...introduction to short stories what is a short story? - focuses on one event and has a limited number of characters - depend on the following literary elements theme, setting, character,plot setting - the time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting a) place- where is the action of the story taking place? b) time- when is the story taking place? c) weather conditions- is it rainy, sunny, stormy,etc? d) social conditions- what is the daily life of the characters like? e) mood or atmosphere- what feeling is created at the beginning of the story? is it bright and happy or dark and scary? characters -there are two types of main characters that one present in a short story: theme -a theme is the central message or purpose of the short story -examples: a) believe in yourself b) people are afraid of change plot -plot is the literary element that describes the structure of a story 1. introduction 2. rising action 3. climax 4. falling action 5. conclusion introduction - the start of the story - the situation before the action stats rising action - where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed climax - the most intense moment - the highest point of interest -the reader wonders what will happen next- will the conflict be resolved or not? falling action - all of the action which follows the climax - the events and complications begin to resolve...
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... Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical, cinematic or musical work. Fiction contrasts with non-fiction, which deals exclusively with factual (or, at least, assumed factual) events, descriptions, observations, etc. (e.g.,biographies, histories). Contents [hide] * 1 Types of fiction * 1.1 Realistic fiction * 1.2 Non-realistic fiction * 1.3 Semi-Fiction * 2 Elements of fiction * 2.1 Plot * 2.2 Exposition * 2.3 Foreshadowing * 2.4 Rising action * 2.5 Climax * 2.6 Falling action * 2.7 Resolution * 2.8 Conflict * 2.8.1 Types of conflict * 2.8.1.1 Person vs. self * 2.8.1.2 Person vs. person * 2.8.1.3 Person vs. society * 2.8.1.4 Person vs. nature * 2.8.1.5 Person vs. supernatural * 2.8.1.6 Person vs. machine/technology * 2.9 Character * 2.10 Methods of developing characters * 2.11 Symbolism * 2.12 Metaphor * 3 Types of plots * 3.1 Chronological order * 3.2 Flashback * 3.3 Setting * 3.4 Theme * 3.5 Style * 4 Categories * 5 Forms of fiction * 6 Uses of fiction * 7 See also * 8 Notes * 8.1 Footnotes * 8.2 Citations * 9 External links | ------------------------------------------------- ...
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...AC English 9 Unit Exam Study Guide Doehrmann First Nine Weeks Your unit exam will cover four short stories that can be found in your textbook. Specifically, by Thursday, you should have already read: “The Lady or the Tiger” “The Most Dangerous Game” “The Leap” “The Interlopers” “Blues Ain’t No Mockin Bird” “The Garden of Stubborn Cats” What will you need to know? Portions of the exam will assess reading comprehension. Be sure you thoroughly understand all of the stages of plot development for each story (TPPS, Rising Action, Climax, Resolution) Literary elements and reading strategies: Static and Dynamic characters, Suspense, Flashback, Dialect, Irony *3, Antagonist, Protagonist, Internal Conflict, External Conflict *3, Diction, TPPS = Exposition, Fiction, Imagery, Rising Action, Climax, Resolution, Science Fiction Vocabulary words as provided by the instructor How will your test be formatted? You can expect to see any combination of matching, true-false, multiple choice, and short answer questions. In addition, you should expect at least one essay question. Usually, I provide multiple essay options so you can choose one that best fits your writing talents. You will not take the same exam as your peers from the other AC English 9 class. A blind draw will be conducted to determine the order of exams. How can I prepare efficiently and effectively for this exam? 1 - Budget your time and activities between now and this...
