The Lottery

The children assembled
Close Read: this word adds a feeling of seriousness and somber feeling, it lets us know this is not a normal gathering of children, makes us want to read more first, of course. School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of them; they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play. and their talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands. Bobby Martin had already stuffed his pockets full of stones, and the other boys soon followed his example, selecting the smoothest and roundest stones; Bobby and Harry Jones and Dickie Delacroix-- the villagers pronounced this name "Dellacroy"--eventually made a great pile of stones in one corner of the square and guarded it against the raids of the other boys.
Close Read: the word choice here brings back the pattern from the beginning going back between the serious language and more normal childish language and actions The girls stood aside, talking among themselves, looking over their shoulders at rolled in the dust or clung to the hands of their older brothers or sisters.

Soon the men began to gather. surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes.
Restory: texting about phone bills, traffic and global warming They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed. The women, wearing faded house dresses and sweaters,
Restory: rocking faded high waisted mom jeans and rainbow tie die tank tops came shortly after their menfolk. They greeted one another and exchanged bits of gossip as they went to join their husbands. Soon the women, standing by their husbands, began to call to their children, and the children came reluctantly, having to be called four or five times. Bobby Martin ducked under his mother's grasping hand and ran, laughing, back to the pile of stones.
Question: why are the children happy and childish again all of a sudden? His father spoke up sharply, and Bobby came quickly and took his place between his father and his oldest brother.

The lottery was conducted--as were the square dances, the teen club, the Halloween program--by Mr. Summers
Expansion: with his rose tinted wire rimmed glasses and vest to try to distract from his balding head. who had time and energy to devote to civic activities. He was a round-faced, jovial man and he ran the coal business, and people were sorry for him. because he had no children and his wife was a scold.
Restory: a consistently scowling man whose wife ran a coal buisness. Everyone felt sorry for her because he was grumpy and lazy. When he arrived in the square, carrying the black wooden
Replace: metalbox, there was a murmur of conversation among the villagers, and he waved and called. "Little late today, folks." The postmaster, Mr. Graves,
Restory: Ms. Cheer followed him, carrying a three- legged stool, and the stool was put in the center of the square and Mr. Summers set the black box down on it. The villagers kept their distance, leaving a space between themselves and the stool. and when Mr. Summers said, "Some of you fellows want to give me a hand?" there was a hesitation
Question: why are they hesitating? before two men. Mr. Martin and his oldest son, Baxter. came forward to hold the box steady on the stool while Mr. Summers stirred up the papers inside it.

The original paraphernalia for the lottery had been lost long ago, and the black box now resting on the stool had been put into use even before Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, was born.
Close Read: good way of saying how old the box is without saying "it was super old" Mr. Summers spoke frequently to the villagers about making a new box, but no one liked to upset even as much tradition
Close Read: shows the lack of questioning of traditions and how even when dangerous keep doing them and why it is not a valid reason to continue actions without questioning them as was represented by the black box. There was a story that the present box had been made with some pieces of the box that had preceded it, the one that had been constructed when the first people settled down to make a village here. Every year, after the lottery, Mr. Summers began talking again about a new box, but every year the subject was allowed to fade off without anything's being done. The black box grew shabbier each year: by now it was no longer completely black but splintered badly along one side to show the original wood color, and in some places faded or stained
Expansion: The fading box showed the fading tradition..