Understanding "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson

a college prof explains the story's meanings (some, anyway!)

[@eveeve5606]

It was eerie to see that some of the families were missing fathers and we know that they had gotten stoned

[@adamsaoud7191]

but we still stoning people or ourselves

[@9290SC]

Yes!

[@daerdevvyl4314]

eve eve Well, not necessarily. People do die naturally or in accidents after all.

[@LtotheOG57]

​@daerdevvyl4314 true, but in this case its probably mentioned so you link it with the stoning

[@TheKalll]

I wish you were my English teacher

[@bribri7756]

Khaled Ebrahim same i always have to watch her videos

[@do4ka156]

Me too

[@mairimrossini4574]

Same

[@Terrakinetic]

I wish I could conduct English classes the same way people make KZbin videos.

[@ShadowCooper77]

LOL

[@LockIsLive]

College student here... Nine years later this is beyond helpful. Thank you for making my life easier.

[@shen73]

I needed it today

[@Beazt1101]

@@shen73I needed it tdy for dual enrollment lol

[@Ian-Threaded]

This is the best analysis I have seen. Way better than my teacher.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@manaharav]

She's a college professor, she OUGHT to be able to explain things on a higher level! Otherwise we should draw a lottery up for incompetent elites!

[@silasfrisenette9226]

The description of how the box is kept 'here and there' also adds something to this; I think that serves to tell us that no *one* person upholds this tradition, the black box is being kept by all of us. It is both in Mr. Grave's barn and in the Martin grocery etc. - it 'lives' with us all. I say 'us' because the village can obviously be our society if we don't heed the traditions and customs :)

[@MarsChannel18]

Now I get the story... It was too hard for me to understand.. Thank you! I will pass for this test!

[@Tom-xy7mx]

This was a great explication! I somewhat came to the conclusion that "tradition" is not always moral or good, but you pulled the words right out of my mouth. Keep up the great videos!

[@cinnamonjw]

I saw the 1969 short film of The Lottery back when I was in the 8th grade in the early 70's and it always stuck with me. I can't remember the class I saw the film in, or the reason why it was shown to us, but after your explanation it made it more clear to me, even after all these years. I have a better understanding of what the story was conveying. Plus, I think I have an idea of why it was shown to a bunch of 8th graders. Thank you.

[@mshellokitty281]

This saved my life , big test in English tomorrow !

[@SixMinuteScholar]

astrid obando I'm so glad! Hope it went well!

[@humbugs505]

@Cesar Partida guess not

[@edholohan]

Don't cheat!

[@i.anthony1565]

@@edholohan I dont think it matters much now. They were most likely trying to study lol

[@RickDeevey]

I always viewed it as a critique of organized religion... blindly following ritual and not examining the wherefore of it, or being afraid to.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Rick Deevey That makes sense too.

[@suvariboy]

Rick Deevey - Me too. But I like her suggestion that it could be a condemnation of Nazi Germany, especially considering that it was written after WWll.

[@Andyatl2002]

TheSportsGuru, some religions and cults are far worse for the people in it and some don’t get out easy

[@alexanderpatrick4866]

@TheSportsGuru the elderly will always blindly follow old tradition. Just Like Old Man Warner.

[@rdr6269]

@@alexanderpatrick4866 People with initials AP will always make stupid, senseless comments.

[@AnimalLover-uh7dv]

I had to read this story for school, and was pretty creeped out by the plot. But this video helped me understand it, thanks! :-)

[@kricketlionheart5689]

would have been a better ending if it was the grumpy old man that got picked

[@ssppeellll]

+Kricket Lionheart Then we wouldn't have had these especially shocking lines: "The children had stones already. And someone gave little Davy Hutchinson a few pebbles." Davy is the victim's young son. Also, having the old man be the victim would have taken the edge off the horror of it. It would have been the ending we might have preferred--and therefore not as good an ending. Does that make sense?

[@eternalhalloween1]

Hi Kricket. But how different is Tessie from Old Man Warner? Yes. Old Man Warner seems open about his approval of the lottery. But nothing Tessie said or did indicated she was against it, UNTIL she was chosen. The only difference is really that if Old Man Warner had been picked, he would not have complained.

