Bundle #2 of 3: Understanding and Responding to Fictional Texts Content Essentials Estimated Bundle Duration: 5 Days Concepts Critical Attributes Examples Fiction: a story made up of imaginary people and events Fiction critical attributes short stories novels Figurative language: language not intended to be taken literally but layered with meaning through the use of imagery, metaphors, and other literary devices (9.2C) Non-literal meaning of words/phrase Meaning conveyed through images often created by use of comparisons or exaggeration Requires the reader to infer meaning Simile: Jem s white shirt-tail dipped and bobbed like a small ghost dancing away to escape the coming morning. H. Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) Personification: Mr. Radley s older son lived in Pensacola; he came home at Christmas, and he was one of the few people we ever saw enter or leave that place. From the day Mr. Radley took Arthur home, people say the house died. H. Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) Linear plot: a plot that begins at a certain point, moves through a series of events to a climax and then ends up at another point in chronological sequence (9.5A) Sequenced chronologically Does not include any deviation from normal time order (such as flashbacks) Follows conventional plot structure To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee --Although the entire book is written as a flashback, the story is recounted through a linear/sequential plot structure in that all of the Curriculum Office - June 2016 Page 1
events of the story happen in chronological order. Non-linear plot: a plot in which events are portrayed out of chronological order, or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality pattern (9.5A) Non-linear plot structures include: Parallel plot Subplot Foreshadowing Flashback Character foil: a secondary character who contrasts with the protagonist in order to highlight aspects of the main character s personality (9.5B) 1 st person/subjective point of view: The narrator restricts the perspective to that of only one character to tell the story. (9.5C) Not sequenced chronologically Includes deviation from normal time order (such as flashbacks) Enhances the importance of major characters Highlights certain qualities, either good or bad, of major characters NOT necessarily an antagonist Narrator is a character in the story Uses of 1 st person pronouns such as I, me, my, mine, we, our Reveals the thoughts and feelings of the narrator only Parallel Plot: A Midsummer Night s Dream by William Shakespeare. The story has three main plot lines that intersect at various times during the play. These are the stories of the couples Theseus and Hippolyta, Hermia and Lysander, and Helena and Demetrius. Flashback: The Odyssey by Homer. The first four books begin in the present with Odysseus already missing and the journey of Telemachos until Odysseus is found in book 5. In books 9-12, Odysseus tells of his journeys through flashback and then the story returns to a linear sequence in books 13-24. Foils may be sidekicks: Han Solo to Luke Skywalker In the Harry Potter series, Voldemort (evil) is a foil to Dumbledore (good). In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Mercutio s skeptical, unemotional view of love is a foil to Romeo s romantic, passionate character. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee The Fault in Our Stars by John Green The Divergent series by Veronica Roth Curriculum Office - June 2016 Page 2
3 rd person omniscient point of view: The narrator tells the story in third person from an all-knowing perspective. The knowledge is not limited by any one character s view or behavior, as the narrator knows everything about all characters. (9.5C) Narrator not a character in the story Reveals the thoughts, feelings, words, and actions of most (or all) characters Uses 3 rd person pronouns such as he, she, they, him, her, their Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Unwind by Neal Shusterman The Lord of the Rings by J.R. Tolkien 3 rd person limited point of view: The narrator restricts his or her knowledge to one character s view or behavior. (9.5C) Objective point of view: The narrator reveals only the actions and words without the benefit of the inner thoughts and feelings. (9.5C) Paradox: a literary technique that contains a seemingly contradictory situation or statement that on closer scrutiny reveals a deeper truth (9.7A) Narrator not a character in the story Reveals the thoughts and feelings of only one character in the story, but describes the actions and words of all characters Uses 3 rd person pronouns such as he, she, they, him, her, their Narrator not a character in the story Does not reveal the thoughts and feelings of any characters Relates only words and actions of characters. Uses 3 rd person pronouns such as he, she, they, him, her, their Presents an unbiased view through an objective narrator Seems like an impossible situation or statement on the surface Deeper analysis shows the truth behind it. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer s Stone by J.K. Rowling The Giver by Lois Lowry Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell The Lottery by Shirley Jackson Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare Juliet talks about how her only love came from her only hate. Hamlet by William Shakespeare Hamlet says, I must be cruel to be kind, which does not make sense on the surface. However, he is saying that in order to avenge the death of his father he must kill Claudius, his mother s new husband. He knows this act will be a tragedy for his mother, but he feels it is the right thing to do. Curriculum Office - June 2016 Page 3
