Carver

"In this manner, the issue was decided." 

Honestly, I have no idea what to think about this story.  At first, I just assumed the baby literally ripped in half due to the game of tug of war going on.  Then, people at school told me that idea was silly.  I am still not firmly convinced that this is not true.  Here are some details that make me wonder:

1. The father "pulled back very hard" on the baby which is not the way a person should treat a baby.
2. In the introductory material, the text states that the short story ends with :a startling conclusion."  What is more startling than a baby ripping in half?
3. Apparently this story alludes to the Biblical story of Solomon.  In this story, God presents a solution to two woman who are fighting over which mother the child belonged to.  In this story, God tells the women to rip the baby in half; however, this does not actually occur. 

 Even though this reasoning may not be the most logical, I think it is certainly possible that the baby did not actually survive the splitting couple's battle.  That seems startling enough for me!

Moore

"That was the funny thing about beauty, thought Zoe.  Look it up in the yellow pages, and you found a hundred entries, hostile with wit, cutesy with warning.  But look up truth - ha!  There was nothing at all."  (p. 362)

Sarcasm and irony - two of my favorite things!  And I'm not being sarcastic.

In the excerpt above, Zoe describes the irony of our media-obsessed world.  Every magazine placed on the shelves at Target include tips on "beauty" - how to get skinny fast, make your face glow, or get the latest looks; however, what really defines beauty?  This sounds extremely cliche, but is anything posted in magazines actually the truth?  With the internet, magazines, newspaper, television, Twitter, and Facebook, news on so called beauty spreads quickly, but the truth about beauty is hard to find. Throughout the story, Zoe struggles with how she looks because she is constantly comparing herself to her sister.  Zoe relies on her sarcasm to keep her own mind clear of negative, depressing thoughts.  Sarcasm and irony are Zoe's ways of avoiding reality.  Zoe's discovery of this irony in the modern world helps her to focus not on her own flaws, but the flaws of society. 

O'Connor

"...but I was being attached to the party to act as a brake on Father.  As a brake I had never achieved anything, but Mother still had great faith in me."  (p. 344)

Throughout "The Drunkard," the author uses an image of brakes.  For example, in the excerpt above, Larry describes his presence at the funeral as "brakes" on his Father.  Larry states that he had never actually stopped his father from drinking before, but his mother still believed he would.  It was almost as if she knew what was going to happen.  This metaphor is ironically played out.  To prevent his father from drinking, Larry (as a young child) finds himself drunk, distracting his father from his alcohol addiction.  Larry has no intention of becoming drunk or stopping his father from drinking.  This irony adds an element of humor to the story even though alcoholism is a completely serious issue.  At the end of the story, Larry's mother credits her young child for saving her husband by protecting him from alcohol.  I thought it was humorous that she did not even care about her son getting drunk; she was only worried about his father.    

Jackson

"'Some places have already quit lotteries,' Mrs. Adams said.
 'Nothing but trouble in that,' Old Man Warner said stoutly."  (p. 268)

While reading this entire short story, I kept feeling an eerie vibe that something really bad was going to happen.  Actually, this story is extremely similar to The Hunger Games.  In both stories, a drawing is held in the town - in one, the drawing is referred to as "the lottery."  This name is extremely deceiving because I pretty much automatically assumed that a lottery would produce a negative outcome.  In The Hunger Games, a drawing is held every year to choose "tributes" from each district.  Basically, these tributes are supposed to fight to the death in order to keep the districts from rebelling against the Capital.  In both drawings, there is a traditional element and fatal outcomes.  The drawings are repeated continuously in order to keep order and enforce tradition.  In the excerpt above, Old Man Warner warns Mrs. Adams of the danger in living without these lotteries.  This is ironic because the lottery causes so much stress and chaos in every family.  This small town is so traditional that they can not even rid themselves of a horrible act.  Without change, no progression can occur.

Here is the trailer for the upcoming Hunger Games movie!!!  I am so excited :)