Death

               The symbolism in “The Lottery”, by Shirley Jackson is used very well. You don’t notice most of it until the end when you realize what it symbolizes. A few examples of symbols that are in this story would be the black box, the lottery and the stones. All relate to one another but you don’t notice it until the end.

               First of all, the black box in this story symbolizes death. Reason being for this is because black shows death and evil. The box is part of the lottery which deals with death and is part of a tradition. Even though the black box just seems like a normal box that has been painted black, it has a lot of meaning to the story, similar to the stones.

                At first you think they are regular old stones that the boys are collecting in the beginning, but then you realize that they show death, as well. A reason for this is that the stones at the end are used as a torture tool to stone a person that won the lottery to a death or near death. So the lottery is a death symbol because of the things used in it.

                All in all, “The lottery”, by Shirley Jackson has many symbols that mainly relate to death. But you don’t necessarily realize this until the end and until the stoning takes place. Reason why might be because the author wants you to believe that it is a normal lottery with the winnings of money, not the loosing of life.

Feelings

Author’s Note: This essay is written for my DWA. It is about the mood and tone in the book Until the End, by Christopher Pike.

                “Michael, I love you,” Jessica said to Michael. This quote makes love a mood for the book Until the End, by Christopher Pike.  Love, guilt, and sorrow were moods or tones for this book.  Love was a mood or tone because you feel the love throughout. An example would be the love Jessica has for Michael. Another example would be when Jessica is trying to help save Polly from killing them on the boat. She tells Polly that she loves her and has always been there for her.

                Even though love was the main mood, guilt and sorrow were moods as well. The reason why guilt was one was because of the experiences that the characters had to face. An example of this would be when they are all sinking on the ship. I felt guilty for them because the “killer” was in the room with them not even knowing, also because they were most likely not going to survive. The reason why sorrow was a  mood was because you feel bad for Polly and her sister's death, as well as the other characters that had to deal with the pain of her no longer being in existence.

                Therefore the mood is love, guilt and sorrow. The tone is somewhat the same. I feel as if the author wanted the reader to feel guilty for Polly and the others. Also, I feel as if the author wanted the reader to feel the love between all of the characters and the romace that occurred thoughout the book. Even though I  think that the author wanted you to feel sorrow for the characters in some of the situations. I feel as if the author wanted the reader to feel upset about some of the actions the characters portrayed. An example of that is when you realize Polly’s seceret. You have to remember the cause of this and that is wasn’t her fault necessarily. It was the doctor's decision that caused this effect to make the ending for the book.

                Finally, the author wanted the reader to feel the characters' traits and it made you realize that you would have mixed feelings for individual characters.  Because this book has a lot of scenes, it gives the author a reason to create a signifigant amout of tones and moods for the book that make it a great story. Love, guilt, and sorrow make this an interesting book and makes the reader feel compassion for the characters.

Is It Really the End

Author’s Note: This essay is an extended ending to Until the End, by Christopher Pike. The purpose is to show what I believe will happen to the characters after what happened in the book. I will also use a few quotes from the book to help show some emotions the character has.

                It was a long ride in the car for Jessica. She was sitting next to Michael. Bubba and Nick where in the front of the truck, as Michael, Jessica, Claire, and Maria were in the back. This was going to happen; they were going to Las Vegas to get hitched, along with Maria and Nick, and Bubba and Claire. The ride was loud, it was giving Jessica a headache but she still was happy because Michael named his comet after her. “Hey, can we stop somewhere?” Jessica asked Nick who was driving.

                “Yeah, anywhere in particular?”

                “Uh no not really. Just anywhere that might have food and a restroom is fine.” She smiled then looked at Michael. Then she decided to take a little nap on his lap until they got there.

                About an hour later they stopped at a Wal-Mart in the lower part of Nevada. Michael helped Jessica get out of the car, along with Maria and Claire.

                “Michael, can you come with me to call Polly to make sure she is going to the mental hospital soon?”

                “Of course I can. Did your parents say it was okay for her to stay at your house until she goes to college?”

                “Yeah, they are fine with it. They love Polly.” Jessica took out her phone and started to dial. It was ringing. Then she heard someone pick up.

                “Hello?” it was Polly.

                “Hey Polly, it’s Jessica. Are you going to the hospital yet?”

                “Yeah, we are just about to leave. Thank you for everything you have done for me. It means a lot.” Polly started to cry. Jessica had a tear running down that Michael wiped away with his sleeve.

                “Polly, remember that I will visit you every day when I get back. Love you and be safe.” They said good-bye and hung up.

                Michael and Jessica went inside Wal-Mart and got a snack for the ride.  “Only a few more hours until we reach Las Vegas” Michael said smiling at Jessica.

                “Good, I am sick of being in that car all scrunched up” Jessica giggled then looked at her phone to see what time it was. It was 9:32 and they would make Las Vegas hopefully before midnight.

                As they came to the giant sign that read ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ Jessica remembered she had said to Michel before while they were walking along the beach “Maybe I should marry you”. She kept rethinking what she said. Jessica wasn’t joking about it, but she wondered if Michael had thought she was. But sooner or later she would find out.

                When they all got out of the car and got their luggage, they walked into the hotel/casino. All amazed at the décor the place had. Colors were everywhere, lights glowing, people dancing, and the sound of people winning or losing their money.  We all checked into our rooms and the rest was history from there on. I was Jessica Olson now.

The Last One

I've lived longer than the rest of them; I am the only one left. Still waiting for some more to come and give me company. Yet I look so beautiful all alone, sometimes I am happy all of the flowers are all gone so I look original and no other flower can make me look just like them. I really don’t mind being the last flower living in the flowerbed, yet sometimes I wish there was another. But not the same type of flower as me, a different one so we have uniqueness to the garden. Someday, someday I just hope I will have another flower stand up next to me.

Oh look now, the gardener has brought a few flowers. Luckily none of them look like

me. I am a sunflower. The other ones are daisies. This means I will stand taller than the rest and be unique, unlike the short daisies. There is just one thing that I am scared of, being clipped and dying just like the rest of them. Or not getting enough water to survive. I just hope that doesn’t happen to me. I want to live longer; I want to be admired by the people who walk past the garden. That is all a flower really ever asks for. People just don’t understand the role a flower plays. We want to be admired by everyone. Yes we understand cutting us and giving us to someone makes them happy, but it doesn’t make us happy. Well it does, just it hurts and we become dead after a while of not being in the ground.

Furthermore, I am just happy to have not been cut off of my stem. I would like to give more and more people the enjoyment of looking at me and admiring my height and beauty. Oh look, some children are coming. And there goes one of the daisies. Poor daisy, it was only buried in the ground for such a short amount of time. But that is how it does. And soon, I might end up being the single flower in the garden again.