Literary Elements

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Literary Elements
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Plot

• The structure of a story
• The causal arrangement of events and actions
  within a story the sequence of events

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When reading for plot..

• Plot can help you understand the storys theme.
• A graphic organizer can help you track the
  sequence of events.
• Stories are not always told in chronological
  order!
• EXFlashback author starts in the middle and
  jumps back, then picks up story again
• Subplots satellites that orbit the main plot

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Plot chart
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5 Parts of Plot

• Exposition beginning author gives background
  info
• Rising Action conflict described
• Climax turning point problem is at its worst
• Falling Action problem is resolved
• Resolution story comes to a satisfactory end

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Flash-forward

• The story jumps forward from
• The past to the present
• The present to the future.

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Flash-forward

• EX The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
• The trilogy of movies
• The Matrix

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Flashback

• The interruption of the action of a story to
  present a scene that took place at an earlier
  time.

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Flashback

• EX Holes The flashback to the story of the
  wardens great grandmother.
• EX Holes The flashbacks to the story of
  Stanleys dirty rotten pig stealing great great
  grandfather.

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EXPOSITION

• Setting, Authors Purpose,
• Point of View, Tone and characters are
  established

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SETTING

• The time, place, and climate in which the story
  takes place.
• WHERE?
• WHEN?
• WHAT CONDITIONS?

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Authors Purpose

• Authors write for a variety of reasons
• To inform
• To persuade
• To entertain
• Can you think of examples of writing for each of
  these purposes?

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Point of View

• Point of view is the position from which the
  author addresses a topic including
• Beliefs
• Assumptions
• Biases

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Point of View

• Types of Point of View
• First Person
• Narrator is a character in the story who reveals
  only personal thoughts and feelings. He cant
  tell us thoughts of other characters.
• Third Person Objective
• Narrator is an outsider who reports only what
  he/she sees and hears. Tells us what is
  happening, but cant tell us the thoughts of the
  characters.
• Third Person Limited
• Narrator is an outsider who sees into the mind of
  one of the characters.
• Omniscient
• Narrator is an all-knowing outsider who can enter
  the minds of more than one of the characters.
• What point of view does Summer of the Monkeys
  have?

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Tone

• Tone is the attitude of the author toward a
  subject, a character, or the reader.
• Choice of words and details convey the tone.
• What is the authors tone toward Jay Berry in
  Summer of the Monkeys?

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Mood

• The feeling the author creates for us, the
  readers.
• E.X. Suspense, comic, tragic, romantic, sadness,
  joy, etc.

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Characterization

• Major characters almost always round or
  three-dimensional, having both good and bad
  qualities
• Dynamic characters change inside as a result of
  what happens to him/her
• Grow to a higher level of understanding in the
  course of the story

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Characterization

• Minor Characters almost always flat or
  two-dimensional
• Have 1 or 2 striking qualities
• Main quality isnt balanced by an opposite
  quality
• Can be amusing, but lack depth
• Sometimes referred to as STATIC characters (do
  not change throughout the story)

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Characterization

• Protagonist main character
• Antagonist character or force that works
  against the protagonist
• Foil character that provides a contrast to the
  protagonist

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Analyzing a Character

• What a character
• Looks like Physical appearance also dress
• Does
• Says
• Feels and Thinks
• What other characters say about them.
• What the narrator says about them.

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Conflict

• Conflict is the heart of fiction. Without
  conflict, there is no story.
• Turning point when the reader knows what the
  problem is, and who the conflict is between.
• This is not always a bad thing.

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Types of Conflict

• Four kinds of plot
• Man vs. man one person against another
• Man vs. nature tests human strength and the
  will to live
• Man vs. society values and customs are being
  challenged character may not be able to convince
  others to agree with his/her point of view
• Man vs. self internal conflict does character
  give in to temptation or rise above it?
• Often, more than one kind of conflict takes place
  at the same time.

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Rising Action

• The series of events leading up to the climax.

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Climax

• When the conflict reaches a CRISIS!
• The do or die moment.
• When tension is at its highest and has come to a
  turning point.

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Falling Action

• Events leading to the resolution of the conflict.

