Literary Elements Notes Adv. English KEY

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1 Literary Elements Ntes Adv. English KEY Literary elements are: cmpnents that make up a wrk f literature. They include: characters, characterizatin, cnflict, setting, theme, symblism, pint f view, md, tne and plt. CHARACTERS Characters are: peple r animals wh take part in the actin f the stry. Three types f characters whm we may meet in any stry: 1. Majr character: These include the prtagnist, the antagnist and ther characters wh have a large rle in the stry. a. Prtagnist b. Antagnist The main/central/leading character The mst imprtant character in a stry, pem r play. The actin f the stry revlves arund the prtagnist. Is this persn always a gd persn r the her? This is the character r frce that ppses the prtagnist. Is this persn always the villain r mean character? Other Majr Characters: They can als have their wn subplt within a stry. They play a significant rle in the actin f the stry. 2. Minr characters: are characters that take place in the actin but are nt the fcus f attentin; they have a small rle. 3. Extra characters: nvels and mvies need them t create a realistic scene. They becme part f the setting; therefre, we dn t mentin them when discussing the nvel. Characters Prtagnist Antagnist Other Majr Characters Minr Characters Extra Characters Characters in The Mnkey s Paw Mr. White The paw Sergeant Majr Mrris, Herbert, Mrs. White Man frm Maw and Meggins Fakir, Pst man, 1 st man with paw 1

2 STATIC AND DYNAMIC CHARACTERS Static characters: characters that d nt underg any internal change frm the stry s inceptin t its cnclusin. Dynamic characters: characters that underg an internal change ver the curse f a stry as a result f their experience. Mst prtagnists are dynamic. Is Mr. White a static r a dynamic character? Why? Answers will vary. He can be seen as dynamic because he learns that it is nt gd t try t mess with fate. He culd als be seen as static because he desn t change dramatically as a character. CONFLICT Cnflict: struggle between cnflicting frces; the single mst imprtant element f a shrt stry; withut sme srt f meaningful cnflict, a stry has little plt t interest the reader. Central cnflict: This drives the main plt f the stry; it is the cnflict between the prtagnist and the antagnist. It shws up in the inciting incident f plt muntain. Imprtant nte: stries can als have side cnflicts. Cnflict categries: 1. Internal cnflict: ne in which a character struggles against a frce within. There is ne type: 1. Character vs. Self: A cnflict in which the main character is at dds with an internal prblem such as fear, shyness r guilt. 2. External cnflict: ne in which a character struggles against sme utside frce. There are five types. 1. Character vs. Character a cnflict in which a character has a prblem with anther character. 2. Character vs. Nature: a cnflict in which a character must struggle against a harsh envirnment r natural disaster. 3. Character vs. Sciety: a cnflict in which a character faces a prblem with a part r the whle f sciety (e.g. gvernment, traditin, laws). 4. Character vs. Fate: a cnflict in which a character struggles with a frce that seems beynd the character s cntrl. 5. Character vs. Supernatural: a cnflict in which a character struggles with a frce that is nt f the human wrld. 2

3 Character Categry Specific Type f Cnflict Details Mr. White External Internal External Character vs. supernatural Character vs. self Character vs. character Paw Decisins Mrs. White Mrs. White Internal Character vs. self Sanity Herbert External Character vs. fate Dad s wish Sgt. Majr Mrris Internal External Character vs. self Character vs. supernatural Wishes Paw Prtagnist Antagnist Central cnflict categry Type f cnflict Mr. White The mnkey s paw Internal External Character vs.supernatural The Mnkey s Paw Literary Analysis Target Questin: If the stry were t take place in anther setting, wuld the cnflict be affected? Answers will vary CHARACTERIZATION Characterizatin: The ways in which an authr reveals the traits f the characters t his audience. Definitin Direct Characterizatin Authr directly tells the reader the traits f the character Indirect Characterizatin The reader has t infer the traits f the character. Example The malevlent queen was a venmus, wicked witch. The queen slaughtered everyne wh defied her. 3

