Literary Elements

Literary Elements

Plot Introduction: setting and characters are met Inciting Incident: conflict is introduced Rising Action: crises occur Climax: turning point in the central conflict

Conflict A struggle between two opposing forces Man vs Man Sometimes the main character is an animal Man vs Woman Man vs Self Man vs Nature Man vs Society

Types of conflict A conflict is internal when it takes place within the mind of the character A conflict is external when it takes place against an outside force

Setting The time and place of the action of the story

Theme The central message that readers can apply to life Stated Theme: expressed directly Implied Theme: revealed gradually Look at experiences of main character and lessons he/she learns

Character An individual in a literary work Round Character shows varied traits Flat Character reveals only one personality trait Dyamic - changes for better or worse Static - remains the same

Protagonist The hero or main character in a story

Antagonist An opponent or rival of the hero or protagonist

Mood The emotional quality or atmosphere of a story The graphic details of the setting and a character help to establish the mood

Tone The author's creation of a mood in the reader

Point of view First Person - the narrator tells the story from the "I" point of view Two Types of Third Person Third Person - the writer tells the story describing characters as "he" & "she" or "they" Omniscient - the narrator knows, tells, and sees all Limited - the story is told from the perspective of one character whose information is restricted to what he/she hears, sees and feel

Flashback Going back in time to present incidents that happened before the beginning of a story

Foreshadowing Giving a hint of something to come

Motif A word or idea that is repeated throughout a literary work Words Ideas

Symbol An object, person, place, or experience that means more than what it is Examples of symbols could include: flag -patriotism red - anger heart - love

Irony A contrast or discrepancy between appearance and reality, or between what is expected and what actually happens

Types of Irony 1. Situational Irony - outcome is opposite of someone's expectations 2. Verbal Irony - a person says one thing and means another 3. Dramatic Irony - audience has important information that the characters do not have

Samples of Irony Explain the irony in each of the pictures below:

Imagery Using words to create vivid mental pictures in the mind of the reader Often appeals to sight, sound, taste or smell Of Example: The tree roots clutched the ground like gnarled fingers (also contains personification and simile)

Metaphor Making a comparison but not using “like” or “as”; direct comparison of unlike things

Allusion A reference to a well-known character, place, or situation from history or a work of literature, music or art

Onomatopoeia Figurative language where the words sound like the things they name

Oxymoron A contradictory combination of words Example: jumbo shrimp, sweet sorrow, bitter-sweet, dear enemy

Simile Making a comparison using “like” or “as”

Personfication Giving human characteristics to things that are not human Examples: the leaves danced the sun smiled the thunder growled

Personficiation Tell which movies are an example of personification

Hyperbole An exaggeration or overstatement for emphasis Example: I'm so tired, I could sleep for years "Worsley has mosquitoes so big that we dry them out and use them as footstools!"

Literary Elements