Class Notes

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Class Notes
The Elements of Short Stories
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Setting

• Setting
• Place
• Time
• Weather conditions
• Social conditions
• Mood or atmosphere
• Setting in Changes

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Conflict

• Definition Struggle between two forces in a
  story.

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Kinds of Conflict
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Plot Components
Climax the turning point, the most intense
momenteither mentally or in action
Rising Action the series of conflicts and crisis
in the story that lead to the climax
Falling Action all of the action which follows
the climax
Exposition the start of the story, the
situation before the action starts
Resolution the conclusion, the tying together of
all of the threads
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Characters
Changes
Definition

• Protagonist - The central character of the story
• Antagonist - The opposing force in the story

• African-Americans

• Police officers

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Characters and Characterization

• Characterization
• information the author gives the reader about the
  characters.
• The author may reveal a character in several
  ways a)  his/her physical appearance b) 
  what s/he says, thinks, feels and dreams c) 
  what s/he does or does not do d)  what others
  say about him/her and how others react to him/her

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Characterization in Changes

• Write down examples of chracterization in
  Changes

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Plot Components

1. Exposition the start of the story

What is the exposition in Changes
2. Rising Action the series of conflicts.
What is the rising action in Changes
3. Climax the most intense moment
What is the climax in Changes
What is the falling action in Changes
4. Falling Action action after the climax
What is the resolution in Changes
5. Resolution the conclusion
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Point of View

• The perspective from which a story is told.
• Points of view include
• First person
• Stream of consciousness
• Omniscient

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Point of View First Person

• Story is told  by the protagonist or one of the
  characters who interacts closely with the
  protagonist or other characters (using pronouns
  I, me, we, etc). 
• Reader sees the story through this person's eyes
  as s/he experiences it

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Point of ViewOmniscient

• Storyteller/author knows all the facts about the
  character(s)

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Point of View Stream of Consciousness

• The reader feels as if they are inside the head
  of one character and knows all their thoughts and
  reactions.

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Theme

• The controlling idea, central insight, or message
  of the story.
• Focus of the story.
• Explains what happens and why it happens.
• Theme is often inferred based on characters and
  situations in a story.
• To find the theme of a story consider
• The purpose of the story
• What view of life does it supports, or what
  insight into life it reveals.