Story Elements

STORY E

LEMENTS

E N G L I SH I

SHORT STORY• A work of fiction that usually can be read in

one sitting. • Has one main conflict, a few characters, and

limited detail.• Largely a product of the writer’s imagination

with made-up characters and events. However, the characters, events, and places in a short story often reflect the real world.

READING A SHORT STORY• Question• Predict & Infer

• Use what information you have to draw conclusions and to assess what could happen next.

• Clarify• Pay close attention to detail and analyze how a writer

develops each element and technique used.• Summarize• Pull It Together

• Determine the central point or insight of the story. What did it mean to you? React to it. Did you like it? Why or Why not? Key to understanding the story is with your feelings.

STORY ELEMENTS• Plot: the plan of action, the arrangement of

events in a story. Plot comes from a….• Conflict: struggle between opposing forces.• Character: the people or animals who take part

in the action• Point of View: the angle or perspective from

which a story is told• Setting: where and when the action takes place• Theme: the message of the story. An insight into

life revealed by the story. Theme is conveyed through the characters, setting, and plot.

PLOT• A series of connected, related events. Framework of a

story.• Like links in a chain• “Hooks” our curiosity• Read to find out “what happens next”— creates suspense• Based on conflict

• Things to keep in mind:• Picture the action that is unfolding.• Be aware of the order in which events take place.• Identify the conflict and note details that move the plot forward.• Think about the structure of the plot, the way that the events fit together to make an interesting story.

PLOT CHART/FREYTAG’S PYRAMID


EXPOSITION• Introductory material• Creates the tone of the story• Sets the scene• Introduces and identifies characters• Establishes the situation at the

beginning of the story

Example: The Lion King http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwSKkKrUzUk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwSKkKrUzUk

EXPOSITION• In The Lion King, what do we learn from

the exposition?Setting: African plains, Pride Rock, many animals

All animals show loyalty to lions and come together for birth of new lion

Mufasa well-respected, Rafiki is his advisor

“Circle of Life” – order and balance


RISING ACTION• Events that introduce central conflict(s)• We begin to learn more about the

characters and their struggles.• What it isn’t: The big conflict itself or

the background information. The rising action can last for a while as we

build up to a pivotal conflict.

RISING ACTION• In The Lion King, what are some of the

events of the rising action?Mufasa dies, Scar takes over,Simba leaves his kingdom,He meets some animal friends,And eventually decides to return.


CLIMAX• The point of greatest interest or highest

excitement• The turning point• This moment determines all remaining

events of the story

CLIMAX• In The Lion King, what is the climax?

Fight between Simba and Scar


FALLING ACTION• Events which lead to the resolution of

the conflict• Tying up of loose ends

Can last for a while until we see a definite resolution to the story.

• A shift from how things were before the climax and how things have become after.

FALLING ACTION• In The Lion King, what are some of the

events of the falling action?Hyenas abandon Scar Begins to rain, literally and figuratively cleansing the kingdom


RESOLUTION/DENOUEMENT• Literally the “un-knotting”• The end of the story• The solving of the conflict

We get an idea about what it’s going to be like after the story ends.

CHANGE marks the resolution.

RESOLUTION/DENOUEMENT• In The Lion King, what is the resolution?

Simba and Nala have a cubHope for the futureFinal CHANGE from the rule of the evil Scar

QUICK CHECKComplete the Freytag model using scenes

of The Tortoise and the Hare with your partner.

Answer Key: 8, 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 2, 5

PLOT TECHNIQUESNon-Linear Plot: Events are NOT revealed in the

order that they occurred.Flashback: a scene within the story that interrupts the sequence of events to reveal something that happened at an earlier time

Foreshadowing: hints or clues early on that suggest things that will happen later in the story

What purpose might an author have to incorporate a non-linear plot element?

Create mystery, tension, or surprise

QUICK CHECK: AESOP’S FABLESOne fine summer day, Grasshopper was hopping about in

the field. As he chirped and danced, he spied Ant carrying a big kernel of corn to his nest. Grasshopper watched as Ant came back, lifted another kernel, then carried it to the nest as well. This happened repeatedly. Finally, Grasshopper asked, "Ant, why do you work so hard on such a lovely day?"

