About “The Lottery”:
Where do you think “The Lottery” takes place? What purpose does the writer have in making the setting seem familiar and ordinary?
What do make of Old Man Warner’s saying, “Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.”
Consider the following statements about the story. Do you find one of them to be more apt than the others? What sort of evidence do you find for it in the story?
Jackson takes a primitive fertility rite and playfully transfers it to a small town in the USA.
Jackson, writing her story soon after World War II, indirectly expresses her horror at the Holocaust. She assumes that the massacre of the Jews was carried out by unwitting, obedient people, like these villagers.
Jackson is satirizing our own society, in which men are selected for the army by lottery (in times of the draft).
Jackson is just writing a memorable story that signifies nothing at all.
About “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”
Why does LeGuin ask the reader to imagine a perfect city instead of merely describing it?
What is the central conflict in “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”?
What is the moral dilemma, and why is it compelling? What would you do if faced with the dilemma?
Do you think something is right if it’s good for the majority of society, but maybe not all? Why or why not?
Think back to Dr. Sadler’s video and the article about the story. What ideas were raised in them that you wish to talk about?
In a discussion posting, address as many of these questions as you wish. Think, also, about what the two stories have in common. Do you see any similarities?
