In the short stories “The Lottery” and “The Intrupers”, the authors Shirley Jackson and Saki (respectively) use rhythm, text structure and moods strong to create suspense. Through the use of the literary elements mentioned above, the reader is surprised at the end of both stories. The authors may not have used literary elements in quite the same way, but they have the same effect on each story: to provoke anticipation in the reader. Through the use of rhythm, authors are able to develop their stories and build suspense, as the surprise ending of their tales approaches. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay From the very first sentence of the book “The Lottery,” Jackson sets the pace of the book for the reader by saying: “The morning of June 27 was clear and sunny, with the cool warmth of a summer day; the flowers bloomed abundantly and the grass was richly green.” Throughout the book, the author never deviates from the painfully slow pace, creating anxiety within the mind. reader to understand what the lottery is and why it is important. While Shirley Jackson creates suspense by keeping a slow pace, Saki creates suspense and tension by increasing the pace of the book as the action occurs, although the author's use of pacing creates tension. tension. and suspense, the author's text structure also creates suspense. The authors of "The Lottery" and "The Intruder" also use text structure to construct their stories through character development, both authors show how the characters' lives affect what happens. arrived. For example. In “The Intruders” the structure of the text develops the characters by showing that there was a lasting rivalry between the Gadwitz and Znaeym families, it also creates tension because it shows that the rivalry lasted a very long time. This is shown in the second paragraph when Saki writes: “A famous trial, in his grandfather's time, had rescued him from the illegal possession of the neighboring family of small landowners; the dispossessed party had never acquiesced in the judgment of the courts, and a long series of poaching fights and similar scandals had soured relations between the families. The quote indicates why the Gadwitz and Znaeym families dislike each other, which sets off a chain reaction of events that unfold in the book. While Saki uses character development, Shirley Jackson uses chronological order so the reader can get all the details of the lottery and what. It is. Jackson describes the lottery procedure without actually saying what it is when she says, "There was a lot of ado to be made before Mr. Summers declared the lottery open." There were lists to be drawn up, those of the heads of the family. heads of household in each family. members of every household in every family. Mr. Summers was duly sworn in by the Postmaster, as officer of the Lottery. By saying what happens without actually saying what happens, the reader is eager to discover the purpose of the lottery. In addition to the rhythm and structure of the text, the author uses mood to create suspense and tension. In the stories “The Lottery” and “The Intruders,” both authors use atmosphere to create suspense. In “The Lottery,” the opening sentence of the book sets the framework for the story. The opening sentence reads: “The morning of June 27 was clear and sunny, with the cool warmth of a full summer day; the flowers.