"Soon it will be winter," replied Ant. "I'm gathering food for my family. I suggest you do the same!"

"Why bother about winter?" asked Grasshopper. "There's plenty of food in the fields now!"

Ant remembered last winter and how deep snow had covered everything. There had been no way to get out of his anthill, let alone try to find food! Now, an even worse winter was predicted. "You'll feel differently when the big snow comes!" said Ant, as he shook his head and walked away.

When winter came, Grasshopper had no food. The fields were covered with deep snow. Grasshopper was very hungry and sad, knowing that Ant had food enough because he had worked hard to prepare in advance.

QUICK CHECK: AESOP’S FABLES1.What is the flashback that the author

uses in this story? “Ant remembered last winter and how deep snow had covered everything. There had been no way to get out of his anthill, let alone try to find food! Now, an even worse winter was predicted.”

2.What was the author’s purpose in using the flashback with this specific character?The author’s purpose was to prove that the Ant was proactive in preparing for the winter because of what he experienced in the past.

3.What is foreshadowed in this story? Give the specific text where the author uses foreshadowing. "Soon it will be winter," replied Ant. "I'm gathering food for my family. I suggest you do the same!“"You'll feel differently when the big snow comes!" said Ant, as he shook his head and walked away.

SETTINGThe setting is the 1. TIME and 2. PLACE of

a work of literature.

Things to keep in mind for TIME: season; year in history; (past, present, or future)

Things to keep in mind for PLACE: social, political, economic issues of the setting; how the environment affects the characters

Setting can be specific or broad.

SETTING• Functions of a setting:

Helps create the mood of a story Tells us about the context of the story. Can trigger an action or cause conflict

• Try to picture the setting when you read.•Notice how it influences the plot or the characters. Think about the mood that it creates. Assess the importance of setting by deciding whether the same story could happen in any other time or place.

QUICK CHECK1.How would Harry Potter be different if they

only lived in the Muggle world?2.How would a story of our classroom go if we

were on a beach?3.How would your favorite MTV show be

different if it took place 50 years ago? 500 years ago?

4.How would the books you read in school be different if they were set in the future?

See how setting impacts the story?

THE MOST D

ANGEROUS

GAME

I NT R O

“The Most Dangerous Game” Pre-Reading – English I HonorsDirections: a) Decide if you agree or disagree

with each statement. b) Write a response paragraph (5-7 complete sentences) for each that explains your opinion and connects the statements to your own life.

1. Those who perform well under pressure tend to succeed.

2. A person’s character is revealed during intense competition.

3. The first impression you have of someone is always correct.

THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME• Author: Richard Connell (1893 – 1949)

•Sports reporter at age ten!•By sixteen, he was editing his father’s newspaper in New York•Harvard University editor•Enlisted WWI – editor division newspaper•After the war – fiction, movie screenplays•1924—The Most Dangerous Game (movie in 1932)•Received two Academy Award nominations for his work.

THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME• Setting: Ship-Trap island• Characters: Whitney, Rainsford, General

Zaroff, Ivan• Rainsford—main character. Celebrated

hunter• Culture of big game hunting

•practiced by all cultures, more so than farming•Humankind’s occupation for more than half a million years• Traits required – cooperation, organization, aggression•Hunting large wild animals – ultimate test of skill•Now a subject of controversy (endangered species)

THE MOST DANGEROUS GAMETopics - • Hunters vs. the hunted

Role reversal• Murder vs. hunting

Is there a difference?• Humanity

Are human beings really civilized?• Suspense

• Defined as curiosity, uncertainty, anxiety about the outcome of events• Place characters in tense, risky or unpredictable situations• Provide hints, keep reader guessing

THEMETheme: Life lesson, meaning, moral, or

message about life or human nature that is communicated by a literary work. In other words…Theme is what the story

teaches readers.A theme is not a word, it is a sentence.

You don’t have to agree with the theme to identify it.

Examples: Money can’t buy happiness. Don’t judge people based on the surface. It is better to die free than live under tyranny.

THEMEThemes are not explicit (clearly stated).

Themes are implied.Themes are bigger than the story.

Not “love.” Not “revenge.” Think BIGGER. Find “Real” World advice.

“Love can sometimes be hard.” “Revenge creates more problems than solutions.”

