It was slightly windy, the breeze strong enough to pick pieces of paper off the ground.
2. Explain the feelings of most people in town toward the lottery.
A: Kids are feeling slightly free, knowing what's going to happen but their brains not fully processing the information. Adults are dreading the lottery but are trying to get their minds off of it by talking to other adults. When it was time to pick someone for the lottery their entire moods change and they are all nervous for what is about to happen. They dread getting picked by the lottery as they know what will happen to them is they are.
3. What evidence is there that the lottery has been going on for a long time?
A: In one sentence Old Man Warner explains that this is his seventy-seventh lottery that he has been in since he was born. In the text, it also says that long before he was born the box used for the lottery was still being used before that. Old Man Warner is the oldest man in the town so if the box was used before he was born it must mean that the lottery has been going on for more than seventy-seven years.
4. What is Old Man Warner’s attitude about those who would like to change things?
A: He thinks that anyone who is against the lottery is a fool. He believes that young people want to go back in time and become barbarians instead of what he believes is the future.
5. Explain how the lottery works.
A: Every Year the whole town gathers up in the square, getting ready to be picked for the lottery. Children assemble first, then fathers and then mothers. Children gather stones for after someone has been picked form the lottery. Everyone greets each other and then lines up in their family households. Someone comes with the box to pick out pieces of paper that are black, one of them has a dark black circle that was made with coal on it. Mr Summers ( The one holding the lottery) calls out the household name and the heads of the families come and grab a piece of paper. After everyone has picked they then check who has the mark, whoever has the mark comes up to the front with their whole household to pick again. The family members pick again and whoever gets the black mark is hit with stones. This whole process usually takes around two hours for this specific town.
6. In what way is the title, “The Lottery”, misleading? Why would the author want to trick the reader by having a misleading title?
A: It sounds as if someone from the town is getting picked to get something luxurious but instead someone is getting punished for no reason. This misleads people to think that everything was going to be fine when actually they aren't fine.
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Why do you think this is a Dystopian Story?
I think that this is a dystopian story because not everything is fine. At the end of the story, we find out that the lottery really is abusing someone who doesn't deserve it. We find out that they are hit with stones by the entire town but we don't know why or what happens after they are hit. At the start, it shows what could've been a Utopia but instead we find out that it is a dystopia instead. It shows people that things may not true towards what has been seen or said.
Does this remind you of others?
It reminds me of a story called The Hunger Games. It gives off the same type of storyline, where someone is picked to risk their lives for their district, they are forced to fight so that their district can get the prize. Another book it reminds me of is the giver, the way that someone is chosen for something reminds me of how the children in the giver are chosen for their jobs.
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Why do you think this is a Dystopian Story?
I think that this is a dystopian story because not everything is fine. At the end of the story, we find out that the lottery really is abusing someone who doesn't deserve it. We find out that they are hit with stones by the entire town but we don't know why or what happens after they are hit. At the start, it shows what could've been a Utopia but instead we find out that it is a dystopia instead. It shows people that things may not true towards what has been seen or said.
Does this remind you of others?
It reminds me of a story called The Hunger Games. It gives off the same type of storyline, where someone is picked to risk their lives for their district, they are forced to fight so that their district can get the prize. Another book it reminds me of is the giver, the way that someone is chosen for something reminds me of how the children in the giver are chosen for their jobs.
What am I learning?
I am learning about Dystopian literature
How does this show my learning?
This shows that I am reading the text given to me and can answer the questions properly that involve Dystopian Literature.
What am I wondering?
How do people create a Dystopian place without making it obvious?
Some outstanding work here Trisha. I really appreciate the effort you have put into giving the 'why'in your answers. This is what will make the difference when you head into NCEA, being able to justify your answer with evidence from the text. I certainly agree that this text is very similar to the Hunger Games, I wonder if Suzanne Collins had read it before she wrote her novels?
ReplyDeleteTrisha
ReplyDeleteThese are greta answers.. I haven't read the book, yet you have created a great picture in my mind of what it includes.
What I would love to know is if you enjoyed reading it? If so, or if nit, then why? What made you like or dislike it?
Great work.. love it. Keep it up.
Hi Trisha!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great piece of work, I am really proud to see you are continuously working to your highest potential! I'll always remember the hard work and amazing blog posts and tasks you did back in Year 8; it's lovely seeing how you guys improve every year.
I remember reading The Lottery when I was in school and being captivated by this short story. I remember the first year I read this being shocked by the ending, as I was not expecting such an outcome. We re-read this again a few years later and I picked out even more details that I had missed when I was just a few years younger, I think you have explained this well in your comments about how this story is considered dystopian.
Do you have a favourite dystopian book? Do you enjoy reading stories in this genre?
- Miss Birtch