LAE 241 Literary Elements: Plot,
Character, Tone, and Conflict
Literacy Element
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Plot is simply the sequence of events, or how things happen in a story.
Every piece of literature has a plot.
Questions-On the FCAT plot questions will be about what happened in the passage. The questions will try
to figure out if you understand the events of the story. Included in plot questions can be questions on
setting and time.
To understand the plot you must know how the story is developed by the following
Events-important things that happen.
Problem- a difficult situation.
Rising Action-the problem or series of conflicts that build together the climax.
Falling Action-the steps that lead to the solution to the problem.
Solution/Resolution-the outcome that brings the story to a close.
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Setting is the time and place of the action.
The setting can be specific (day of the week, the month, the season, or the year) OR can be general (the
past, present, or future.The place can be specific (town, city, or country) OR general (someone’s house in
a small town).
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Theme is the message that the author is trying to convey to the reader.
The author rarely comes right out and tells you the message of what he or she is writing. Instead, you
need to interpret the theme through your reading and understanding of the plot, characters, conflict, and
tone. The theme is very much like the purpose in a piece of informational text.
Poem-’Richard Cory’
”Richard Cory”
by Edwin Arlington Robinson, from Children of the Night
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean flavored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich-yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace
In fine we thought that he was everything;
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
Questions-Plot and Theme
1)
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean flavored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked.
Answer: (A)
Literary Element-Plot
The townspeople “cursed the bread” because that was
all that they had to eat. Bread was for the poor and
meat was for the rich; they had not meat. They were
poor—unlike Richard Cory.
2)
And he was rich-yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace
In fine we thought that he was everything;
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
Why did the townspeople “curse the bread”?
a) because that is all they had to eat
b) because they did not have any bread
c) because they were waiting for the light
d) because they wanted Richard to bring them bread
What is the theme of the poem “Richard Cory”?
f) Greedy people are very bad people.
g) Money does not equal happiness.
h) The poor sometimes murder the rich.
I) Money causes people to commit suicide.
Answer: (G)
Literary Element-Theme
The theme of the poem is that money does not equal
happiness; Richard Cory shot himself even through he
had a great deal of money. Obviously, his money did
not make him happy, as the townspeople through that
it did.
Characters
 Characters are the people in the story. Characters come in
many different forms such as animals like in Charlotte’s Web,
fantasy creatures such as those in the Harry Potter books, or
machines/robots like in Terminator. How the characters interact
with each other is often what makes the story interesting and
creates conflicts or problems. Characters sometimes also
change within a story. Look for this development as you read.
There may be questions about how the characters have
changed and/or grown. Look for clues about the characters,
including:
 1) How the characters dress and look
 2) What the characters say—or what other characters say
about them.
3) How the characters act and interact
Questions-Character
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean flavored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich-yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace
In fine we thought that he was everything;
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
Questions
Use the poem “Richard Cory” to answer the
following questions on character.
1) What did the townspeople think of Richard
Cory?
a) They thought that he was just an
ordinary guy.
b) They wished that they could be in
his place.
c) They thought he should share his
money with them.
d) They wondered if he should check
into a mental hospital.
Answer (B)
Literacy Elements—Character
The townspeople wanted to be like
Richard Cory.They greatly admired
him and his money.
Short Answer Questions-Character
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean flavored, and imperially slim.
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And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich-yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace
In fine we thought that he was everything;
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
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Literary Element—Character
1) Describe the character of Richard Cory as
the “people of the pavement” saw him. Use
details from the poem to support you ideas.
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Answer
The townspeople or “people of the pavement”
saw Richard Cory as kinglike. They described
him as a gentleman “from sole to crown,” or
head t toe, and “imperially slim.” Both are
allusions to his kingliness. Another aspect of his
kinglike personality was his wealthy; he
“glittered when he walked” and was “richer than
a king.” The townspeople also saw Richard as
friendly and personable.
Questions-Character
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean flavored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich-yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace
In fine we thought that he was everything;
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
3) Who is the narrator of the poem?
f) a king
g) the author
h) Richard Cory
i) the townspeople
Answer (i)
Literacy Elements—Character
The “narrator” is the person who is
telling the story. In this case, that person
is the townspeople, “We people on the
pavement.”
Short Answer Question-Character
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean flavored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich-yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace
In fine we thought that he was everything;
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
Literary Element—Compare and Contrast on Characters
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4) Use details from the poem to compare and contrast
the lives of Richard Cory and the lives of the
townspeople.