4 Indirect Characterizatin Chart Indirect Characterizatin STEAL Rikki Tikki Tavi Examples 1. Speech What des the character say? Hw Cme back, he said tenderly. Yu des the character speak? will be cld. 2. Thughts f character What is revealed thrugh the character s private thughts and feelings? gazed with a lk f hrrr. 3. Effects n ther characters What is revealed thrugh the character s effect n ther peple? Hw d ther characters feel r behave in reactin t the character? "A trifle, said he... He didn t want it, but I made him take it " 4. Actins f the character *High imprtance What des the character d? Hw des the character behave? Must be significant actins His hand grasped the mnkey s paw, and with a shiver he wiped his hand n his cat 5. Lks f the character *Lwer imprtance What des the character lk like? Hw des the character dress? n the husband s face was a lk such as his friend the sergeant might have carried int [war]. Literary Analysis Questin The Mnkey s Paw He (Sgt. Mrris) tk the paw, and dangling it between his frefinger and thumb, suddenly threw it upn the fire. White, with a slight cry, stped dwn and snatched it ff. Better let it burn, said the sldier slemnly. If yu dn't want it Mrris, said the ther, give it t me. I wn't. said his friend dggedly. "I threw it n the fire. If yu keep it, dn't blame me fr what happens. Pitch it n the fire like a sensible man. Based n the previus excerpt, which f the fllwing types f indirect characterizatin is/are used t depict Mr. White as unwise? A. Speech B. Lks C. Actins D. Bth a and c E. Nne f the abve 4

THEME (aka central message/central idea VS. MAIN IDEA/TOPIC Term Mral Theme (central message) Main Idea Definitin An intended lessn expressed in a simple stry.

5 THEME (aka central message/central idea VS. MAIN IDEA/TOPIC Term Mral Theme (central message) Main Idea Definitin An intended lessn expressed in a simple stry. Fables and parables are specifically designed t teach a mral, which ften appears in a single statement at the end. A central message that an authr cnveys in a piece f literature. Smetimes the theme is bvius, while ther times the reader must think carefully abut a wrk in rder t identify theme Themes are fund in stries, mvies, sngs, pems, etc. There can be mre than ne theme in a passage. ******Theme is nt the same as main idea r mral! The verall idea abut a passage r text. The main idea is clsely related t the TOPIC f a passage and may smetimes be stated in a tpic sentence, especially in shrter passages r paragraphs Yu can find the main idea by thinking abut the supprting details. - Supprting details tell mre abut the main idea. - Supprting details ften answer the questins: Wh? Hw? What? Where? When? MORAL Example: A shepherd by watching a flck f sheep caused a grup f villagers t cme running t his aid twice by crying, Wlf! Wlf! Each time the villagers arrived, the by laughed and basted that he had fled them. The next day, a wlf really did cme, but when the by cried ut, the villagers paid n attentin. They thught the by was trying t trick them again. The wlf was able t eat the by s sheep. A. It s easy t criticize what yu cannt have. B. Dn t cunt yur chickens befre they hatch. C. Liars are nt believed, even when they tell the truth. 5

THEME A theme (central message) is the message cnveyed by the piece. Theme must be cnverted int a thematic statement. What were the central ideas f the stry?

6 THEME A theme (central message) is the message cnveyed by the piece. Theme must be cnverted int a thematic statement. What were the central ideas f the stry? Man with magical paw had bad experience, wants t get rid f paw Mr. White wants paw and wishes; wife desn t Mr. White wishes, but fears bad repercussins Bad things happen as a result f wishes Main Idea In this classic film, a trnad transprts Drthy Gale int the fantastical land f Oz, where she must cntend with witches, dd creatures, and supernatural happenings in rder t make it back hme t Kansas. EXAMPLE: The Wizard f Oz (1939) Theme The real message f the film is the value f determinatin and teamwrk; ne can succeed in life and survive great hardship thrugh resurcefulness and determinatin. **** This is nt the nly theme fund in this film. Theme is NOT: The main idea A summary f the stry s plt One wrd The same as mral HOW IS THEME DEVELOPED? Sme examples include: Cnflict in the stry s plt Symbls embedded within the stry Character s actins Theme The Mnkey s Paw Dn t tempt fate. Main idea -There is a magical paw that grants wishes, in an unrthdx manner. Mral Nne 6

SYMBOLISM Symbl: anything that stands fr r represents smething else May be a persn, place, thing r actin May stand fr an idea, belief, feeling, attitude, peple r places.

