1) What would you call this story, and why?
If I were to rename this story from the original name, 'The lottery', I would probably change it to 'The Deadly Box'. I chose this name as the story as it keeps the reader wondering, how a box could ever be lethal. Throughout the whole story, the emotions and mood of the characters whenever the black box is mentioned is a sense so sadness, depression, and worry. As the story leads to a box, containing a piece of paper, the one with a black dot would be killed. Therefore the box leads to a deadly murder of the unlucky victim.
2) What do you think was going to happen? What clues in the text led you to believe this?
I had a sense through the ways the characters in the story reacted to the black dot that it meant death to the unlucky one who had gotten chosen. The reactions of the people makes you have a feeling that no one wants it to happen to them as it would affect their families too.
3) How do you feel when the end of the story is not given to you?
By not being able to know what happens finally at the end made me feel anxious and a feel of wondering, as if what is going to happen to the person who got the black dot? If she is killed, why? I was eager to see what was written, but after a while I had gotten used to not knowing, and was able to not find out the end, in fact until a few days later due to leaving it in my locker over the weekend.
4) How did you feel when you were handed the mystery paper? What did you think was in it? Did you follow the instructions? Why/why not?
When I was handed the paper, I had thought the story would've been too empty to have ended there, so I expected it to continue the story. I did follow the instructions however although at the start, I had been very curious.
5) How did you feel about the black box and the black spot/black paper?
Although obviously having a black dot on the back of my paper did not mean being killed, I knew that it would have meant a negative event would take place, which would have taken place, if I was not sick on the day of the playing test.
6) How did you feel when you read the end of the story? Explain.
When I finally read the end of the story, I felt a sign of relief. Not because the woman was killed, but because I was able to find out how the story continued on after. All the suspense I had within me was let loose.
7) Were your predictions correct? How did you feel about that?
Yes my prediction was correct. I expected there to be death because of the eerie sense and mood of the village whenever the black box containing the lottery was mentioned.
8) What would have helped you to make a better prediction?
If one person had mentioned in the story, what had happened to the past people who had gotten the letter with a black spot on their envelope, it would have been easier to make my prediction.
9) Why did the author leave these voids in the story?
The author probably would have left these voids in the story to give the readers a tense feel, wondering what the black box is. Maybe it isn't that bad anyways. Maybe the village is only overreacting. The author makes the reader ask questions
10) Explain the power of the void in this experience
10a) No title/Author information
Not knowing the title gives you no way of finding out or realizing what the story might be about
10b) No ending
What happens in the end? What is the end result of the black dot? Without an ending, readers wonder and keep asking questions, opening your mind to all the different possibilities and endings you could come up with.
10c) Text clues and foreshadowing throughout
The story hooks you in as the clues keep you alert, in case anything different would happen.
10d) Mystery Paper
What might the mystery paper contain? It makes you wonder why the story ended so oddly, and if the mystery paper would contain something linking to the story.
10e) Delayed ending
Keeps you wondering about the story, feeling a sense of worry, wondering why we cannot just look at the paper on the spot there and find out what happens.
10f) anything else that created tension and conflict for you
Why we would suddenly go out from the band rooms, into the humanities room during Band class. Also having the black box in the middle of the table, wondering what may be in there.