[@End15421]

eternalhalloween1 They are very different. With Tessie killed we get to witness the ruthlessness of humans that family disintegrates so easily. And it's even more ironic that the lottery is so focused on the "family." They focus so much on who draws with whom, "daughters draw with their husbands' families."

[@timfields3510]

Can you imagine seventy-seven years and never winning? No wonder he was grumpy. It would have helped him go out a winner.

[@christietrumb7807]

Lol

[@Cameraman61]

The "sacrifice for the crops" element of "The Lottery" has strong parallels to the 1973 British horror classic "The Wicker Man". Please ignore the ghastly 2006 remake with Nicolas Cage.

[@essen00cat]

Scottish*

[@euphoria_8807]

thank you so much. I'm reading this story in my english class and we have to break it down and this video really helped me get it

[@cuffboyz6118]

euphoria _ same-_-

[@fan562]

Thank you. That was a wonderful and thoughtful break down of the story. I am one who agrees that we must be courageous to stand up to what is wrong, despite so called "tradition". But alas, perhaps the lottery wouldn't have to be drawn, and I would be the natural selection with my opposing veiw.

[@jexracer5473]

It's scary how me and my mates where like: Imagine if this text is actually where the winner has to die, haha... And then I read it, and yeah, that's what happened. Thanks for summing it up, because the text was a bit filled up with descriptions :)

[@lisyaimalaureano6287]

You just save my life. I'm at college, 2nd year, my professor give me a homework about this and you just help me a lot to understand the real meaning of the story. Greetings from Puerto Rico.

[@davidb1975a]

Thank you for posting this explanation. I remember watching the short film. I forget what grade I was in just remember that it was back in the 80s. I think it was either in Social Studies or English. A lot of good discussions can be held after watching it.

[@renzocheesman862]

Wow this is the best analysis that I found on the internet. Thank you so much it was all so clear!

[@TheSushigirl09]

I probably commented on this before, but it's okay to give kudos to you again! Thank you for posting this. It's helped my remedial reading students to better understand that stories have more than one theme. :) You rock, Six Minute Scholar!

[@gachuhichege6390]

I just wanted to let you know that i appreciate you so much, i have seen 2 different explanations from 2 different people and i just had to subscribe to this channel. You've helped me so much and i will definitely let my friends know about it. Thanks again. Keep shining on!!

[@soniaortega5646]

Hearing your explanation made it much clearer as opposed to just reading about it. Thank you!

[@pukkapeanut4972]

Thank you Ms. Barcarcel! You have been of great help with your analysis on these short stories. You have really been helping me in my literature class!

[@aliris19]

Wonderful, thank you! This story has long been part of what consitutes my own personal lexicon of morality. You manage to parse apart a lot of that so nicely; it is very helpful.

[@garyhughes1664]

What a wonderful analysis of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery. I found it really insightful. Not only have you covered the text and themes of the story really well, bringing its features (many I’d never even thought of before), but also provide ideas of where to go next to take one’s analysis even further. Glad I came across this video and your channel. It really is an education watching and listening to you. Thx for sharing.

[@keithmeir6096]

I am writing an analysis of Jackson's "The Lottery" through a new historicism lens and your video was a solid start to my research. Especially the leads you gave me about what Americans may have been feeling after WW2. Thank you.

[@blueberrymaster]

Ohh this is very helpful. I'm studying the prose in my university in Thailand. I have to interpret and analyze it. This video helps me to understand better and know its theme " people should not go with tradition without thinking". Thank you =)

[@SixMinuteScholar]

I am so glad this helped you! You have grasped the message well. You're welcome!

[@mohammadtauseef7409]

Today, I read the story for the first time. And what a wonderful commentary on the story! Beautifully explained. I especially liked the tidbit about Shirley Jackson's life when she had to endure life in a small town. I think that's useful to understand the background of the story.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Mohammad Tauseef Glad you enjoyed the video! Nice to meet you.

