Solve this RIDDLE!!

A boy is hurt in a bicycle accident. The ambulance driver rushes the boy to a hospital

and calls the child’s father, Dr. Smith. Dr. Smith meets the ambulance at the emergency room and becomes hysterical when he sees

his injured son. In the operating room, where the boy is taken for surgery, Dr. Smith gazes into the boy’s face, then says, “I’m glad this is

not my son.” What’s going on??

What makes a good mystery?

5 Characteristics of a Good Story:

• Characters – universal and unique• Plot – Interesting, page-turner• Theme – statement of meaning• Spectacle – something happening (in a mystery,

usually the murder)• Language – words that are used are compelling

Characterization

Major characters– Protagonist– Antagonist– Foil

Minor characters

Usually flat or two-dimensional, STATIC

Plot

• Exposition – the introductory material that tells the setting, characters; sets mood and tone

• Inciting Force -- the event or character that triggers the conflict

• Conflict -- the essence of fiction; creates plot. There are 4 kinds.

• Rising Action -- events that build from the conflict; begins with inciting force and ends

with climax

• Climax -- is result of a crisis; it is the high point of story for reader, the main character gets

information from which he/she has to make a crucial decision

• Falling Action -- the events after the climax which close the story

• Resolution (Denouement) – the ending, concludes the action

Point of View

• First Person -- the narrator is a character in the story who can reveal only his/her

thoughts and feelings. He can’t tell us the thoughts of other characters.

• Third-person Objective -- Narrator is an outsider who reports only what

he/she sees or hears. He can’t tell us the thoughts of other characters.

• Third-person Limited -- Narrator is an outsider who sees into the mind of

one of the characters.

• Omniscient -- Narrator is an all-knowing narrator who can enter the minds of more than

one of the characters.

Theme

• The main idea or underlying meaning of a literary work.– are expressed and emphasized by the way

the author makes us feel.– are presented in thoughts and conversations.– are suggested through the characters.– the actions or events are used to suggest

themes.

Spectacle

• The physical action of a story – usually the murder in a mystery. – For example, a sword fight, a major

confrontation, a court-room scene, etc.

Language

• Imagery – Language that appeals to the senses. Descriptions of people or objects stated in

terms of the senses. “The bruise on her arm was purple and blue, and warm to the touch.

• Figurative Language– Simile: “The moon hung like a light bulb in the sky.”

– Metaphor: “Students are sailors on a journey.”

– Alliteration: “Mike’s mean mother meant well.”

– Personification: “Your homework will rise up and bite you if you put it off.”

– Onomatopoeia: “moo, quack, bleet, baa-baa”

– Hyperbole: “I’ve told you a billion times to clean your room!”

Tone/Mood/Symbolism

• Tone – The author’s attitude, stated or implied, toward a subject. Some possible attitudes are

pessimism, optimism, earnestness, seriousness, bitterness, humorous, and joyful.

• Mood – the climate of feeling in a literary work. The choice of setting, objects, details, images, and

words all contribute towards creating a specific mood. For example, an author may create a mood of mystery

around a character or setting but may treat that character or setting in an ironic, serious, or humorous tone.

• Symbolism -- a person, place, or thing that has a meaning in itself but suggests other

meanings that relate to work’s theme