7 SYMBOLISM Symbl: anything that stands fr r represents smething else May be a persn, place, thing r actin May stand fr an idea, belief, feeling, attitude, peple r places. A symbl keeps its wn meaning while als standing fr smething else. Symbls are situatinal. Symbls keep their abstract meaning thrughut a piece f wrk. In literature, symbls aren t always what they seem America Native Americans attributed wls with wisdm and sacred knwledge. The shaman wuld call upn Owl medicine fr insight int the truth f ill-intent. Plains Indians wre wl feathers t prtect against evil spirits. Ancient Greece The ancient Greeks attributed the wl t Athena, gddess f wisdm and fresight. This symbl was used n Greek cins and therefre als became assciated with wealth. SYMBOLS IN OUR WORLD Symbl Blue Yellw White Red Purple Black Pssible Meanings!! Remember, it s situatinal! Peace, tranquility, cld, calm, truth, depressin Jy, happiness, ptimism, hpe, sunshine, summer, cwardice, illness, hazard and friendship purity, cleanliness, peace, inncence, yuth, winter, marriage (Western cultures), death (Eastern cultures), cld, clinical Excitement, energy, passin, lve, desire, strength, pwer, heat, aggressin, danger, fire, bld, war, vilence, all things intense and passinate Ryalty and nbility pwer, sphisticatin, elegance, mystery, fear, evil, unhappiness, sadness, murning, death (Western cultures). SYMBOLISM IN LITERATURE Metaphr Lve is a jewel. He is a rck. A direct cmparisn f tw unlike bjects; states that ne bject is anther. *** Even thugh bjects are unlike, they must have a slight similarity t establish meaning. This is symblic because it suggests that lve is rare and precius. This is symblic because it suggests that he is strng and dependable. 7

pem, r even a whle bk can be an allegry and the symblism will permeate thrughut. What is the theme f this stanza? Everything has its flaws. Life has its ups and dwns. Nbdy is perfect.

8 Symblism in literature is used t enhance writing and they can help develp theme. It can take many frms including: characters wrds actins events that have deeper meaning in a stry metaphrs allegries Allegry as Symblism Allegry: an extended use f symblism and metaphrs A stry, a pem, r even a whle bk can be an allegry and the symblism will permeate thrughut. What is the theme f this stanza? Everything has its flaws. Life has its ups and dwns. Nbdy is perfect. Things aren t always as they seem. Hw des the symblism help develp theme? Every Rse Has its Thrn Pisn Every rse has its thrn Just like every night has its dawn Just like every cwby sings his sad, sad sng Every rse has its thrn The rse represents lve and happiness. The thrns represent the things that can g wrng, and hw lve can be painful at times. Symbl Meaning Mnkey s Paw Desire and greed Game f Chess Life Mr. White lses game symblizes hw he ends up lsing a lt (his sn) Strategy and cncentratin Herbert was a pawn. game s utcme mirrrs the stry s utcme 8

9 Analyze It! Hw d yu think symblism helps develp r supprt the theme? Yu can t have a gd thing withut a cnsequence. The stry revlves arund the mnkey s paw, which symblizes greed and desire. The game f chess symblizes hw all things have cnsequences (chices and mves yu make). MOOD AND TONE Md: the feeling the authr creates fr the reader. Md can change thrughut a stry based n the events in the plt. Md can als be created in music and mvies. Hw is md created? Md is created by the authr thrugh tne. Tne: the authr s attitude tward setting, characters, r actin/plt in a stry. It can als be used in music and film. Tne describes the apparent attitude f the speaker r narratr tward the subject. It refers nly t the narrative vice; nt t the authr r characters See Yur Md/Tne Handut! Md Heartbrken Scared Suspenseful Depressed The Mnkey s Paw Tne Cld Apprehensive Impatient Grim Tense 9

