Choose one of the topics below and write an essay applying that topic to

“The lottery” by Shirley Jackson, attached as files.

Topic A (Narrative Point of View and/or Tone)

When reading and analyzing fiction, it is important to consider who is telling the story.

In some stories, the narrator is a character (perhaps the main character); in others, the

narrator is an observer outside the story, describing and sometimes commenting on the

events as well as the characters’ thoughts and emotions. Although there are “neutral”

narrators, most have a distinctive “voice” that contributes in some way to the stories

they tell, even if the narrators do not take part in the events. In all cases, the narrator’s

point of view—the vantage point from which the story is told—guides how the reader

sees the events and characters.

Choose one of the stories listed in the Short Fiction Reading Assignments and write an

essay that describes the narrator in it and discusses how he or she affects the reader’s

experience.

Topic B (“Insiders” and ”Outsiders”)

Many literary works incorporate (and may be based on) a comparison or an outright

opposition between “insiders” and “outsiders.” Sometimes, a stranger—“the new

guy/girl in town”—provides the reason why some important event or a shift in

perceptions and attitudes occurs; in other cases, an “insider” changes in some way and

becomes an “outsider,” thereby generating conflict and a story. In a piece of literature,

the insider/outsider paradigm can show itself in many different ways: not only in the plot

and theme, but also narrative point of view, character, and even tone and language.

The terms “insider” and “outsider” are typically used to refer to “belonging to” or being

“left out” of localized social groups, but the basic idea has many other psychological and

social dimensions. Much has been written about this concept in the fields of

psychology, sociology, anthropology, history, and political science. The

terminology and descriptions used in connection with the paradigm vary, depending on

the field of study and/or the focus of a particular book or article.

Consider the stories in the Short Fiction Reading Assignments in light of the

insider/outsider paradigm, with a view to choosing one of them as the subject of your

essay.

Write an essay that describes how the insider/outsider paradigm applies to one of the

assigned stories. Your essay should also address the extent to which a focus on the

insider/outsider idea contributes to an understanding and appreciation of the literary

work.

* * * * *

Write this on “The lottery” by Shirley Jackson attached as files. If you think it is important and really adds something toy our essay, you can refer to other stories by the same or another author, but keep the

focus of the essay on the one story below as the subject of your analysis. Whichever topic you choose, because the essay is a short one, narrow down the topic and address a particular aspect of it that fits well with the story you are writing about.

Your essay should be 1,000 words in length; it cannot be less than 900

words or more than 1,200.

Be sure to provide concrete examples from the story. Whenever you use a quotation

from a story or refer to a particular part of it, cite to a specific page number from the

textbook/anthology. If you use any source other than the text of the story, provide an

appropriate citation to that other source. At the end of the essay, provide a list of the

work or works cited, using the MLA format.