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...emphasize and link words as well as to create pleasing, musical sounds. Example—the fair breeze blew, the white foam flew. Allusion: A reference to a well-known person, place, event, literary work, or work of art to enrich the reading experience by adding meaning. Characterization: Techniques a writer uses to create and develop a character by what: • he/she does or says, • other characters say about him/her, or how they react to him/her • the author reveals directly or through a narrator. Dialect: Speech that reflects pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar typical of a geographical region. Flashback: Interruption of the chronological (time) order to present something that occurred before the beginning of the story. Figurative Language: Language that has meaning beyond the literal meaning; also known as “figures of speech.” • • Simile: comparison of two things using the words “like” or “as,” e.g. “Her smile was as cold as ice.” Metaphor comparison of two things essentially different but with some commonalities; does not use “like” or “as,” e.g. “Her smile was ice.” • Hyperbole: a purposeful exaggeration for emphasis or humor. • Free Verse: Poetry that does not conform to a regular meter or rhyme scheme. Poets who write in free verse try to reproduce the natural rhythms of spoken language. Foreshadowing: Important hints that an author drops to prepare the reader for what is to come, and help the reader anticipate the...
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...Richard Connell wrote a short story named “The Most Dangerous Game” and skillfully controls the elements of it is what makes this story the interesting and exciting piece that it is. The exposition of the story is the first part of the carefully planned out sequence Connell has laid out. The climax is the most intriguing part of the story and really gets the reader excited. The resolution of the story is Connell’s strongest point and wraps up all the events. The way Richard Connell put the exposition, climax, and resolution together in the story makes it such an eventful, exciting, and lesson-learning experience. The beginning of the story (the exposition) begins with Rainsford having a conversation with his friend Whitney. Rainsford says to Whitney ““Don’t talk rot, you’re a big game hunter, not a philosopher. Who cares about how a jaguar feels?”” Then Whitney retorts with ““Perhaps the jaguar does.”” (Pg 60). The dialog in the start of the story is the dramatic effect that draws in the reader. The writing of the exposition, climax, and resolution in this story is truly fascinating and makes it extremely enjoyable to read....
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...LITERARY ANALYSIS ESSAY THE GIFT OF THE MAGI The Gift of the Magi is one of the most popular short stories by O. Henry, a pen name for William Sydney Porter - a renowned American author. Originally published in 1906, in O. Henry’s second collection of short stories, The Gift of the Magi which displays all of the major O. Henry traits in abundance has given him credit for his genuine talent. It has been retold in various forms since then, especially at Christmas time. The story is about a young poor couple, Jim and Della Dillingham Young, who each sells their most precious possession in order to buy a Christmas gift for their partner, but in doing so, they end up making each others gift worthless. The profound philosophy about love, generosity and gift-giving is successfully delivered to readers by O. Henry in part through a compelling plot and a unique point of view. A simply inspiring storyline with a clever twist ending, for which O. Henry is well-known, helps bring the short story a huge success. Despite some different attitudes on fundamental plot elements which should be included in a great story, Freytag’s idea of five key parts – exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement, is predominant. These factors are also apparently demonstrated in The Gift of the Magi. In the phase of exposition, James Dillingham Young, also called Jim, and his wife, Della, are introduced as a poor young couple living in New York. Even so, there are...
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...essay on Annie Proulx's "Job Story" Choices are something we all make. Not necessarily important choices, but there will always be a time to make them. It's not always good choices, but they have to be made. There will always be consequences, whether it's bad or good. Throughout the story, Leeland Lee has to make a lot of choices. Where to live, where to work and when to work. All the different choices he made, put him in the position he is now. Leeland Lee is an awkward-looking young boy. His face is heavily boned, which he has gotten from his mom, his neck is quite thick and he has red-gold hair. His eyes are as pouchy as a middle-aged alcoholic. His nose is broad and lays close to his face. Lori Bovee is Leeland Lee's wife. She has an undistinguished oval face, and hair of medium length. Leeland Lee is the protagonist of the story, because he is the main character. I would say Leeland is a flat and static character as he is an endless optimist. He doesn't give up when it comes to finding a new job, and despite his wife dying he still gets a job at Unique Eats. The reason he is a static character is because he doesn't change at all. After getting several different jobs he doesn't change anything, after his mom and wife dies he doesn't change one single thing except the fact he isn't listening to the radio anymore, but since that have been an important factor of the story all along, it can also show a lot about how he has changed. The story starts November 17, 1947...
