Elements of Stories2018

English 8th gradeMs. S. Anderson

Four Main Story Elements Four Main

Elements:

23 Degrees 5 minutes

Plot Setting Characters Theme

Plot Plot is defined as:

Plot has seven main characteristics:

A series of events in a story

1. Exposition and/or Introduction

2. Rising Action3. Conflict4. Climax/Turning

point5. Falling action6. Complications7. 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

– 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.

This is the building of the plot, characters, and setting.

CLIMAX/TURNING POINT The climax or

turning point in the story:

The change of the main character can occur in:

Is where a change takes place in the main character

Attitude Dress Behavior Personality

FALLING ACTION Falling action: This is where

things in a story start to wind down.

COMPLICATIONS Complications:

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.)

This is another conflict to drag out the story to make it longer.

RESOLUTION/ENDING Resolution/ending: This is where

everything is solved for the characters.

SETTING Setting is:

– If the setting is a desert island, we (as readers) would not expect to read about characters in mountain climbing gear.

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.

CHARACTERS Characters are:

Alma

Two types of characters:

– Developed by the author and revealed through action, other characters, dialogue, etc.

– 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?

Literary Devices 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.

Literary Devices 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.

Literary Devices Third-Person

Objective: The narrator is an

outsider who can report only what he or she sees and hears.

Literary Devices Third-Person

Limited: The narrator is an

outsider who sees into the mind of one of the characters.

Literary Devices Third-Person

Omniscient: The narrator is an

all-knowing outsider who can enter the minds of more than one of the characters.

Literary Devices 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.

Literary Devices Foreshadowing The author’s use of

hints or clues to suggest events that will occur later in a narrative.

Literary Devices 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.

Literary Devices Irony The contrast

between what is expected, or what appears to be, and what actually happens.

Literary Devices Verbal Irony

Irony of a situation Video

Is the contrast between what is said and what is actually meant.

Refers to a happening that is the opposite of what is expected or intended.

Literary Devices Dramatic Irony Occurs when the

audience or reader knows more than the characters do.

Literary Devices Flashback An interruption of

the narrative to show an episode that happened before that particular point in the story.

Literary Devices 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.

Literary Devices 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

Literary Devices Stereotype A fixed, generalized idea

about a character or situation.

Example: The wicked step-mother in a fairy tale.

Literary Devices 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

Literary Devices 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!

Literary Devices 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.

Literary Devices 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.