Story Elements Characters Setting Plot (Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution) Theme Conflict Point of View

1
Story ElementsCharactersSettingPlot
(Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling
Action, Resolution) ThemeConflictPoint of View
2
Characters
A dynamic character is one who goes through a
personality change due to the events in the
story. A static character is one whose
personality does not change throughout the story.
3
Round Characters
A round character is one whose personality,
background, motives, and other features are fully
described or explained by the author. In general,
main characters are round because many insights
are given.
4
Flat Characters
A flat character is one who is not fully
described but is useful in carrying out some
narrative purpose of the author. They tend to be
minor characters.
5
Dynamic and Round
In most books the main character is both dynamic
and round.
6
Round and Static
Characters can be round and static. For example,
think about the character James Bond. We know a
great deal about this characters personality
(round), yet he does not go through an inner
personality change from the beginning to the end
of the story (static). Often the side-kick in a
story is round and static.
7
Dynamic and Flat
Characters cannot be dynamic and flat, because in
a flat character we do not know enough about them
to recognize a change.
8
Dynamic or StaticRound or Flat
Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens's A
Christmas Carol
9
Dynamic and Round
10
Dynamic or Static Round or Flat
Robin from Batman
11
Static and Round
12
Setting

• The setting of a story includes the time and
  place in which the story takes place. Some
  stories may have more than one setting.

13
Setting

• THE LION AND THE MOUSE by Aesop
• A lion asleep in his den was wakened by
  a mouse running over his face. Losing his temper,
  he seized it with his paw and was about to kill
  it. The mouse, terrified, pleaded to the lion to
  spare its life. "Please let me go," it cried,
  "and one day I will repay you for your kindness."
  The idea of so small a creature ever being able
  to do anything for him amused the lion so much
  that he laughed aloud and let it go. But the
  mouse's chance came after all. One day the lion
  got tangled in a net. The mouse heard the lions
  roars of distress and ran to help. Without
  hesitation it set to work to gnaw the ropes with
  its teeth and succeeded before long in setting
  the lion free. "There!" said the mouse, You
  laughed at me when I promised I would repay you,
  but now you see that even a mouse can help a
  lion." What is the most likely setting for this
  fable?
• a zoo
• a savannah
• a desert
• a swamp

14
First-Person Point of View
In the first-person point of view one character
tells the story. This character reveals only
personal thoughts and feelings of what s/he sees.
The writer uses pronouns such as "I, "me,
mine, or "my". ExampleI woke up this morning
feeling terrific. I hopped out of bed excited to
start the new day. I knew that today was the day
my big surprise would come.
15
Second-Person Point of View
With the second-person point of view the narrator
tells the story using the pronoun "you".  The
character is someone similar to you.
ExampleYou wake up feeling really terrific.
Then you hop out of bed excited to start the new
day. You know that today is the day that your big
surprise will come. This is rarely used in
literature. It can be seen in Choose Your Own
Adventure books.
16
Third-Person Point of View
The third-person point of view is the most
commonly used in fiction. When writing in the
third-person you will use pronouns such as "he",
"she", or "it". ExampleBrian woke up feeling
terrific. He hopped out of bed excited to start
the new day. He knew that today was the day that
his big surprise would come.
17
1st, 2nd, or 3rd Point of View
Excerpt from Woodsong by Gary PaulsenI go up to
the front of the team in the darkness and drag
them around, realizing we are lost. My clothes
have been ripped on tree limbs and my face is
bleeding from cuts, and when I look back down the
side of the mountain we have just climbed I see
twenty-seven head lamps bobbing up the trail.
Twenty-seven teams have taken our smell as the
valid trail and are following us. Twenty-seven
teams must be met head on in the narrow brush and
passed and told to turn around.
18
Conflict
Conflict is the struggle between the opposing
forces on which the action in a work of
literature depends. In short stories, there is
usually one major conflict. In longer stories,
there could be several conflicts.
19
Conflict

• There are two forms of conflict
• 1. INTERNAL CONFLICT
• Person vs. Self
• 2. EXTERNAL CONFLICT
• Person vs. Person
• Person vs. the Environment
• Person vs. Technology
• Person vs. Society

20
Person vs. Person
A person vs. person conflict is between two forms
of like beings. Examples From Where the Red Fern
Grows - Billy and his dogs are attacked by a
mountain lion, and they must do everything they
can to survive. From Weasel -Nathan is captured
by Weasel, an Indian fighter. Earlier in the
book, Weasel had attacked Nathan's pa, had taken
away Pas riffle, and had killed the farm animals.
21
Person vs. Self
In a person vs. self conflict the main character
has a problem within him/herself. Examples From
WeaselNathan spends the winter months struggling
with his conscious. Should he go back to Weasels
cabin to seek revenge or forget about Weasel?
22
Person vs. the Environment
In a person vs. the environment conflict a
character is struggling against the forces of
nature. Example From Where the Red Fern Grows -
Little Ann and Old Dan tree a coon in the
tallest tree in the river bottoms. From Where the
Red Fern Grows - Billy enters the championship
coon hunt and encounters the snowstorm.
23
Person vs. Technology
In a person vs. technology conflict, a character
has a problem with robots or machines. Example Fro
m Hatchet - Brian flying the airplane after the
pilot dies.
24
Plot

• The plot is the story that is told in a novel,
  play, or movie. The plot has five components.
• Plot Structure Components
• Exposition
• Rising Action
• Climax
• Falling Action
• Resolution

25
Exposition

• The exposition is the introduction of the
  story. It contains the setting, introduces the
  main characters, and gives background
  information. It is the information needed to
  understand a story.