Big World of the Theme.Applies to the “Real” World.

SmallWorldof theStory

THEMETo be a true theme, the truth or comment

must apply to people or to life in general, not just the characters in the book.

For example, “In Beauty and the Beast, Belle learns that true beauty comes from within,” only applies to the story.

Instead, express the theme like this: “In Beauty and the Beast, we learn through Belle and the beast that true beauty comes from within.”

THEMEDifference between theme and subject:• Subject: what a work is about. It can usually

be expressed in one word. For example, “Love” is a subject of Romeo and Juliet.

• Theme: What does the work say about the subject? It should be a complete sentence or statement. For example, “In Romeo and Juliet, we learn that teen romance can be a stronger force than family ties.”

THEMEMultiple themes are possible for any

literary work, BUT they must be supported by textual evidence.

In order for a theme to be justified, there must be specific, concrete evidence from the text. For example, if your potential theme statement is that “Poverty creates tough, self-reliant people,” then the book should contain examples of poor characters who develop toughness and self- reliance.

THEMEFinding the theme:

What is the subject?What does the book say, or teach us, about the subject?

How does the work communicate the theme? In other words, what specific details, characters, actions, incidents, etc, suggest the truth of the theme statement?

QUICK CHECK – What is the theme? In his sophomore year of high school, Michael

Jordan tried out for the varsity basketball team at Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. But at five feet and eleven inches tall, the coach believed that Jordan was too short to play at that level, so Jordan was cut from the team. Jordan didn’t let this obstacle defeat him. In fact, it pushed him to work even harder. He trained vigorously and grew another four inches the following summer. When he finally made the varsity squad, Jordan averaged 25 points a game and went on to become one of the greatest basketball players in history.

POINT OF VIEW• Who is telling the story?• Narrator: a story’s voice• The writer’s choice of narrator determines

the story’s point of view, which directs the type and amount of information revealed. Who would be the narrator of the story of

your life? Who would be the narrator of WWII? Who would be the narrator of the history of

mankind?

POINT OF VIEW

First-Person I, me, my, mine, we, us, ours,

Second-Person

you, your

Third-Person he, she, her, they, them(also character's names)

• To determine POV, you must consider the pronoun case of your narrator.

POINT OF VIEW• First Person

•One of the characters in a story•We can only know what this person sees and hears about events and about other characters (which can create bias).

• Second Person Used for directions (recipes, manuals, etc)

POINT OF VIEW• Third Person Omniscient – “all knowing”

•Not a character in the story •Can tell us everything about every character (including how they think and feel)

• Third Person Limited – focus on one character•Not a character in the story•We witness the events of a story just as this one character witnesses them.

• Third Person Objective•Narrator does not reveal any character’s thoughts or feelings.•Only dialogue and actions are narrated.

POINT OF VIEWTips on Identifying:

Check 1st or 2nd-person before worrying about objective, limited, or omniscient.

Ask, “Who’s story is the narrator telling: his, mine, or someone else’s?”

Focus on narration not dialogue.

Quick Check – What is the POV? One of the most active volcanoes in Cook

Inlet is Augustine, whose symmetrical cone rises 1,254 meters above the sea. Since Captain James Cook discovered and named it in 1778, Augustine has erupted in 1812, 1883, 1935, 1963-64, 1976, and 1986. Curiously, the quiet intervals between these eruptions apparently have shortened from 70 to 10 years.

Third Person Objective

Quick Check – What is the POV? “You were lying inside the hut,” my father told me. “A

tiny baby at your mother’s side. A stream of people came in to see you. But Grandma Sumah was there, and you know what she’s like…She had your faced covered. ‘Please can we see the baby’s face?’ people kept asking. But Grandma just scowled at them and muttered something about protecting you from the Evil Eye.” The Evil Eye is a curse that all Zaghawa—and many other Muslims—believe in with fervor. With my mother resting, Grandma Sumah was looking after me, and she was very superstitious. She didn’t want anyone looking at me too closely, just in case they had bad intentions and gave me the Evil Eye.

First Person

Quick Check – What is the POV? Before applying the screen protector, clean

the surface of your phone’s screen with a soft cloth. Once the surface of your screen is clean, remove the paper backing on the screen protector. Evenly apply the sticky side of the screen protector to your phone’s screen. Smooth out any air bubble trapped on between the protector and the phone screen. Enjoy the added protection.

