Download Narrative Elements: Plot - Analy High School Faculty

Basic Elements of Narration
PLOT: the action or sequence of events in a story. It is usually a series of related
incidents that builds and grows as the story develops. It has five main parts: exposition
(introduction), rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution (denouement).
•
•
•
•
•
Exposition: The exposition provides the background information of the story; it
establishes the main characters, the setting, and inciting moment, which will create
the conflict and move the story forward.
Rising Action: During the rising action the plot becomes more complicated and the
conflict intensifies. There are two major types of conflict: internal conflict (an issue
that the character has within him or herself) and external conflict (an issue that the
character has with someone or something outside of itself).
Climax: the climax is the point at which the conflict reaches its greatest height and
the crisis, or turning point, occurs.
Falling Action: the falling action follows the climax and leads to the resolution of the
plot.
Resolution: the resolution is the portion of the plot where the problem is solved. It is
intended to bring the story to a satisfying ending.
Plot Diagram
Climax
Rising Action
Falling Action
Conflict
Exposition
Resolution
SETTING: the time and place in which the action of a literary work occurs.
NARRATOR: a speaker through whom an author presents a story.
First person point of view – Way in which story is narrated through character
who refers to self as “I.”
Third person point of view – Way in which story is told through a limited or
omniscient narrator who stands outside the events that are being recounted.
Unreliable narrator – A narrator who does not or cannot understand the world
around them, and whose judgments the reader mistrusts.
CHARACTERIZATION: the way in which an author describes and develops the
characters in a literary work.
Physical description
Characters words, actions,
thoughts, and emotions
Narrator’s comments
Other’s reactions to the character
PROTAGONIST: main character or hero of the story.
ANATAGONIST: the person or thing that is working against the protagonist.
THEME: a statement about life a particular work is trying to get across to the reader.
What does it mean to be human?
SYMBOLS: is a person, place, thing or an event used to represent something else. For
example, the dove is a symbol of peace.
Name ________________________________
English 9, Period ______
Autobiographical Incident Essay
You are about to write your first full-length formal essay for this year. The autobiographical
incident essay focuses on one personal experience from your past that changed you in some
way. In other words, even though it occurred in your past, it continues to have an impact on
your life.
REVIEW and PRACTICE parts of an
essay:
REVIEW and PRACTICE parts of an
story:
The introduction: start with a good
grabber, provide background for central
incident.
1. main character
The paragraph: start with the topic
sentence, use a variety of descriptive
strategies (visual details, comparisons,
figurative language, dialogue).
3. setting
The conclusion: restate thesis, summarize
experience, give universal connection
(explore the meaning of the personal
experience to make it a general lesson).
5. themes
2. minor characters
4. plot (before the incident, during the
incident, afterward)
READ and RESPOND:
We will read a number of short stories and short autobiographical essays, then answer the
questions and identify the elements of narrative.
Stories:
“The Utterly Perfect Murder”
“The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant”
“Fish Cheeks”
“Through the Tunnel”
“I know Why the Caged Bird Sings”
“On Being Seventeen, Bright, and Unable to Read.”
“My First Appendectomy”
WRITE: Choose a single event that affected your life permanently.
A. Start by drawing a life map of 9 major events in your life; Try to spread them
out over the course of your life.
B. Then you are going to select one of those major events to write on. Write a
rough draft of your incident. Write at least one paragraph on each of the
following:
1. (INTRO) introduction that generalizes on how our experiences shape who
we are and that introduces plot, setting, characters;
2. (BODY) description of how you were before the event and examples that
show it.
3. (BODY) description of the event using descriptive verbs, dialogue, and all
the parts of a short story (plot tree!);
4. (CONCLUSION) explanation of how the event changed you and examples
that show how you are now, and a couple of sentences that wrap up the
essay.
“The Utterly Perfect Murder”
1. How do we know Doug's relationship with Ralph has bothered him on a
subconscious level for a long time? Why do you think he plots murder now? Is this
rational? Explain.
2. How did you feel about Doug’s wife’s response to his midnight journey? Was it
appropriate and what might it suggest?
3. What had Ralph Underhill actually done when he was younger to deserve to be
murdered according to Doug?
4. What was your reaction to when the adult Ralph Underhill appeared in his doorway?
Describe how his appearance was like or unlike what you expected.
