An Object Of Beauty #plants #plantsofinstagram #nature #thisistheirplanet

Feliz Dia De la Amistad! Esta es mi definicion de Amor y #amistad. Alguna de las cosas por las cuales siento #amor; #mipais, #mifamilia, #poesia, Y #arte. #felizdiadelaamistad #felizdiadesanvalentin #PhotoToaster #republicadominicana #dominicanrepublic

Morning jewels: "the eye was born, knowledge was born, wisdom was born, science was born, light was born. It is always seeing through knowledge or wisdom, and not believing through blind faith." #whatthebuddhataught #budism #bookstagram #books #jewels #wisdom #knowledge #selfdevelopment #journey

Entry #9 - "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson

Question #1

            Were you surprised by the ending of the story? If not, at what point did you know what was going to happen? How does Jackson foreshadow the ending? Conversely, how does Jackson lure us into thinking that this is just an ordinary story with an ordinary town?

            I was very surprised by the ending, since after the first paragraph when the children gathered their stones, until about half way through the story when Mrs. Hutchison complains about her husband having picked the marked paper, as a cause of Mr. Summers not having given him enough time to make a good choice, is that any negative connotation is given to the ceremony. Author Shirley Jackson does an excellent job at luring the reader to believe this story is just an ordinary one. She draws attention to the excitement and interactions between some of the principal characters, instead of foreshadowing the ending. For instance, this is visible when Mr. Summers and Mr. Adams greeted each other with a “humorous and nervous” grin. It may also be seen during Mr. Adams and old man Warner’s conversation regarding other villages having stopped their lottery traditions, and Mr. Warner’s negative comments about it. Mr. Summers’ cool demeanor is another aspect of the story which served as a decoy for the surprising ending. Same with little Dave, who once sent to pick his paper, placed a hand on the box and laughed, and though young, his reaction told me he did associate the box with any negative activity or action he might have witnessed before. 

    Question #4

            What is the ritual of the scapegoat? In what way might Tessie be considered a scapegoat?

            By definition, a scapegoat is in the biblical sense “a goat upon whose head are symbolically placed the sins of the people.” “One who bears the blame for others; one who is the object of irrational hostility.” These definitions were found in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.

            Following these definitions, it may be said that Tessie may be considered a scapegoat. From her introduction, it was foreshadowed that she would be subject to some sort of judgment, as she arrives late to the ceremony, those around her laugh with her, though in my opinion in a disapproving way, and finally Mr. Summers, though in a friendly manner, does scold her for having done so. After her complaining and before the ending was made obvious to me, I felt she was looking to take her husband’s place, and once I read about her reaction when she was left with the marked paper slip, I could not help but to feel that out of all members of her family, should someone be targeted and/or even punished it was Mrs. Hutchison.

  Question #7

            Are there other symbols? Why is the “black box” battered, for example?

            The black box which I believe represented the many members of families which had been used as instruments of sacrifice since the village was settled, with its worn out colors, served as a symbol of permanence and resiliency for a ritual which would perhaps never be changed, at least in that particular village. In addition to the box, there is the lottery itself, which serves in my opinion as a new beginning for the people, marking the year by it as virtual calendar, as mentioned by old man Warner who remembers that soon after the lottery, the corn would be ready to harvest.

#giddyup #tabby ready to tackle #wednesday #cats #catsofinstagram #2018

This is how to start a #longweekend, with some #JungleLove "Are we gonna make love or what?" #thetime #IceCeeamCastle #PhotoToaster

Face: 9 on a Par 5, but come back with a bird. #florida #golf #familytime #enjoylife #birdy

#PhotoToaster #bobmarley #rastafari #houseofmarley Sometimes, we just need to bring it together in the old fashion, Bob Marley style, with a little twist 😏💨

Barcelona vs Man City today... Prediction, 3-0 #barca #fcbarcelona #championsleague #laliga #PhotoToaster

Sun is shinning, weather is sweet. #springtime #art #localartistsupport

Entry #6 - A Good Man is Hard to Find - Flannery O'Connor

Question #1

What qualities of the grandmother do you like? What qualities do you dislike? How did you feel when The Misfit killed her? Why?

In this story, the grandmother had very few qualities I dislike or rather, were detrimental to the families, since I found those particular qualities not necessarily negative, but put to use inopportunely. For instance, at times she came across a bit over protective when the thought of danger nearing her family came to mind; other times she came across as a cunning person when expressing herself, although I see her after reading the entire story more of a wily negotiator, since this only came up when she needed her point to be considered, and for others to heed her advise, as it happened when they took the turn which lead the family to the ditch where they met The Misfit.

Grandmother possessed many qualities I did like: her thoughtfulness and care demonstrated when not wanting to leave the cat by itself in the house, as well as when giving the mother a break from carrying the baby. Her cheerful attitude when she felt like dancing, and when playing with the children though they were disrespectful. Grandmother also showed a great deal of pride in values such as respect for others and one’s country or state, and as I mentioned above, she did not hesitate to express her opinion many times with brutal honesty whenever she felt necessary.

Although I was not surprised when The Misfit shot her, as this followed the execution of the other five members of her family, I felt a sense of sadness, sorrow, and distress when it happened. After thinking about it, I’d say it must be because the author did a great job at showing grandmother’s weaknesses soon after their meeting with The Misfit. Her fears became reality, and having heard the shots that ended the lives of her son, grandchildren, and daughter-in-law, broke down that strong spirit and what throughout the story I perceived as an authoritarian personality, down to that of a beggar, imploring for her life.

   Question #7

What is the significance of The Misfit saying, “She would have been a good woman if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life”?

  This question made me think quite a bit, as I recited grandmother’s last words “why, you’re one of my babies,” and The Misfit’s reaction to her touch. I thought, since there was not enough time for him to truly know her, ‘how else would he have known her as a person to describe her with the words on this 7th question, other than the possibility that grandmother was in fact his mother?’ tying this technique back to Aristotle’s method for a play, where there are aspects of the characters and plot not needed to be presented, as they are to be assumed or known already by the audience.

In any given case, whether this was true about the story or not, I believe The Misfit saw in grandmother more than he probably saw in any of his other victims: the courage to face him and tell him that he was a “good man,” the courage to ask him to pray and believe that Jesus would make things right for him, and the act of defiance when asking him “you wouldn’t shoot a lady”?