Second Person

Quick Check – What is the POV? Dr. Miller doesn’t want the tigers to vanish.

These majestic beasts are disappearing at an alarming rate. Dr. Miller thinks that we should write to our congress people. If we let them know that we demand the preservation of this species, maybe we can make a difference. Dr. Miller also thinks that we should donate to Save the Tigers. Our donations will help to support and empower those who are fighting the hardest to preserve the tigers. He thinks that we owe it to our grandchildren to do something.

Third Person Limited

CHARACTER• Protagonist

•Main character• This is the character we focus our attention on, the person who sets the plot in motion.•Always a well-rounded character that learns something by the end of the story,•Often, but not always, the hero.•Example: Superman

• Antagonist• The character or force that blocks the protagonist•Often the villain•Example: Lex Luthor

CHARACTERDynamic Characters

Experience a change or shift in attitude and behavior during the course of a literary work.

(not literal change, like a haircut, but a change in values or beliefs—sometimes a new understanding or sense of awareness)

Static Characters Do not change. Attitudes and behavior remain

essentially stable or the same throughout the literary work. Hold the same beliefs or opinions in the end as they did at the beginning of the story.

Change in circumstance does not produce a dynamic character – only if the changes in one’s circumstance (whether good or bad) causes the change in the character.

Quick Check – Dynamic or Static? Bert, a bumbling salesman, never takes the time

to organize his files, properly record his sales, or follow up with customers. Finally, his boss gets fed up and fires him. Bert struggles for two months to find a new sales position. During that time, his car is repossessed for nonpayment and he maxes out his credit cards. Bert finally finds a new sales position but, before a week passes, he is called into a conference with his new boss. Bert is informed he must get organized or he’ll be fired. A week later the new boss fires Bert after he fails to follow up with an important customer.

Static

CHARACTERRound Characters

If something is round (like a globe), does it have much depth to it? YES!

A round character is one who shows many different traits – faults and virtues.

Flat CharactersIf something is flat, does it have much depth to it? No!

A flat character is one who only shows one trait.

Quick Check – Round or Flat? A character in a story named Elaine never

cuts anybody a break. She tells her friends and coworkers that charity and compassion have no place in society. On the other hand, Elaine can never pass up feeding a stray kitten or puppy, and always tries to find a good home for lost or abandoned pets.

Round

CHARACTER• Creating Characters=Characterization

These are the qualities that make up a particular character.

We can also think of characterization as the character’s personality, values, beliefs, and development.

• Examples – Batman: just, resourceful, intelligent, caring,

passionate, steadfast, strong Katniss Everdeen: intelligent, strong, caring,

selfless• Can be DIRECT or INDIRECT

Depends on whether or not the author tells us the characteristics of a character

CHARACTERDirect Characterization – the narrator tells us directly what a character is like and what their motives are.

Ebenezer Scrooge was very stingy with his money.

Indirect Characterization – we make inferences about characters based on what we learn about them indirectly.•1. Speech – the most obvious: tone of voice, choice of words/connotation•2. Appearance – looks, sounds, physical traits•3. Character’s Private Thoughts •4. How other people feel about them.•5. Actions – what we see them doing.

CONFLICT• Struggle or clash between opposing

characters OR forces• Conflict represented in varying forms:

arguments, battles, fights, struggles, decisions, etc.

• Internal vs. External

INTERNAL CONFLICT• Man vs. self

• This is the only type of internal conflict• This when the protagonist struggles with himself, with his own soul, his own ideas of right and wrong, physical limitations, etc.

EXTERNAL CONFLICT• Struggle with forces outside of one’s self• Man vs. man

• The protagonist struggles against other people.

• Man vs. society• The protagonist struggles against ideas, practices, rules, and customs of other people.

• Man vs. nature The protagonist struggles against storms,

animals, etc.

Quick Check – What type of conflict?1. A student struggles to decide whether to

study for his math test or go to the big game.Internal conflict – man vs. self

2. Batman fights against the Joker to save the people of Gotham.External conflict – man vs. man

3. Astronaut Mark Watney struggled against the perilous Martian atmosphere while left stranded.External conflict – man vs. nature

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Story Elements