5. How does Doug's "shooting" Ralph provide catharsis? What does he really mean
when he says, "Oh, God, Ralph, you're dead"?
6. Reflect on the title of this short story. Why do you think that this story is called
“The Utterly Perfect Murder”? Think about and address who or what is symbolically
“killed.”
“Fish Cheeks”
1. How does the narrator describe the foods? In other words, how do you feel about the
foods as she describes them? Why does the narrator want you to feel this way about
the foods?
2. What does the narrator reveal about the foods at the end of the story that explains
the importance of the foods for the story?
3. What lesson does the narrator’s mother teach her that Christmas Eve?
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”
1.
2.
3.
4.
What caused Marguerite’s shame?
What embarrasses Marguerite about her mother?
Why does Marguerite prefer to hear her name from Mrs. Flowers?
What did Mrs. Flowers have to offer Marguerite that she wasn’t getting from anyone
else?
5. What assignment does Mrs. Flowers give Marguerite and why?
6. Why was Marguerite’s visit to Mrs. Flowers a turning point in her life?
For the stories “Through the Tunnel” and “The Bass, the River, and Sheila Mant” identify
all of the basic elements of narrative listed below.
Setting –
Exposition –
Rising Action –
Conflict –
Climax –
Falling Action –
Resolution –
Narrator –
Characterization –
Protagonist –
Antagonist –
Theme –
Symbols –
HERO’S JOURNEY: REFERENCE
Brief explanations of each step of the Hero’s Journey
“The real reason for a quest never involves the stated reason. In fact, more often than
not, the quester fails at the stated task. So why do they go and why do we care? They
go because of the stated task, mistakenly believing that it is their real mission. We
know, however, that their quest is educational. They don’t know enough about the
only subject that really matters: themselves. The real reason for a quest is always selfknowledge.”
- Thomas C. Foster, How to Read Literature Like a Professor
“Remember. With great power, comes great responsibility”
- Uncle Ben, Spider Man (2002)
SEPARATION and DEPARTURE
1.
The Call to Adventure
The call to adventure is the point in a person’s life when she first becomes aware that
everything is going to change, whether she willingly accepts it or not.
2.
Refusal of the Call (sometimes)
Often when the call is given, the future hero refuses to heed it. This may be from a
sense of duty or obligation, fear, insecurity, a sense of inadequacy, or any of many
reasons that work to hold a person in his current circumstances.
3.
Guardians, Guides, and Tricksters
Once the hero has committed to the quest, consciously or unconsciously, her guide
and magical helper appear or become known. Sometimes, the Guide will actually be
involved in the “Call to Adventure.”
4.
The Crossing of the First Threshold
This is the point where the hero actually crosses into the field of adventure, leaving
the known limits of his world and venturing into an unknown and dangerous realm
where the rules and limits are not known.
1
5.
The Descent (a.k.a, The Belly of the Whale)
The belly of the whale represents the final separation from the hero’s known world
and self. It is sometimes described as the person’s lowest point, but actually the point
when the person is moving between worlds and selves. The separation has been made,
or is being made, or being fully recognized between the old world and old self and the
potential for a new world/self. The experiences that will shape the new world and self
will begin shortly, or may be beginning with this experience which is often
symbolized by something dark, unknown, and frightening. By entering this stage, the
hero shows their willingness to undergo a metamorphosis, to die himself.
INITIATION: The Abyss
The hero leaves the security of his familiar world behind. Entering this unknown
territory, the hero finds himself in grave danger. Trials, temptations, and terrors
await. Sometimes the greatest dangers come from those he trusts; sometimes the
greatest danger rests within himself. The question upon which survival depends is
who do I trust?
1.
The Road of Trials
The road of trials is a series of tests, tasks, or ordeals that the hero must undergo to
begin the transformation. Often the person fails one or more of these tests, which
often occur in threes.
The next steps in the journey involve at least one of the following: the Encounter
with the Feminine or the Atonement with the Father
2.
Encounter with the Feminine
The meeting with a feminine power represents the point in the adventure when the
hero experiences an all-powerful, all encompassing, unconditional love that a
fortunate infant may experience with his or her mother. In other words, the hero
begins to find inner strength through this encounter. This is a very important step in
the process that allows the hero to push forward into danger.