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..."The Necklace" in a number of ways. Both are the protagonist of the story. Maitre Hauchecome was accused of stealing a pocketbook from someone and Madame Loisel lost her friend’s expensive diamond necklace. In both cases, the characters do not have an item they should have had in their possession or accused of having. Nevertheless, Maitre Hauchecome is angered when he realizes that nobody believes him for not having the missing item with him, while Madame Loisel feels deep distress and anxiety about loosing her item. Maitre Hauchecome also somewhat acts like Monsieur Loisel because he appears to be a caring, gentle, poor man who tries to please people. The characters reacted to their situations differently. In "The Piece of String," Maitre Fortune Houlbreque resembles Madame Forestier in "The Necklace" because Maitre Fortune Houlbreque lost a pocketbook and Madame Forestier’s friend lost her diamond necklace; both characters were missing an item. Also, Maitre Malandain from "The Piece of String" and Monsieur Loisel from "The Necklace" are characters who are quite different; Maitre Malandain told people that Maitre Hauchecome was guilty of the crime against him; he didn’t want to help him at all. Monsieur Loisel bent over backwards to help find the diamond necklace her wife lost and even helped to pay for the replacement. As you can tell, there are many differences and similarities between the two short stories. The plot of "The Piece of String" goes as follows. Maitre Hauchecome...
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...In Raymond Carver’s story Cathedral, our narrator recounts his first meeting with a blind man using a first-person point of view, “the main character is telling the story from their point of view and of course using the 'I' form. This viewing of events largely through a character's eyes is called an internal point of view. We may not experience everything they do but events are mostly seen through their eyes, with an insight into their thoughts and feelings and often with comments on the situation,” (Sanger, 1998, pg 13). Robert is no ordinary blind man though, he and the narrator’s wife are friends and Robert has come for an overnight stay. “This blind man, an old friend of my wife’s, he was on his way to spend the night,” (cited in Clugston, 2010, sec. 8.3, para 2). The narrator initially sets the theme of the story with his stereotype of blindness, “My idea of blindness came from movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to,” (cited in Clugston, 2010, sec. 8.3, para 2). The narrator’s stereotypical thoughts continue throughout the story, “I remember having read somewhere that the blind didn’t smoke because, as speculation had it, they couldn’t see the smoke they exhaled. I thought I knew that much and that much only about blind people. But this blind man smoked his cigarette down to the nubbin and then lit another one,” (cited in Clugston,...
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...Short Story Comparison The Monkey's Paw The movie compared to the short story of the Monkey's Paw has many differences. The scenes, characters the humor and dialogue all altered. The director improved the story of the Monkey's Paw in the movie by adding more scenes and the characters had more personality. The music played in the movie added more suspense too. Specific scenes where different moods were set, created that suspense. The humor used with Herbert was not used in the short story. Herbert picked at Mr.White about the monkey paw being a myth and not being real. The irony showed in that is after Herbert picked fun at his father. After Herbert made a remark then left for work that very morning after the White's wished for five hundred pounds. Herbert got in a horrific accident that day at work. The accident kills him. Later that day a mysterious man arrives at the Whites with the news of their sons death and a letter payment for them from the factory. The payment was five hundred pounds. This bringing the story to its climax after the first wish being made. The music and the actors show more suspense, leaving the watchers think. What's going to happen next? Was it a coincidence they received five hundred pounds? Is the monkey's paw really cursed? The characters in the movie were all the same except a couple were changed in the movie. Sargent Major in the short story came to the Whites to visit because it had been twenty years since he had visited. He was a heavy drinker...