[@Caandice83]

Thank you so much. It was really helpful. I’m a French girl studying English at university and we are studying this novel in class. I have a test next week, and thanks to you, I hope I will have a great mark! You saved my life!

[@ambermerrick3279]

Great, comprehensible analysis for "The Lottery"!

[@AndrewBourne]

Thank you for this video

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Andrew Bourne You are very welcome!

[@brookeg9003]

You provided a wonderful analysis!

[@kankanitwichiantanon3802]

I really love how you speaking to us really clear and in the way that is really really cute! Thanks so much. This helps me a lot with my class

[@chapplekilgore434]

I am grateful for your videos. I am a older nontraditional student that has ran into many challenges. Thank you for all your insights.

[@marioalvarez2893]

I appreciate all of your videos. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

[@rararaka2348]

I wish you were my English teacher. My teacher just made us read it and didn’t even tell us what was going on.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

I am glad I could help!

[@chrislee4322]

Its human nature to " go along" with such acts, it even makes you feel important when your the one helping and organizing such an event but what a lot of people don't have within themselves is empathy. Its easy to stone someone and watch them die, and its even a little fun. But when your on the other side of that fence its a different story.

[@candicemarie1189]

but their not just "going along" this is part of their lives, its considered normal for them, notice how int he beginning she was laughing with her husband to go on up there? its a form of population control to be able to feed everyone.

[@reasondroid5544]

When I found this story last year it was gold to me. Weird that about 10 years ago, when I was in school and to some extent college, I would most likely not give a crap about it and just skim through it for the sake of passing an exam.

[@MannaMusicOfficial]

Spot on analysis. I always thought this story was an amazing poke at tradition and social construction and the dangers that come along with it and following the crowd.

[@treyjenkins3024]

Thanks for all the videos. It really helps me out in college! I hope you keep uploading more!

[@ConstantCompanion]

Interesting! I saw that film in the early 70s, in junior high. It left me stunned. Quite a surprise ending. But I had a thought back then. Everyone participates in the lottery. Everyone is guilty of murdering another. Every year another is selected who is also guilty. They participated in the murder of their townspeople many years over. They're Not Innocent. But the thing is, none of them are. They're all guilty of murder and they all run the potential of being the one who is sacrificed in any given year. I wondered if maybe that wasn't what drove the lottery. They didn't stop it because they knew they were all guilty. That they had to take their turn, take their chance at paying for the crime every year. I wonder if that's not where the idea of sacrifice comes from to begin with. Jesus was sacrificed on a cross. They said that he was to pay the ultimate price. Because he was innocent. I really wondered if that wasn't what drove the lottery and the fear of missing it, and losing the crops from not paying.

[@moimeme6533]

could be but then again in the story the neighboring towns evolved beyond having a lottery altogether.

[@lf4434]

Wow, good take!

[@scottfreedman8801]

But that would make Tessie a Christ figure, and she is clearly not that. She’s kind of the opposite.

[@ConstantCompanion]

@scottfreedman8801 I was thinking more like..Tess isn't innocent. None of them are. It's just her turn. If you wanted to get philosophical about it, I would say, Sooner or later, your sins will find you.

[@johnniebeach3132]

Thank you so much for your analysis on several short stories I've had to read in my Eng Comp II class. I'm having to write a first person account of the tale seen through the eyes of any character in the story. Your insight has been a huge help!

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Johnnie Beach Interesting assignment! Hope it turned out!

[@morganmiller2004]

you do not understand how much this video helped

[@bilggesu]

What a beautiful and though-provoking analysis! Thank you so much. I was perplexed the half way through the video that you could summarise and analyse the story(which was hard to wrap my mind around initially) in such a short time... I was not expecting to get the gist of the story that fast. I am writing a paper for my literature class and this video of yours helps me a great deal. ❤

[@learninglanguagearts]

Great breakdown! It makes me want to dive back into literary theory! 👍💖👍

[@nothinghere1211]

When i saw the short story i was not sure what was going on so you did a really good job explaining it to people who don't understand the story.