2
3.
Atonement with the Father - Overcoming Temptation
This is the center point of the journey. All previous steps have been moving toward
this place, all that follow will move out from it. In this step the person must confront
and be initiated by whatever holds the ultimate power in his life. In many myths and
stories the father, or father figure who has life and death power. He tries to destroy
the journey itself. The hero is often misled, but eventually overcomes his lack of
knowledge, prejudices, and fears as he grows in acceptance of his role as hero. This
allows a transformation to take place within the hero: the person he has been must be
“killed” (metaphorically) so that the new self can come into being. Sometimes killing
is literal, and the earthly journey for that character is either over or moves into a
different realm.
4.
Viewing the Whole Picture
The hero moves beyond the final terrors of change that are founded in her ignorance.
The hero adds the spiritual element to the journey and truly understands what she
must do. The hero is still in the midst of the journey, but she is now willing to accept
what is required to complete the quest.
5.
The Ultimate Boon (The Treasure)
The hero becomes self-assured and often receives physical gifts, emotional rewards,
and/or insight. Since personal limitations are broken, the hero can see the big picture
not only in relation to himself, but also in relation to others. The hero understands
how the goal can be accomplished.
RETURN
1.
Refusal of the Return
When all has been achieved, after gaining a glimpse of something extraordinary
beyond the constraints that limit the ordinary person, why come back to normal life
with all its cares and woes? This seldom occurs, but sometimes the hero prefers to live
in the enlightenment rather than return to a “home” that might not accept or
understand the “boon.”
3
2.
The Magic Flight
The hero flees toward safety to thwart the attempts to take back the treasure, power,
ability, or wisdom she has won. Because the hero has changed, the chase characterizes
her courage and confidence. It can be just as adventurous and dangerous returning
from the journey as it was to go on it.
3.
Rescue
The hero is sometimes unable to save himself. Others must help the hero return
“home.” The hero sees the entirety of the mission and understands the importance of
what he has achieved.
4.
The Crossing of the Return Threshold
The hero must face the evil or its leader and the realization that home is no longer a
place, but a state of being. People in that past may not accept his new ability, power,
wisdom, and may test it as a final trial for the hero. The hero must figure out how to
share wisdom with the rest of the world. This is usually extremely difficult,
5.
Master of Two Worlds
The hero has the ability, power, wisdom without limitations to relax in whatever
world (physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual) she finds for himself/herself. The
hero acknowledges the past and who she might be in the future and has lost or gained
something from this journey. But, the hero has been changed by the journey, and
although she is in harmony with herself, she is unable to return to life as it used to be.
6.
Freedom to Live
Mastery leads to freedom from fear of death, which in turn is the freedom to live.
This is sometimes referred to as living in the moment, neither anticipating the future
nor regretting the past. Living happily ever after…
4
Parts of Speech Grammar Test
51. What part of speech describes a verb, adjective, or adverb and answers when? where?
how? and to what extent?
52. What part of speech connects words or groups of words? Examples are but, or and yet.
53. What part of speech substitutes for a noun or pronoun? Examples are we, they, him.
54. What part of speech describes a noun or pronoun and answers the questions what kind,
which one, how many, how much?
55. Which part of speech expresses a mild or sudden burst of emotion? Examples are wow!
or no!
56. Which part of speech describes the distance/placement/proximity of one word and
another word in a sentence? Examples are on, to, behind, with.
57. Which part of speech describes an action or state of being or condition? Examples are
throw, run, was, is, and seems.
58. What part of speech is a person, place, thing, or idea?
59. What type of pronouns are I, we, she, they, him, and us?
60. What is the term for the word that a pronoun stands for?
61. The noun television is what type of noun?
62. The verbs seems, is, was, and were when used alone are what kind of verbs?
Parts of Speech Grammar Test
63. What type of noun refers to a group of people or things? For example audience, family,
crowd, and staff.
64. What type of noun is always capitalized?
65. What type of noun must be perceived by the five senses?
66. What type of noun cannot be perceived by the senses? (love, ambition, liberty)
67. What is the verb phrase in the following sentence: They did not go to the store.
68. What are the adjectives a, an, and the collectively known as?
69. What kind of adjective is the word "American" in the following sentence? The soldiers
saluted the American flag.