Irony: a literary technique used to create meaning that seems to contradict the literal meaning or events (9.7A) Verbal irony: the use of words in which the intended meaning is contrary to the literal meaning. (9.7A) Situational irony: a literary technique for implying, through plot or character, that the actual situation is quite different from that which was expected. (9.7A) Dramatic irony: a dramatic device in which a character says or does something that he or she does not fully grasp but which is understood by the audience. (9.7A) Sarcasm: a bitter form of verbal irony, intended to taunt or hurt. (9.7A) Uses words to intentionally indicate a meaning other than the literal one Presents a situation or series of events in a way that is entirely different than what was expected Includes verbal, situational, and dramatic irony Represented by words Used intentionally by the speaker to exaggerate the character of something (overstatement) or undermine the character of something (understatement) Uses words to mean something different from what a person actually says Represented by plot or character actions. Does not reveal all elements of the plot or all actions of the characters to the audience or characters in the story until the end Represented by plot or character actions Reveals elements of the plot or actions of the characters to the audience that the characters in the story are not aware of Expresses the opposite meaning than what the literal meaning of the word or phrase intends Used to mock a person or group of people Adds a realistic flavor to characters In Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare: Mark Antony s speech is describing Brutus as honorable, but in reality is condemning him. Saying, Wonderful weather today during a bad storm. In The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, the wife cuts her hair to make the money to buy her husband the chain for his watch. Meanwhile, the husband sells the watch to buy his wife an accessory for her hair. A cardiologist dies of a massive heart attack. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, the audience is aware that Juliet is not actually dead when Romeo finds her, but Romeo is unaware of the fact that she is only sleeping and not dead, so he kills himself. In Star Wars, the audience knows that Darth Vader is Luke s father before Luke does. Note the use of the word honourable in this excerpt: Curriculum Office - June 2016 Page 4
from Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare Response to text: a short interpretive response to a literary or expository text that analyzes the structure and elements of the text and provides sustained evidence from the text to support the response (9.15Ci-iii) Includes a clear claim that is perceptive and reflects an awareness of the complexities of the text and goes beyond a summary or literal analysis of the text Supports the claim with specific and wellchosen evidence from the text that justifies the claim Embeds quotes from the text smoothly in the response Develops the claim/idea through a coherent explanation that makes clear and logical connections across the text Demonstrates a deep understanding of the text through the claim/idea, evidence, and explanation Source: TEA English I 2015 Scoring Guide Curriculum Office - June 2016 Page 5
Tier 1 Vocabulary: basic, common vocabulary used in everyday conversation with others (9.1) Tier 2 Vocabulary: less familiar, often more sophisticated vocabulary (9.1) Tier 3 Vocabulary: content-specific, academic vocabulary (9.1) Root: a unit of meaning which can be blended with other roots or affixes (9.1A) Basic vocabulary; common words generally known by students High-frequency words Generally not multiple meaning words. Less familiar, often more sophisticated vocabulary Multiple meaning words Academic vocabulary that crosses content areas Content-specific academic vocabulary Expresses meaning but is not a stand-alone word (A stand-alone word would be a base word.) Must be combined with other roots, affixes or base words to create a word Can occur at the beginning, middle, or end of a word walk building happy hungry explain saunter, scamper, stroll edifice ecstatic ravenous signify metaphor rhetorical fallacy preposition figurative language Affix: a word element, such as a prefix or suffix, that occurs before or after a root or base word to modify its meaning (9.1A) Unit of meaning added to the beginning or ending of a root or a base word Changes the meaning or function of the word Can change the tense when added to a verb Curriculum Office - June 2016 Page 6
Connotative meaning: the emotions or set of associations attached to a word that is implied rather than literal (9.1B) Denotative meaning: the dictionary definition of a word; the literal or cognitive meaning (9.1B) Way a word is generally understood Not always literal Literal meaning of a word Faster, you filthy dogs! If one of us stopped for a second, a quick shot eliminated the filthy dog. --E. Wiesel, Night (1958) Referring to a person as a dog has a negative connotation and does not mean that they are a literal dog. When the SS officers referred to the concentration camp prisoners as dogs, they were implying that they were not even worthy of being called humans and that their lives didn t matter, that they were just as disposable as filthy, mangy dogs. I thought mad dogs foamed at the mouth, galloped, leaped and lunged at throats, and I thought they did it in August. --H. Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) In this context, the word dogs is referring to a literal dog and does not have an implied meaning. Curriculum Office - June 2016 Page 7
Etymology: the origin and history of a word; the study of word derivation (9.1E) Shows where a word came from and how it has changed over time Cookie (n.) 1703, American English from Dutch koekje little cake, dimunitive of koek cake, from middle Dutch koke. Slang application to persons attested since 1920. Phrase that s the way the cookie crumbles meaning that s the way things happen is from 1957. (Etymology.com) Curriculum Office - June 2016 Page 8