[@jaimerobrigado9551]

Thank you very much for a very straight forward explanation of this story. I really appreciated the effort.

[@elisethemagicdragon6304]

Reminded me of the Handmaid's Tale. Thank you for the interpretation of this story!

[@SixMinuteScholar]

elisethemagicdragon Yes, I see the connection. You're so welcome!

[@TheRedCyndaquil]

Just read this last night and wanted to get an idea of the cultural significance this story has and why it's so famous. Wanted to say thanks from 10 years in the future 🙏

[@JP1970]

Wonderful job in your analysis of numerous pieces of literature. Thank you!

[@charlesstratford1612]

That was a great explanation and interpretation of the story. You would make a great dinner conversationist absolutely.

[@tedanscomics5908]

This explains the story so much, you did a great job with this explanation, thank you!

[@missjlg]

I have enjoyed your videos. They have helped a lot for my Lit class. Thank you!

[@rodmarquez4919]

Brilliant review. Thank you. Just saw the film Shirley and highly recommended.

[@rebeccabell311]

I have watched a few of you're videos on different short stories and they are always so helpful! Thank you so much for your knowledge!

[@SixMinuteScholar]

Rebecca Bell Thanks!You made my day. :-)

[@maschicken5450]

Thank you! I didn't notice the "Good Corn" example before and you made it clear! Thanks again.

[@hajerbashari6223]

you are the best ..thank YOU form my deep heart core..in my journey of English literature you helped me so much...♥️

[@magicalmew5209]

Thanks for this!I had a literature assignment and this helped so much!

[@Zteach]

Excellent analysis. You are very good. I enjoy your explanations. A+++

[@buinicoletram9145]

You are such a lifesaver. Thanks Rebecca!

[@buinicoletram9145]

You are such a lifesaver. Thanks Rebecca! ❤️

[@silviaetna9874]

This short amazing , stunning story is so poignant fir the times we are living now. If we think the video was filmed many years ago and the story was written much earlier than that. We were told we had to shut our businesses, we had to keep our kids at home in front of a screen instead of going to school and finally we were told to get an experimental spear for the good of the collective! They think they must go through this ceremony everyyear for the good of the town… we. Were told to participate in a lottery just the same…

[@magicknight13]

I never knew the post WWII meanings behind this story. Very engaging and insightful analysis!

[@Luis-us4xh]

Posted 8 years ago and now i’m using every single word for my college essay🙏🏼

[@charlie_idrovo9455]

Real asf 😂

[@Flzflz34]

You are great! Thank you for helping me to understand the theme of this story!!!

[@juliesultanova6212]

Speaking of small towns, it feels like they appear a lot in her short stories, at least. And there's always this eerie feeling about the folks. The feeling that something cruel is behind their smiles and fake polite chatter.

[@urmom-xv1yj]

oh my god this was the best explanation ever, im not rlly good at understanding the plot of stories and thank you for helping me understand it better 😭

[@DarrellWeavercom]

I just had my 12th grade English class read the Lottery & it brought back the feelings I had when I read it back in the 19th century when I was in high school! We discussed how if the story's timeframe was set back during the time of the Aztecs my students wouldn't have been as emotionally effected by it. I asked my students how their reaction would be if we had a lottery in the small town we live in and they had to stone a relative or friend.

[@littleamy09]

THANKS a lot ma'am for sharing this great video to us about the story THE LOTTERY by Shirley Jackson, this really helps me to understand more the story. *THUMBS UP*

[@liam4706]

I appriciate this. I have to write a whole essay about the lottery and this video really helped me understand this story.

[@MegaVic86]

Hi Rebecca, Just wanted to say that with your videos I'am able to understand more into dept some significance's or symbols in some of the short stories. I appreciate the time you take in explaining the stories. I would really want to hear what you have to say in regards to the story Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Thanks and Keep them coming!

[@xjadt_]

This video was so helpful for my Literary Essay! Also the comments!! Thank you.

[@sana8362]

I am taking this short story in Eng 12 now and without this video I would not have been able to figure out the theme than k you

[@SixMinuteScholar]

sana You're welcome! Good luck with your class!

