Although "The Lottery" is now a staple in English classrooms, when it was first published in The New Yorker it caused hundreds of people to cancel their subscriptions. It has been called "outrageous," "gruesome," and "utterly pointless" -- but remains a story that readers remember the rest of their lives. 

In a small New England village, residents follow a tradition of drawing slips of paper from a lottery. The "winner" is stoned to death. Horrific? Yes. Thought-provoking? Absolutely. 

The story, though, is also a terrific example of how an author uses language, setting, and description to fashion an ending full of haunting surprise. The subject itself engenders many levels of discussion: Why would a village have such a tradition? What might the lottery represent? Could such a lottery ever happen again? And why did Tessie Hutchinson finish her dishes before leaving home? 

Students should attend class having read the story and be prepared to participate in a discussion of analysis, literary techniques, and cultural applications of the tale. 

A copy of the story is available at http://fullreads.com/literature/the-lottery/.