Elements of Stories 2018 English 8 th grade Ms. S. Anderson
Four Main Story Elements Four Main Elements: 23 Degrees 5 minutes Plot Setting Characters Theme
Plot Plot is defined as: A series of events in a story Plot has seven main characteristics: 1. Exposition and/or Introduction 2. Rising Action 3. Conflict 4. Climax/Turning point 5. Falling action 6. Complications 7. Resolution/Ending
INTRODUCTION Exposition and/or Introduction: Introduces us, the readers, to the characters and the setting of the story. E.g. Cole Matthews knelt defiantly in the bow of the aluminum skiff as he faced forward into a cold September wind (p. 3).
CONFLICT Conflict is: Three types of conflicts: Q:Can you think of examples of conflict for each type of conflict? The Last Game a struggle or disagreement in a story. 1. Nature vs. man external conflict 2. Society vs. man external conflict 3. Values vs. man internal conflict
RISING ACTION Rising action: Jurassic Park clip This is the building of the plot, characters, and setting. In Jurassic Park, we see the Tyrannosaurus s compound and the goat waiting, the rain begins to fall, the electrical fences fail, and we see the foot tremors in a pool of water that happens to be a Tyrannosaurus s print. Rising action is the suspense you read/see in a novel or movie.
CLIMAX/TURNING POINT The climax or turning point in the story: Is where a change takes place in the main character The change of the main character can occur in: Attitude Dress Behavior Personality
FALLING ACTION Falling action: This is where things in a story start to wind down.
COMPLICATIONS Complications: This is another conflict to drag out the story to make it longer. Have you ever thought that in a novel or movie the ending could have happened sooner, but something else happens to drag out the story? (This is the complication.)
RESOLUTION/ENDING Resolution/ending: This is where everything is solved for the characters.
SETTING Setting is: The time and place in which the events of a narrative occur. The setting may be specific and detailed. It may be introduced at the very beginning of the story, or it may be merely suggested throughout the story. In some stories the setting is vital to the narrative because it may have an effect on the events of the PLOT, reveal character, or create a certain atmosphere. If the setting is a desert island, we (as readers) would not expect to read about characters in mountain climbing gear.
Characters are: Alma CHARACTERS Developed by the author and revealed through action, other characters, dialogue, etc. Two types of characters: Dynamic/round characters. This is usually the main character. This character changes in some way in the story that is why the character is dynamic or round. Static/flat characters. These characters are support characters in a story, and these characters NEVER change. The behavior, attitude, personality of each of these characters is static or flat.
THEME Theme is: The main idea or underlying meaning in a literary work. A theme may be stated or implied. Theme differs from the subject, or topic, of a literary work in that it involves a statement or opinion about the topic. Not every literary work has a theme.
THEME These are examples of what is NOT a theme: These are TOPICS, which can be developed into themes. Love Courage Family Good vs. Evil Trust Death Survival Friendship Freedom
THEME Hints for developing a theme: Remember that themes are about life and what it means to be human. Step 1: After finishing a story list the possible topics. Step 2: Pick one topic and write an answer to the following question: What is the author trying to show us about this topic?
Point of View The relationship between the narrator and the story he or she tells. The author s choice of narrator for a story determines the amount of information a reader will be given.
First person: The narrator I is a character in the story who can reveal only personal thoughts and feelings and what he or she sees and is told by other characters.
Third-Person Objective: The narrator is an outsider who can report only what he or she sees and hears.
Third-Person Limited: The narrator is an outsider who sees into the mind of one of the characters.
Third-Person Omniscient: The narrator is an all-knowing outsider who can enter the minds of more than one of the characters.
Hyperbole An exaggerated statement used especially as a figure of speech to heighten effect. Examples: I ve told you a million times! I had to walk 15 miles to school in the snow, uphill. That new car costs a bazillion dollars.
Foreshadowing The author s use of hints or clues to suggest events that will occur later in a narrative.
Imagery Inference Concrete details that appeal to the five senses and internal feelings. A reasonable and intelligent conclusion drawn from hints or other information provided by an author.
Irony The contrast between what is expected, or what appears to be, and what actually happens.
Verbal Irony Is the contrast between what is said and what is actually meant. Irony of a situation Video Refers to a happening that is the opposite of what is expected or intended.
Dramatic Irony Occurs when the audience or reader knows more than the characters do.
Flashback An interruption of the narrative to show an episode that happened before that particular point in the story.
Metaphor A figure of speech that involves an implied comparison between two relatively unlike things. Examples: The typical teenage boy s room is a disaster area. Kathy arrived at the grocery store with an army of children. He pleaded for her forgiveness but Janet s heart was cold iron.
Simile A figure of speech that involves a direct comparison between two unlike things using the words LIKE or AS. Examples: The bottle rolled off the table like a teardrop. She hung her head like a dying flower. Each dollar bill was a like a magic wand to cast away problems
Stereotype A fixed, generalized idea about a character or situation. Example: The wicked step-mother in a fairy tale.
Symbol A person, place, event, or object that has a meaning in itself but suggests other meanings as well. Examples: American Flag Dove Purple Black
Mood The total feeling in a literary work. The choice of setting, objects, details, images, and words all contribute to create a specific mood. This is about YOU the reader!
Tone The author s attitude, stated or implied, toward a subject and toward the audience. Some possible attitudes are humor, earnestness, bitterness, cynicism, indignation, etc. This is about the AUTHOR.
Pun a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings.
Literary Device Satire A literary work in which the author ridicules the vices or follies of people and society, usually for the purpose of producing some change in attitude or action.