Literary Elements

Literary Elements • Setting • Conflict/Inciting Incident • Flashback/Foreshadowing

Setting • Definition: • The TIME(day, month, year) and PLACEwhere the action occurs in a story. • Purpose: • The setting can influence the type of characters that appear in a story as well as what events occur in the plot.

Setting Where: • Geographicallocation (Wyoming, London, Cairo, Vancouver, etc.) • Socio-economic characteristics (wealthy suburbs, depression dustbowl) • Specificlocations (prep school, log cabin, bus, military base)

Setting When: • General time period: (Past, present, future) • Specific time period: (1865, during WWII, during Colonial Times.) • Time of year/Time of day: (Seasons, morning, dusk)

Turn and Talk • Using the story “Seventh Grade” on p. 20 of your textbook, list details about the story’s setting (TIME & PLACE) with a partner. • Simply stating that the story takes place in a school is not a complete response.

Identifying the Elements of A Plot Diagram

Plot • Definition: • The sequence of events that make up a story • All events are related to one another.

Plot Diagram 3- CLIMAX Middle-End of Story 4- Falling Action 2- Rising Action 5 – Resolution/ Denoument 1- Exposition Beginning of Story End of Story

1. Exposition Definition: • Occurs at the beginningof a story to give the reader background information. • Charactersare introduced. • Settingof the story is introduced. • The Inciting Incident is introduced. • This is referred to as the INCITIING INCIDENT because it is the first indication that something has gone wrong. • It causes a shift in the action during the beginning of the story. C S I

2. Rising Action Definition: • A series of events (in a particular order) that lead to the climax • A building of suspenseor interest occurs.

3. Climax Definition: • The major turning point or the most intense moment in the story. • Usually the main character comes face to face with the conflict. • The reader’s emotion is piqued (sparked) by placing the outcome of the characters in doubt. • Happens toward the end of a story.

4. Falling Action Definition: • All loose ends of the plot are tied up. • The conflict(s) and climax are starting to calm down.

5. Resolution/Denoument Definition: • The story comes to a reasonable ending (conclusion). • Not every story has a resolution

Putting It All Together 1. Exposition 2. Rising Action 3. Climax 4. Falling Action 5. Resolution/Denoument Very Beginning of Story Beginning – Middle of Story Near End of Story End of Story Very End of Story

Plot Diagram for “The Scholarship Jacket” Climax: YOU TRY: Rising Action 3. Marta asks her grandpa for money but he refuses because he thinks the scholarship jacket should be free. 2. Principal tells Marta that the jacket will cost $15 1. Marta overhears teacher arguing about who should get the jacket. Mr. Boone says Joann should because her father is on the school board. Mr. Schmidt disagrees Falling Action: • Mr. Schmidt congratulates Marta • 2. Marta goes home to tell her grandfather- tears of joy Exposition Characters: Marta, Marta’s grandfather, Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Boone, the principal, Joann & her father Setting: Small town in Texas, only one store in town, grandfather’s bean farm Inciting Incident: Teachers were discriminating against Marta, and debating giving the Scholarship Jacket to a white girl with a powerful father, even though Marta earned it. Resolution: Grandfather was proud of Marta for standing up for herself and happy that she will get the jacket she earned.

Plot Diagram for “The Scholarship Jacket” Climax: Marta tells principal she won’t pay for the jacket because of what her grandfather said. Principal changes his mind, tells Marta she can have the scholarship jacket Rising Action 3. Marta asks her grandpa for money but he refuses because he thinks the scholarship jacket should be free. 2. Principal tells Marta that the jacket will cost $15 1. Marta overhears teacher arguing about who should get the jacket. Mr. Boone says Joann should because her father is on the school board. Mr. Schmidt disagrees Falling Action: • Mr. Schmidt congratulates Marta • 2. Marta goes home to tell her grandfather- tears of joy Exposition Characters: Marta, Marta’s grandfather, Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Boone, the principal, Joann & her father Setting: Small town in Texas, only one store in town, grandfather’s bean farm Inciting Incident: Teachers were discriminating against Marta, and debating giving the Scholarship Jacket to a white girl with a powerful father, even though Marta earned it. Resolution: Grandfather was proud of Marta for standing up for herself and happy that she will get the jacket she earned.

Plot Diagram for “Amigo Brothers” Climax: You Try! • Rising Action • 4. They both fight really well and give it their all • 3. They psych themselves up and get in to the ring. • They think about “pulling punches” so they don’t hurt one another during the fight. • The two friends decide to split up • when training so they don’t think • about their friendship Falling Action: 1. The boys leave the ring arm in arm, not waiting to hear who won. 2.Friendship is more important to them than winning the match Resolution: Exposition Characters: Felix and Antonio Setting: Brooklyn, New York Inciting Incident : YOU TRY!

Plot Diagram for “Amigo Brothers” Climax: The announcer turns to tell the audience who won the match • Rising Action • 4. They both fight really well and give it their all • 3. They psych themselves up and get in to the ring. • They think about “pulling punches” so they don’t hurt one another during the fight. • The two friends decide to split up • when training so they don’t think • about their friendship Falling Action: 1. The boys leave the ring arm in arm, not waiting to hear who won. 2.Friendship is more important to them than winning the match Exposition Characters: Felix and Antonio Setting: Brooklyn, New York Inciting Incident : : The two boys are best friends but have to fight against one another in the golden gloves tournament. Resolution:

Flashback Definition: • An interruption of the chronological sequence of events in a story. Purpose: • To provide background or context to the current events in a story. • For readers to gain insight in to a character’s motivation. • To increase tension.

Flashback Example: • Often presented as dream sequences and memories • When I went out of the drawing room, first thing that came into view in the open corridor way was the picture of my brother. [I just got the point why my mother used to see that portrait hours after he was killed in the WWII, and she left only when she saw any one of us coming to her.] I just heard steps and when I looked back, there was nothing that I could see. It was just a feeling of the past.

Foreshadowing Definition: • Hinting at something that is going to happen later in the story. • Often appears at the beginning of a story Purpose: • To help a reader anticipate the coming events in a story. • To create suspense/interest

Foreshadowing Example: • Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is rich with foreshadowing examples. One of which is the following lines from Act 2, Scene 2: • “Life were better ended by their hate,Than death prorogued, wanting of thy love” • In the balcony scene, Juliet is concerned about Romeo’s safety as she fears her kinsmen may catch him. Romeo says, in the above lines, that he would rather have her love and die sooner than not obtain her love and die later. Eventually, he gets her love and dies for her love, too.

Literary Elements