8 E s s e n t i a l Literary Elements

1. English 5th Grade - Adcock 8 Essential Literary Elements

2. “The days grow shorter, but there is still no darkness. The sun just hides a little longer below the northern horizon. Sunset colors linger until the sun rises again and follow a circular path around the top of the spinning world.” - from Arctic Lights, Arctic Nights Setting

3. The setting of a story, poem, or play is the time and placeof the action. Setting

4. Elements of Setting • Geographic locations • Seasons • Time of day • References to past, present, future • Historical eras • Culture

5. Descriptions of Setting Engage the Reader • Create a vivid mental pictureof location in space and time • Imagery and details create an atmosphere or mood • Elicits an emotional responsein the reader

6. “Dear Mrs. LaRue, Were you really so upset about the chicken pie? You know, you might have discussed it with me. You could have said, “Ike, don’t eat the chicken pie. I’m saving it for dinner.” Would that have been so difficult? It would have prevented a lot of hard feelings.” - from Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School Point of View

7. Point of view is the perspectivefrom which a story or poem is told. Point of View

8. Points of View Fiction Nonfiction Third-person objective • First person • Third-person limited • Third-person omniscient

9. First Person • One of the characters tells the story using the pronoun, “I”. • Example: “I ran the mile in gym class and was happy I finished in less than ten minutes. That’s a great time for me, but boy do I stink! I hope no one will notice the stench when I get to class. Oh no, I have math. I sit next to Jada, the cutest cheerleader on the squad!”

10. Third-Person Limited • A story is told through the eyes of a single character using pronouns, “he” or “she”. It is limited because the narrator tells the events from only that character’s point of view. • Example: “Justin ran the mile in gym class. He was happy to finish in less than ten minutes. He smelled foul and hoped that no one would notice the stench. When he arrived in math class, he thought he saw Jada move her seat away from him.”

11. Third-Person Omniscient • Someone outside the story is observing the characters and events and reporting what can be seen and heard. This all-knowing narrator can see into the hearts and minds of all the characters and show what they think and feel. • Justin was thinking about how happy he was when he ran the mile in under ten minutes. Although he was worried that he smelled, he headed to math class, where he saw Jada, the cutest cheerleader on the squad. Jada had no idea that Justin liked her and thought she was cute. All she knew was that he smelled, and she had to get away.

12. Third-Person Objective • Astory or event is related by someone who is not involved and who reports only what can be seen and heard. It doesnot show what characters think and feel. Often this point of view is used in newspaper articles, textbooks, and nonfiction works. • Justin ran the mile in less than ten minutes. He headed to math class and sat next to Jada, a cheerleader. She moved her desk away from him.

13. Point of View Helps the Reader… • Analyze characters • Understand the story • Consider and evaluate different characters’ perspectives • Consider and evaluate other people’s perspectives in the real world

14. “But no matter how much we begged, my dad would never come into the water.” - from Testing the Ice Plot

15. A plot is the underlying sequence of events to explain the “why” for things that happen in the story. The plot draws the reader into the characters’ lives and allows the read the understand the choices that the characters make. Plot

16. Plot • A plot’s structure is the way in which the story elements are arranged. • Writers compose their stories and vary the structure depending on the needs of the story. • Various story elements align with plot development.

17. Exposition • Takes place at beginning of the story. • The setting and characters are introduced. • The conflict or problem is introduced. The complication is the catalyst that originates the major conflict.

18. Rising Action • The characters attempt to solve the problem, but it usually gets worse. • Tension, suspense, or action build towards the climax.

19. Climax • The problem or conflict is at its worst, and the story reaches a critical point. • The turning point of the story then occurs. The characters aim to resolve the conflict or problem.

20. Falling Action • The characters begin to solve the problem.

21. Resolution/Denouement • Series of events that resolve or bring the story to a full close. • Conflict comes to an end, or the problem is solved.

22. Thinking Through Plot • Character’s goal • Problem or conflict • Events that hinder • Events that help • Resolution or outcome • What the character learns

23. Plot Acrostic • Problems face the protagonist. • Lots of events complicate the problem. • Obstacles arise. • Thoughtful solutions lead to achieving a goal or solving the problem.

