Class Minutes for Tuesday Sept 14th - "The Lottery" Class 2

1. Prayer

2. Symbolism in "The Lottery"
Jackson uses symbols to convey her message. There names of many of the characters are important because they give clues (foreshadow) the outcome of the lottery.  For example, Mr. Graves’ name represents death and Mrs. Hutchinson’s name is symbolic of the historical figure Anne Hutchinson, who was banished because of her heretical beliefs.  Two of the important and central symbols of the story are the black box and the three-legged stool.

3. Review of theme statements
A theme has two parts: a subject (topic) and a predicate (the author’s opinion or message on that topic).

4. Theme statement for "The Lottery"
In the short story, “The Lottery” Shirley Jackson uses the symbols the black box and the three-legged stool to suggest that tradition can be dangerous without reason. 

5. Homework: None. Next class there will be an in-class paragraph on symbolism in "The Lottery"