70. How many prepositional phrases are in the following sentence? During the month of
May we went on a trip with our friends to Canada
71. What do prepositional phrases always begin with?
72. What is the prepositional phrase in the following sentence? I ran around the block.
73. In the following sentence, what is the adverb? Jill was quite happy with her new
computer.
74. Mild interjections are followed by what kind of punctuation?
Parts of Speech Grammar Test
33. The phrases "according to, in addition to, and because of are examples of what kind
of prepositions?
34. What part of speech is the bolded word in the following sentence. Adverb or
Preposition?
The boys went inside to eat dinner.
A.
Adverb
B.
Preposition
35. Is the following sentence written actively or passively?
Many of the math problems were written down wrong.
A.
passive
B.
active
36. Mild interjections are followed by what kind of punctuation?
A.
exclamation point
B.
semicolon
Parts of Speech Grammar Test
C.
comma
D.
period
E.
colon
37. Interjections that express a sudden burst of emotion are followed by what kind of
punctuation?
A.
comma
B.
semicolon
C.
colon
D.
exclamation point
E.
period
38. How many prepositional phrases are in the following sentence?
During the month of May we went on a trip with our friends to Canada.
A.
2
B.
3
C.
4
D.
5
E.
6
39. What are the four questions that adverbs can answer?
A.
who? when? where? why?
B.
when? where? how? why?
C.
when? where? to what extent/degree? what?
D.
to what extent/degree? when? where? how?
Parts of Speech Grammar Test
E.
when? where? to what extent/degree? why?
40. What are the three questions that adjectives can answer?
A.
who? what? when? where?
B.
who? what kind? to what extent/degree?
C.
which one? what kind? to what extent/degree
D.
which one? what kind? how many?
E.
which one? how many? why?
41. What is the verb phrase in the following sentence?
I will not be going sledding because it's too cold.
42. What is the infinitive verb phrase in the following sentence?
I want to play baseball today.
43. How many adjectives are in the following sentence, including articles?
The red car roared around the sharp corner and hit an old oak tree.
A.
4
B.
5
C.
6
D.
7
E.
8
44. The noun "mob" is a common noun, a concrete noun, and.......what is the last kind?
Grammar Test Chapter 2 REVIEW
Parts of Sentences (and some parts of speech)
1.
What are the two basic parts of a sentence?
2.
What is the term for the key word or words in the subject?
3.
Instead of a complete sentence, a group of words that is missing either the
subject or the predicate is known as what?
4.
What part of speech is the simple predicate?
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Identify the complete subject in the following sentence:
The tattered old house is for sale again.
The verbs seems, is, was, and were when used alone are what kind of verbs?
Identify the simple subject in the following sentence:
It is really hot outside.
What part of speech describes a verb, adjective, or adverb and answers when?
where? how? and to what extent?
This kind of sentence asks a question and always ends in a question mark.
Identify the simple predicate in the following sentence:
Doug ran to the store next to his house.
11.
What type of noun is always capitalized?
12.
This kind of sentence expresses a fact, wish, intent, or feeling and always ends
in a period.
13.
In the following sentence, what is the adverb? Jill was really excited.
14.
15.
This kind of sentence expresses a command, request, or direction. It usually
ends in a period and often has an implied subject, “you.”
When beginning a sentence with Here or There, these words are:
16.
This type of complement follows a linking verb and identifies or describes the
subject.
17.
This type of complement follows an action verb and is often necessary to
complete the meaning of the verb.
18.
What part of speech describes a noun or pronoun and answers the questions
what kind, which one, how many, how much?
19.
Identify the underlined part of the sentence:
“Rogue waves” are a terrifying hazard at sea.
20.
Identify the underlined part of the sentence:
A bookmark could save your spot.
21.
Identify the underlined part of the sentence:
The dog and the boy walked home along the roadside.
22.
Identify what type of sentence this is.
From the bottom of the barrel rose the dead fish.
23.
Identify the underlined part of the sentence:
The firecracker was a dud.
24.
Which part of speech describes the distance/placement/proximity of one word
and another word in a sentence? Examples are on, to, behind, with.
25.
What is the verb phrase in the following sentence: He will probably not like
that.