Introduction
This WebQuest is meant to explore and create real-world connections with "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson and use those connections to identify possible themes of the story.
Task
You will be reading a variety of current events articles. Based on what you read, you will be asked to answer questions regarding the themes of the story as they relate to the world at present.
Process
First, follow the links below and read the following articles:
https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/a-sociologist-explains-the-cult-…
http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/Health/story?id=1495038
http://bullying.about.com/od/Basics/a/Peer-Pressure-And-Bullying-What-I…
After you read, open a Word document and type your answers to the following questions:
1. How is the article about the cult related to the story? Does the story depict a cult situation? Why? Use evidence from both the article and the story.
2. If the villagers were only following the crowd, who do you think the leader would have been? Why? Use evidence from the story.
3. Imagine what happens after the end of the story. Based on the article about peer pressure, how do you think Dave Hutchinson is affected by the pressure to participate in stoning his mother to death? Be creative.
4. After reading the articles and analyzing them in conjunction with the story, what message do you think Shirley Jackson is conveying?
Evaluation
Evaluation will be based on your answers to the questions.
Do they make sense?
Do you cite evidence?
Do you understand the message?
Conclusion
Now that you've read the documents and answered the questions, you're well prepared to participate in class discussion.
Please print your answer document and turn it in.