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...The story, Into the Gorge by Ron Rash, was a suspense story. According to Starkey's checklist a well written story should follow several guide lines. Some of these guide lines are specified for the structure and the designed of the story. First, the story should start at the most opportune moment. In this story, Rash started with the background of the main character and highlighted a foreshadowing story of the main character aunt's death. This beginning resembled the rising action of the story and foreshadowed the falling action. Even though the conflict was not fully introduced in the beginning as Starkey's checklist mentioned, it helped in introducing the climax and introduce the main character. Second, the story's conflict must be immediately...
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...death on the railroad and how carefully they will need to deliver this news to her. Rising Action - • Mrs. Mallard wept for her husband right away while other wives refused to accept their husbands deaths. • After weeping she went on to her room alone and was looking out the window taking in the nature. The smell of the rain, the look of the small patches of blue sky, the trees, and the new spring of life coming together. • She was transfixed into a long gaze of looking at the blue sky into a deep in thought. • She was afraid of the realization that was coming over her as she tried to fight it. • Finally she was unable to fight this realization anymore and came to find that she was finally free. Climax - • As soon as Mrs. Ballard came to accept this realization and full embraced it in comes her husband alive walking through the front door. He happened to be far away from the awful tragedy that happened. • When Mrs. Ballard's sister laid eyes on Mr. Ballard she gave out a long piercing cry while unsuccessfully, Richards tries to shield Mrs. Ballard from seeing her husband. Resolution - • When the doctors arrived they had said Mrs. Ballard died of a heart disease, one of joy that kills. I have started my plot diagram off with the exposition because it starts out with the first two problems that will occur within the story. Which then goes into the rising action of the story of how Mrs. Ballard first mourns her husband's death but then soon comes to the realization...
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...author. Vonnegut began his literary career with science fiction short stories and novels. One of the most famous his work is “Harrison Bergeron” It is a fantasy with elements of science fiction. Vonnegut shows us America in 2081 where all people are mentally, physically, and socially equal. He focuses on everyone is equal in beauty, strength, religion, and sex. In the exposition everything surprise us – 2081 year, everybody is equal and rather unusual family - George and Hazel Bergeron, two people whose son, Harrison, has been arrested by the government. They are watching ballet and don’t mind about it. Things start getting interesting and the rising action starts when Hazel starts think about the changes in the world. Then suddenly ballet was interrupted for a new bulletin. The ballerina says that Harrison Bergeron, 14 years old boy (who is Georg and Hazel’s son) escaped from the prison. The highest point of action is when Harrison appeared in his few moments of freedom; he takes a ballerina as his Empress, frees her from her mask, and defies gravity by flying into the air and kissing the ceiling of the auditorium. But after it he was dead by the Handicapper General. We understand the resolution of the story when everything's back to normal. We see that for George and Hazel, nothing actually happened. The story is written for mass-readers. Here is showed the conflict man vs man. For this excellent short story, the key theme is how human freedom has been curtailed in order...
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...In the short story, “the Lady or the Tiger,” the author uses plot structure to develop the unique writing style. For instance, the author does not use a traditional plot structure. The author creates his unique writing by ending the story right after the climax. In “The Lady or the Tiger” the author writes, “Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door on the right, and opened it,” (9). At this point, it is the climax of the story, and the author does not continue on such as a normal story would. In a normal story there would be an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and a resolution. “The Lady or the Tiger” contains the first three, but not a falling action or resolution. Similarly, the author does include a resolution....
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...Imagine a blast from the past while looking through the eyes of 3 southern women in the 60’s. 2 of which are African American maids who are confronted by a young white news reporter looking to do an article on the maids or as they are referred to in the book and the movie “The Help”. The transfer from book to movie in The Help has kept a similar plot, while a few character traits weren’t described in the movie all of the names the physical descriptions stayed overall the same. To start off a couple differences in the movie are some character traits. Skeeter in the book seems a lot more independent or ‘free’ to say the least compared to the movie where she was more clingy to her mom. Another thing that stuck out to me was the way Minny left...
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