English Language Arts Level 7 #11

Today’s Objectives Literary Element: Conflict The Short Story: “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson Idiom of the Day

Defined as the struggle between 2 opposing forces. Types of conflict: Man versus Man Man versus Nature Man versus Fate Man versus Himself Man versus Society

There can be no story without a conflict. The conflict refers to the problem that the main character must deal with. There are two types of conflict: external (a struggle outside oneself) and internal (a struggle within oneself).

The conflict of the story is the main problem. It usually involves the main character. There are two types of conflict, external and internal. External conflicts involve the main character and another person.

Or there may be problems between the main character and society, nature, or a machine. Internal conflicts are battles between the character and his thoughts or feelings.

He may have to make an important decision or come to terms with a decision he has already made. Conflicts give the story interest and help us to understand the characters, plot, and theme.

Assignment Please stop at this point and read the short story “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. The conflict is usually revealed at the beginning of the story. But not in this case. Can you find the conflict in the story?

Shirley Jackson “The Lottery”

A Short Biography Shirley Jackson Shirley Hardie Jackson is born, December 14, 1916 in San Francisco, CA. In 1941Jackson publishes her first short story, "My Life with R.H. Macy," for twenty-five dollars.

Shirley Jackson She marries Stanley Edgar Hyman and they move to a secluded shack in New Hampshire where both concentrate on their writing.

Shirley Jackson Jackson and Hyman move to North Bennington, VT where they raise a family. In 1965 Jackson dies on August 8th in Bennington.

“The Lottery”

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson – Part 1

“ The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson – Part 2

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson - Discussion

What is the conflict in this story? Bill Hutchinson gets "it," the paper with the black dot on it. His wife, Tess, protests that it isn’t fair.

Tess’ protest is the first moment we realize that a problem becomes apparent. Tess Hutchinson disagrees with the results of the lottery.

This conflict is Man (in this case woman) against Society’s established traditions. While Tess, the protagonist, “wins” the lottery, she must lose her life as a result of that win. This is an example of poetic irony.

Climax Tess’s family has “won” the lottery and they all must pick a new paper from the box. Tess gets the paper with the black dot on it. When you get the paper with the black dot on it, you “win” the lottery.

Resolution This lottery winds up in the violent death by stoning its winner (Tess). All that's left is the execution. Everyone in town participates including the children. It's clear that Tess will be stoned to death.

Symbolism Black is usually associated with death or the underworld. The black box (symbolism for coffin) and the black dot on the paper foreshadows death. Contrast the death symbolism with the beautiful day in June.

Break

Part 3 - The Idiom Idioms are spoken phrases that cannot be found in the dictionary. An idiom is an expression that means something other than the literal meanings of its individual words.

Pull the Wool Over Someone’s Eyes This expression means to trick or deceive someone. "I think Blah is pulling the wool over our eyes, " (trying to trick us) someone in the audience muttered. I suspect they're right.

Lesson Review Today we took a look at the literary element conflict. We read and listened to the short story “The Lottery”.

Next Lesson In our next lesson we will discuss the elements of the plot sequence and how the events unfold in the short story, “The Necklace” by Guy De Maupassant.