24. Types of Plot Conflict Man vs. Man Man vs. Self A character’s struggle against his or her own emotions, conscience, or physical abilities Teen struggles over whether to report a classmate he saw cheating • A struggle between two characters • Student argues with another student over a seat in the cafeteria

25. Types of Plot Conflict Man vs. Nature Man vs. Machine A character’s struggle against a machine or tool Computer deletes a student’s entire report • A character’s struggle against weather, environment, time, geography, etc. • Man’s house is destroyed by hurricane

26. Types of Plot Conflict Man vs. Society Man vs. Beast A character’s struggle against a real or imaginary beast Prince fights an evil dragon to save princess • A character’s struggle against some societal or institutional injustice, oppression, unfairness, etc. • Convicted man appeals jury’s verdict he feels is unfair

27. Thinking Through Conflict • Describe the conflict • Reason conflict occurs • Resolution/outcome • Effect conflict has on character(s)

28. “I cunningly observed them from the office window and was surprised to see them simply cross the road to the grand hotel. The sheer nerve of it. Holding their secret F.P. Club meeting right on the paper’s doorstep. They probably think that’s the last place anyone would look. I’ve got to get inside that building and find out what they’re up to.” - from Scoop! An Exclusive Characterization

29. Characterization is the method an author employs to create a character. Characterization

30. Characterization Essentially the author uses six techniques to develop a character: • How characters interact with others • What the character says • What the character does • What the character thinks • What the character feels • What the character looks like

31. Characterization Analysis of characters involves: • Making inferences • Observing characters’ actions • Observing what characters learn • Observing how characters change in a story • How characters change can help determine theme of story

32. “Walking home from school, I knew how he felt, how lonely he must be. Maybe I should have said something to those mean kids.” - from Wings Theme

33. Theme refers to the underlying meaning or message of a literary work. A story can have more than one theme, and it can be implied or transparent. Theme

34. Theme The following are two ways an author can convey theme: • Affecting the reader’s feelings. Readers can explore text-to-self connections and ask themselves what the main character learns during the course of the story. • Using repeated words and phrases. Readers can look for repeated words and phrases within a character’s thoughts or in conversations between characters.

35. Theme • It’s important to note that topics such as friendship, loss, or acceptance are different than theme. • Topics can be described using one or two words. • Themesare expressed in complete sentences.

36. “Do you see those leaves blowing in the wind? They are torn from the trees like slave children are torn from their families.” - from Henry’s Freedom Box Foreshadowing

37. Foreshadowing is the author’s use of clues to hint at what might happen later in the story. Foreshadowing

38. Foreshadowing Writers use foreshadow to: • Build the reader’s expectations and create suspense • Add dramatic tension to a story by creating anticipation about what might happen next

39. Foreshadowing To identify foreshadowing in a text: • Be aware of details that are unusual or have emotional significance. • Look for phrases that appear to relate to the future • Observe changes in mood or setting. • Identify objects that appear to have symbolic connection to the story. • Notice foreboding statements the narrator or other characters make.

40. “My heels click faster and faster on the sidewalk. That sound pulls me back to that time not so many years ago. I drift back. And back some more…” - from Langston’s Train Ride Flashback

41. A flashback is a literary device in which an earlier episode , conversation, or event is inserted into the sequence of events. Many times flashbacks are presented as a memory of one of the characters. Flashback

42. Flashback Writers use flashback to: • Make a comparison between the present action and something that happened in the past • Provide additional background information about the characters or a situation

43. Flashback Consider: • How the flashback adds tension to the story • What the reader learns from the character’s past

44. “My abuelita is round. Robust, she says, like a calabaza. A pumpkin.” from – My Abuelita Figurative Language

45. Whenever authors describe something by comparing it with something else, they are employing figurative language. Figurative Language

46. Figurative Language Simile Metaphor A figure of speech that implies a comparison between two relatively unlike things • A figure of speech that involves a direct comparison between two unlike things, usually with the words like or as

47. Figurative Language Personification Hyperbole An exaggerated statement used to heighten effect and to emphasize a point • A figure of speech that gives the qualities or abilities of a person to an animal, object, or idea