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Resolution (Denoumont)

• The resolution, when the main conflict is
  resolved.
• All the loose ends are tied up.

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Theme

• Theme is the underlying meaning of a literary
  work (life lesson the author wants to convey to
  the reader).
• EX In a fable the moral of the story.
• Theme may be stated or implied.
• Major theme an idea the author returns to
  repeatedly
• Minor theme ideas that may appear from time to
  time

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Main Idea

• Central thought or message
• The point or thought being expressed
• Different from topic
• Topic is the subject being discussed
• Main Idea is whats being said about the topic
• When asked to identify the Main Idea, simply
  stating the topic is seldom enough!

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Summarization

• Summary a brief statement or a paragraph that
  condenses information to the central message
• The gist of the text.
• A good summary contains information from the
  beginning, middle, and the end of a passage.
• Differs from paraphrasing
• Summary is concise and brief, and yet contains
  all important ideas
• Paraphrasing is restating the entire text in
  other words

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Figurative Language

• Figures of Speech are a way of saying something
  other than the literal meaning of the words.
• They give color to the story and reflect the
  personality of the character speaking.

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Figurative Language - Simile

• A figure of speech which compares two unlike
  things using like, as, than, seems or as if.
• Examples
• We ran as if to meet the moon
• My eyes got as big as bur oak acorns.

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Figurative Language - Metaphor

• Metaphors are comparisons between two unlike
  things, not using as or like.
• Metaphors state that something is something.
• Examples
• Cindy was such a mule. We couldnt get her to
  change her mind.
• Our old cat, a bolt of lightening, caught his
  prey.

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Alliteration

• Alliteration is the repetition of the first
  consonant sound in a phrase.
• The use of alliteration produces a repetitive,
  musical sound when the text is read.
• Its fund to read and helps the language roll
  off the tongue. (an idiom!)
• Example rabbits running over roses

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Figurative Language - Personification

• Personification is a type of metaphor where human
  qualities are given to an animal, object or idea.
• Examples
• the spider sullenly withdraws
• A big grinning Ozark moon crawled up out of
  nowhere

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Figurative Language - Hyperbole

• Hyperboles are figures of speech that are
  exaggerations.
• I nearly died laughing.
• I was so hungry I could eat a horse.
• Hyperboles are not literally true, but used to be
  impressive or to emphasize something.
• Often confused with similes or metaphors.
• Difference is that hyperboles are exaggerations.
• His feet were as big as a barge.
• Both simile AND hyperbole!

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Onomatopoeia

• Is the use of words whose sound suggests their
  meaning.
• Bang Whoosh Buzzzzz

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Symbol

• Something that represents something else.
• EX rain sadness
• sunrise birth
• sunset death
• crickets good luck

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Imagery

• The words or phrases a writer uses to represent
  persons, objects, actions, feelings, and ideas
  descriptively
• Appeals to the five senses sight, sound, smell,
  taste, and touch
• Example from Summer of the Monkeys
• Whippoorwills were calling, and night hawks were
  crying as they dipped and darted through the
  starlit sky. Bullfrogs and hoot owls were
  jarring the ground with their deep voices.
• Which senses does this excerpt appeal to?

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Figurative Language - Idiom

• An idiom is a phrase where the words together
  have a meaning that is different from the
  dictionary definitions of the individual words.
• Authors use idioms to spice up a story and give
  the reader insight into a characters personality
  as well as plot events.
• Some common idioms
• A Blessing In Disguise Something good that
  isn't recognized at first.
• A Chip On Your Shoulder Being upset for
  something that happened in the past.
• A Drop in the Bucket A very small part of
  something big or whole.
• A Piece of Cake A task that can be accomplished
  very easily.

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Denotation

• Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a
  word the dictionary definition.
• Look up snake in the dictionary. It means
• any of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes
  venomous reptiles having a long, tapering,
  cylindrical body and found in most tropical and
  temperate regions.

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Connotation

• Connotation refers to the emotional suggestions
  related to a word.
• Connotations for the word snake could include
  evil or danger.
• If you call someone a snake, what does that mean?

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