[@maiaslife1886]

I literally could not understand this story until this video. Thank you so much

[@angielizetramos2029]

You’re my new English teacher now omg this is so good. Now I understand the story now I need to figure out the differences between the story and the short film help me

[@Palak-ei2kx]

A 16 year-old teen from India here who likes to read sometimes, read this story minutes ago and wanted some perspective on this more precisely an interpretation of sorts. And well this video made 10 ten years ago came to rescue.

[@abbygreen5874]

Thank you I had no idea what was happening now I can pass my class god bless you

[@luish231]

This was amazing! I didn't understand anything until I saw this. Thanks so much

[@studentaccount6446]

Rebecca, you made an excellent analysis. I liked the reflection about democracy doesn't being a synonym of well if there are no values. Shirley implemented many symbols in this story.

[@rosieo.4212]

thank you so much for explaining this!! this helped me so much!! i have a big test over this and now i understand it!! thank you again!!

[@thefiftyshadesofliberty3530]

Thanks it gave me a sense of idea and background info that could help me form a mature thesis theses.

[@eric6593]

I appreciate you explaining it. I remember watching this in school and for some reason I thought it was to control the population in the town because of their resources, thank you for breaking it down.

[@alexanderpatrick4866]

That's a good analogy I never heard that.

[@GrimReaper605]

the perfect push i needed to get a good idea for a paper excellent! thanks a ton!!!

[@noelsebastiancaliso1096]

thank you very much for this, I'm going to report about this today very helpful keep up the good work

[@meym3602]

Great points! Thank you for letting me understand the story..

[@Soulah]

My entire mood reacting to old man Warner was just, Ok Boomer.

[@brookejansen6498]

Just read this story after seeing the similarities between this story and Vault 11 from Fallout New Vegas. You are amazing!

[@thfloreth]

Ms. Jackson addresses her inspiration for "The Lottery" in her essay "Biography of a Story," which appears in her Library of America ed. N.B., it is not, for some reason, a complete works, but it does contain the bulk of her short stories, *Hill House,* and *We Have Always Lived in the Castle.* If the ommissions make it less than ideal, it is still the best collection of one of the three scariest American authors (Jackson being level pegging with Poe and Lovecraft, in my humble).

[@sadestyles9617]

Very wise, this explained so much! Thank you

[@karenallen5736]

Very nice analysis. Thank you!!

[@divyadubey2959]

You are amazing teacher..I love to listen youu

[@parkerlewismedia]

I understand the way Shirley Jackson felt about small towns

[@safiaa1902]

This was a very helpful video, it helped me with my homework, thank you

[@vinceA3748]

Great video. Thank you. I saw this years ago when I was in school. Elementary school, if memory serves. I didn't fully appreciate it until later in life.

[@like2view]

I guess we are only elements of our own memory. When I saw/then read Hunger Games.. this correlation was the most obvious for me. I feel your analysis, while wide reaching is thought provoking and likely what the author intended. Like many creations they do take on lives of their own Wish I could take one of your courses

[@crk123ful]

Thank you for explaining and giving many perspectives of the background of time i.e. post WWII.

[@SixMinuteScholar]

You're welcome!

[@jodie82]

I find your videos invaluable. Thank you

[@Cferg]

Thank you for helping me understand this story

[@SixMinuteScholar]

You're welcome!

[@jdn94]

This is one of my favorite stories of all time. I've read it like kabillion times and I love whenever people talk about it.

[@eleven57icare]

Interesting analysis.. I didn't see the 1969 short film until my freshman year in college, and it was in English class, but as with the other comments, I have to ask: why is this necessarily an English class type film? I never understood the point, and I thought that the reference to the harvest was symbolical rather than literally superstitious, I mean, did we really think it would influence the corn? No, my take on it was that this was this little town's way of keeping the population number in check.. now as for Tessie's reaction, I imagine this exact reaction was a common occurrence every year by one of the community, and hers was no different than any others.. But it was a freaky film the first time I saw it, and today, I enjoy the production campiness of it..