10 Authr Narratr Pint f View (POV) Pint f View Term POINT OF VIEW Definitin Definitin A persn wh writes a stry The character r utsider telling a stry The view pint f the stry s narratr. Stries can be tld frm several pints f view. First persn Third persn Third persn limited Third persn mniscient Third persn bjective The narratr is a character in the stry wh can reveal nly persnal thughts and feelings and what he r she sees and is tld by ther characters. She/he can t tell us thughts f ther characters. The narratr is nt a character in the stry. He/she tells the stry frm the utside. Third persn prnuns used by the narratr are he, she, their, they, them, it, theirs, its, his, and hers. The narratr is an utsider wh sees int the mind f ne f the characters. The narratr is an all-knwing utsider wh can enter the minds f mre than ne character. Giving just the facts The reader is never allwed int any f the characters minds, nr given any f their feelings r emtins. The reader has t judge what the character is thinking r feeling by what they say, what they d, and their facial expressins - much like real life, in fact. Pint f View Practice As the girl walked up the hill, she realized that the atmsphere was just t quiet. The cardinal tipped his head back and drew breath t sing, but just as the first nte passed his beak he heard the crack f a dead branch far belw his perch high in the maple tree. Startled, he lked dwn, ccking his head t ne side and watching with great interest while the man rattled the blades f grass as he tried t hide himself behind the tree. As the man saw her start up the hill, he mved quickly int the shelter f the huge ld maple tree. If she saw him nw, everything wuld be ruined. She thught she saw a shadw mve high up n the slpe, but when she lked again it was gne. The man thught if he culd stay hidden until she came within range, she'd have t talk t him. Wuldn't she? The girl shuddered as she felt a silent threat pass ver her. It felt like a clud creeping ver the sun. THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT As I walked up the hill, I realized that the atmsphere was just t quiet. There was n sund frm the cardinal wh was nearly always singing frm the tp f the maple tree. I thught I saw a shadw mve high up n the slpe, but when I lked again it was gne. Still, I shuddered as I felt a silent threat pass ver me like a clud ver the sun. FIRST PERSON 10

11 As she walked up the hill, she realized that the atmsphere was just t quiet. There was n sund frm the cardinal wh she s ften heard singing frm the tp f the maple tree. She thught she saw a shadw mve high up n the slpe, but when she lked again it was gne. Nevertheless, she shuddered as she felt a silent threat pass ver her. It felt like a clud creeping ver the sun. THIRD PERSON LIMITED What is the POV f the stry Rikki-Tikki-Tavi? G back and skim the text. Is the narratr inside r utside the text? Outside If the narratr is utside the text, can he/she get int the mind f ne characters r mre than ne character? Yes, s it is third persn mniscient. The fllwing passages illustrate the pint f view: Mrs. White: She brke ff suddenly as the sinister meaning f the assurance dawned upn her and she saw the awful cnfirmatin f her fears in the thers averted face. Mr. White: The talisman was in its place, and a hrrible fear that the unspken wish might bring his mutilated sn befre him ere he culd escape frm the rm seized upn him The narratr can see int the heads f bth characters, reprting their thughts and feelings. Hw des POV affect a stry? It determines what the reader is able t knw. A stry may different depending n the pint f view used; as yu knw, there are tw sides t every stry, and we, as readers, nrmally just get ne side. What if the POV f the stry was written in first persn POV? Wuld that change the stry? If s, hw? It culd because then we wuld knw what Mr. White was thinking. We wuldn t have t infer what his third wish was; we culd just nw. Wh des the POV affect? The characters r the reader? Explain It affects the reader because the POV is what determine what we (as the readers) knw. CHARACTER PERSPECTIVE Character Perspective: Viewpint f the character wh is telling the stry Hw characters in a stry view the ccurrences in a stry 11

FORESHADOWING Freshadwing: The technique authrs use t hint at smething that will happen r smething that we will learn later n in the bk. Tw main reasns fr freshadwing: 1. Build suspense 2.

