Out of the two characters who has more control over their fate?

Question

Out of the stories "King of the Bingo Game" by Ralph Ellison and "The Lottery" by Sihirley Jackson. Pick a character from each story and describe which one has more control over their fate. Support your answer with evidence from the text!

Answer 1

Hi Valeria,

Questions like these can seem challenging at first because I think the instinct is to look for the "right" answer. But really, you can pick any character you like as long as you are able to support your answer with sufficient evidence from the text, and by evidence, this means direct quotes and examples. You will need to use direct references to the text (often quotes verbatim work best, though not too long in length) to support why you've chosen the character you have.

As you consider the aspect of "control over one's fate," you might think about any evidence of power the character has, any advantages the character has that are revealed to you as the reader, and the options the character has available to them.

This is just a suggestion, but when I think about control over one's fate, I think about the ways in which a character is able to live comfortably, according to their own choices and not someone else's.