26
Rising Action

• The rising action is the portion of the story
  where a character tries to solve the conflict.
  This is the longest part of the story.

27
Climax

• The climax is the tensest moment of the story.
  It is the turning point in the story that occurs
  when characters try to resolve the complication.

28
Falling Action

• The falling action is where the characters
  begin to apply a solution to the conflict and tie
  up loose ends.

29
Resolution

• The resolution is how everything turns out in
  the story. It is the set of events that bring the
  story to a close.

30
Assignment Answer Key
31
Theme
The theme is the insight about life or human
nature that the writer shares with the reader. It
is usually not stated directly, but must be
inferred. The theme is the message of a story.
Ask yourself this question. What should you learn
from the story?
32
Practice with Theme

• THE LION AND THE MOUSEby AesopA lion asleep in
  his den was wakened by a mouse running over his
  face. Losing his temper, he seized it with his
  paw and was about to kill it. The mouse,
  terrified, pleaded to the lion to spare its life.
  "Please let me go," it cried, "and one day I will
  repay you for your kindness." The idea of so
  small a creature ever being able to do anything
  for him amused the lion so much that he laughed
  aloud and let it go. But the mouse's chance came
  after all. One day the lion got tangled in a net.
  The mouse heard the lions roars of distress and
  ran to help. Without hesitation it set to work to
  gnaw the ropes with its teeth and succeeded
  before long in setting the lion free. "There!"
  said the mouse, "you laughed at me when I
  promised I would repay you but now you see that
  even a mouse can help a lion."
• What is the theme of the story "The Lion and the
  Mouse?"
• hunter's net cannot hold a lion for long.
• A mouse is good at chewing things.
• Lions and mice make good pets.
• Size doesn't matter when doing a good deed.

33

• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (excerpt)L. Frank
  BaumDorothy lived in the midst of the great
  Kansas prairies, with Uncle Henry, who was a
  farmer, and Aunt Em, who was the farmer's
  wife.Their house was small, for the lumber to
  build it had to be carried by wagon many miles.
  There were four walls, a floor and a roof, which
  made one room and this room contained a rusty
  looking cookstove, a cupboard for the dishes, a
  table, three or four chairs, and the beds. Uncle
  Henry and Aunt Em had a big bed in one corner,
  and Dorothy a little bed in another corner.
• What is the theme of the passage?
• the plain life of a prairie farm family
• the things found in a home on the prairie
• building a prairie home
• living away from your parents

34

• The Fox and the Goat by Aesop (paraphrased)
       
• One day a fox fell into a deep well and
  could not escape. A goat, very thirsty, came to
  the same well. When the goat saw the fox, he
  asked if the water was good. The fox, hiding his
  unfortunate problem by being cheerful, said the
  water was excellent. He encouraged the goat to
  jump down. The goat, paying attention to only his
  thirst, jumped down without thinking. Just as he
  drank, the fox told him of the difficulty they
  were both in and suggested an idea for their
  escape. "If," said he, "you will place your front
  feet upon the wall and bend your head, I will run
  up your back and escape, and will help you out
  afterwards." The goat gladly agreed, and the fox
  leaped upon his back. Steadying himself with the
  goat's horns, he safely reached the mouth of the
  well and made off as fast as he could. When the
  goat scolded the fox for breaking his promise,
  the fox turned around and cried out, "You foolish
  old fellow! If you had thought before you jumped
  into the well, you would never have gone down
  before you knew how to get back up, and you would
  not have exposed yourself to dangers from which
  you had no means of escape."
• Choose the best answer. What is a universal
  theme in this story?
• Look before you leap.
• Be kind to your enemy.
• Slow and steady wins the race.
• Do not attempt too much at once.

35
Theme
One way to determine the theme is to make a T
Chart. On the left write the theme. On the left
give examples to show this theme.
36
Theme Using Hatchet
Theme Proof (Evidence)
Never give up - Determination
Brian kept flying the plane and radioing for help
after the pilot died. Brian hunted and searched
for food. Brian built a shelter to protect
himself from the elements. Brian kept working
until he was able to get inside the plane to get
the emergency pack.
37
Theme Using Weasel
Theme Proof (Evidence)
Nathan hunts down the violent and disturbed man,
but when the opportunity to strike arises, he
realizes that such violence would make him no
better than the assailant he has been hunting
seeking revenge vs. moral choices
38
Assignment Answer Key

• Survival
• Overcoming prejudices

39
(No Transcript)
40
Theme Using Number the Stars
Theme Proof (Evidence)
Do anything to help a friend.
Annemarie