The Possibility of Evil by Shirley Jackson

Biography:

     Shirley Jackson was born on December 14, 1919 in San Francisco, California and passed away on August 8, 1965. She attended Syracuse University in 1940. The most famous short story she has written is The Lottery. Many of Shirley Jackson's short stories are about small American towns and the ends usually have a shocking twist.

Symbol:

I chose this picture because it reminds me of Miss Strangeworth's rose garden. I think the garden represents her need to be perfect. I think that Miss Strangeworth thinks of her roses like they bring peace and so her roses are her good in her world and once they are gone that has brought evil in to her world. These roses represent that because they are in very good condition and that is how Miss Strangeworth kept her flowers.

1. What is Miss Strangeworth trying to accomplish by sending out her letters? Does she succeed?
   
        She is trying to get rid of as much evil as possible in this small town as she can. She succeeds until someone finds out she is the one sending the anonymous letters out.
   
   
2. How would you describe the story's atmosphere at the beginning? How does this atmosphere help to emphasize the ending.
   
        I would describe the atmosphere as a perfect little town. Everything is in order, everyone is at piece and nothing could ruin Miss Strangeworth's very structured life. The atmosphere helps emphasize the ending because you think that the town is perfect and nothing big will ever happen to poor Miss Strangeworth until someone ruins something most prized to her. Her roses, which makes this a big deal because nothing ever seems to happen in this small town.
   
   
3. Why don't people ignore the letters they receive? If you received one of Miss Strangeworth's letters what would you do?
   
        I think people do not ignore the letters because it is natural for people to be interested in mysteries. I think all people are trying always to seek out the truth, and Miss Strangeworth's letters give them an opportunity to do so. If I received one of Miss Strangeworths letters I would be curious to who sent it and also it depends weather or not I am interested in the matter of what was written for me to investigate the subject.
   
   
4. Consider both Miss Strangeworth's anxiety about evil and the final crime in the story. Do you think human beings will ever create a society that is crime free?
   
        I do not think the human race will ever create a society that is crime free unless something in the human races minds are altered because no matter how hard people try to make peace there are always going to be the people who have a different perspective and voice there opinions.

Critical Thinking:

1. Why do you think the author wrote the text?
   I think the author wrote the text because he wanted to show that even though you try your hardest to shut out evil but also fix it, evil will eventually find you.

2. What does the author want you to think?
   The author wants us to think that there is a lot of evil in the world that come in different forms but we should always try and be aware of it. 
3.  Do you belong to any of the groups in the text?  
   Yes I am like the man who ruined Miss Strangeworth's flowers because if i found out someone was trying to meddle in my life or accuse me of something i didn't do i would get angry. I don't think I would express my anger like he did though.                                                                             

4. Does the story remind you of a real-life event (your own or others)?
   This story reminds me of when I was younger my parents owned a property in Fort Langley and one day when we went to check up on it we went in to the shop outside and someone had vandalized the place. There was graffito on the wall, spiderwebs were burned and the dry wall was kicked in. This relates to the story because some had vandalized Miss Strangeworth's garden.

v) Does the story remind you of another book or movie on a similar topic?

           Yes it reminds me of of a show I used to watch called C.S.I and in this one episode a women was afraid of the outside world. She couldn't leave her house because she was afraid of the evil in the world, but when she gets caught up in witnessing a murder she knows she has to go to the police. The only trouble was that she was scared to leave her house. 

6. How does the story help you think about social issues and social justice?
   It helps me think of vandalism because people these days just go around vandalizing what ever they want and it has became a social issue.

7. What action might you take from what you have learned?
   The action I will take is I will think about what I am about to do before I do it.

viii) What big question has this text left you with?
Have I done things that I regret?