12 FORESHADOWING Freshadwing: The technique authrs use t hint at smething that will happen r smething that we will learn later n in the bk. Tw main reasns fr freshadwing: 1. Build suspense 2. Prepare readers fr what will happen either gd r bad. It is used t: Make the stry mre believable In mysteries, authrs use freshadwing t mislead readers (knwn as a red herring). FLASHBACK Flashback: the technique authrs use t tell readers abut an event that happened befre the current actin f the stry. It must be: Relevant t the plt Triggered by smething PLOT Plt: the sequence f events a stry fllws. 12

13 EXPOSITION: Expsitin: The first part f a stry. It intrduces the setting, characters, and the basic situatin. Characters: Majr characters are ften intrduced in the expsitin; smetimes a majr character will be intrduced in the rising actins. Minr characters maybe intrduced during this perid, but they can als be intrduced during the rising actin. Extra characters blend int the backgrund and are nt highlighted. Setting: Setting: the time and place in which the main stry events ccur. Setting Creates: Md r atmsphere f the stry Prvides imprtant backgrund infrmatin Can be used t symblize imprtant themes f a stry In sme stries it is an integral part; in thers, it s nt as imprtant. Setting can help create cnflict, but a there is n such thing as character versus setting! Setting Includes: Scenery, weather, clthing, furniture, and ther elements assciated with the time perid Is created thrugh imagery Use f language that appeals t the senses and prduces mental images The use f figurative language r vivid descriptins t prduce mental images Basic Situatin: A basic verview f what is taking place. Remember, this is befre the central cnflict is intrduced. 13

14 INCITING INCIDENT: Inciting Incident: The pint in the stry when the central cnflict f the stry takes place. This is where and when the reader will discver the main struggle (central cnflict) in the stry. Cnflict Review Internal Cnflict Character vs. self: A cnflict in which the main character is at dds with an internal prblem, such as fear, shyness, r guilt. External Cnflict Character vs. Character A cnflict in which the main character has a prblem with anther character. Character vs. Nature A cnflict in which the main character must struggle against a harsh envirnment r natural disaster. Character vs. Sciety A cnflict in which the main character faces a prblem with a part r the whle f sciety (e.g., gvernment, traditin, laws). Character vs. Fate A cnflict in which the main character struggles with a frce that seems beynd the character s cntrl Character vs. Supernatural- A cnflict in which the main character struggles with a frce that is nt f the human wrld. RISING ACTION: Rising Actin (Develpment): The part f the stry where the cnflict increases r becmes mre cmplicated t reslve. CLIMAX: Climax: The is the pint f the stry that is the mst interesting r suspenseful. The main cnflict is being directly addressed. FALLING ACTION Falling Actin: The gradual subsiding f actin after the climax; needed s all the actin just desn t stp. It may r may nt be present. RESOLUTION: Reslutin: The part f the stry when the cnflict is slved. DENOUEMENT: Denuement: This is any actin r events that take place after the central cnflict has been reslved. Smetimes the denuement is nt present. 14

Dialectical Journals. o o. Sample Dialectical Journal entry: The Things They Carried, by Tim O Brien Passages from the text Pg#s Comments & Questions

Dialectical Journals. o o. Sample Dialectical Journal entry: The Things They Carried, by Tim O Brien Passages from the text Pg#s Comments & Questions Bay Path Reginal Vcatinal Technical High Schl Summer Reading Assignment 2018 Any nvel by Neal Shusterman Students will read ne nvel by Neal Shusterman, any nvel, and cmplete six (6) dialectical jurnal