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Answer
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The lives of the townspeople and the life of Richard Cory
were very different. The townspeople have very little.
They worked hard for the little that they did have and
“waited for the light”—for the time that they could finally
do more than just get by. They did not even have enough
money to buy meat! Richard, on the other hand, had
more than enough; in fact, he was “richer than a king.”
The townspeople wished that they could be in his place,
have his life. We do not know if the townspeople were
happy, but we know that Richard was not; he had learned
that money does not buy happiness.
Setting
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Setting is a story element that tells the reader when and where the story takes place. In some
stories, the setting is explicitly stated, while in others, it needs to be inferred. Setting can be
complex, with flashbacks or flash-forwards in time.
Flashbacks-when a story goes back in time
Flash-forwards-when a story goes ahead in time
Purpose: Knowing about setting, time and place, helps you better understand events and
characters’ behaviors.
Setting refers to the place and time of a story. For example, if we were going to write a story about
today’s class, how would you describe the setting? What details would help someone picture the
mood, or feeling, in our class right before a big test?
Identifying the Setting:
1) Look at the cover and any illustration.
2) To identify where the story takes place, ask yourself, “What words help me imagine what the
place looks like?”
3) To identify the time, ask yourself, “Is it long ago, in the future, or in the present?”
4) Pay attention to any changes in the setting, such as flashback or flash-forward, and how they
affect the story.
Think of a place. How can a place affect our mood in the way a setting can affect a character?
Authors describe the setting to help us understand the change in mood.
Setting “The Names” by Billy Collins
Yesterday, I lay awake in the palm of the night.
A soft rain stole in, unhelped by any breeze,
And when I saw the silver glaze on the windows,
I started with A, with Ackerman, as it happened,
Then Baxter and Calabro,
Davis and Eberling, names falling into place
As droplets fell through the dark.
Names printed on the ceiling of the night.
Names slipping around a watery bend.
Twenty-six willows on the banks of a stream.
In the morning, I walked out barefoot
Among thousands of flowers
Heavy with dew like the eyes of tears,
And each had a name—
Fiori inscribed on a yellow petal
Then Gonzalez and Han, Ishikawa and Jenkins.
Names written in the air
And stitched into the cloth of the day.
A name under a photograph taped to a mailbox.
Monogram on a torn shirt,
I see you spelled out on a storefront windows.
And on the bright unfurled awnings of this city.
I say the syllables as I turn a corner—
Kelly and Lee
Medina, Nardella, and O’Connor.
“The Names” by Billy Collins
When I peer into the woods
I see a thick tangle where letters are hidden
As in a puzzle concocted for children.
Parker and Quigley in the twigs of an ash,
Rizzo, Schubert, Torres, and Upton,
Secrets in the boughs of an ancient maple.
Names written in the pale sky.
Names rising in the updraft amid buildings.
Names silent in stone
Or cried out behind a door.
Names blown over the earth and out to sea.
In the evening—weakening light, the last swallows.
A boy on a lake lifts his oars.
A woman by a window puts a match to a candle,
And the names are outlined on the rose clouds—
Vanacore and Wallace,
(let X stand, if it can for the ones unfound)
Then Young and Ziminsky, the final jolt of Z.
“The Names” by Billy Collins
Names etched on the head of a pin.
One name spanning a bridge, another undergoing a tunnel.
A blue name needled into the skin.
Names of citizens, workers, mothers and fathers,
The bright-eyed daughter, the quick son.
Alphabet of names in green rows in a field.
Names in the small tracks of birds.
Names lifted from a hat
Or balanced on the tip of the tongue.
Names wheeled into the dim warehouse of memory.
So many names, there is barely room on the walls of the heart.
Mood and Symbolism“The Names” by Billy Collins
Yesterday, I lay awake in the palm of the night.
A soft rain stole in, unhelped by any breeze,
And when I saw the silver glaze on the windows,
I started with A, with Ackerman, as it happened,
Then Baxter and Calabro,
Davis and Eberling, names falling into place
As droplets fell through the dark.
Names printed on the ceiling of the night.
Names slipping around a watery bend.
Twenty-six willows on the banks of a stream.
In the morning, I walked out barefoot
Among thousands of flowers
Heavy with dew like the eyes of tears,
And each had a name—
Fiori inscribed on a yellow petal
Then Gonzalez and Han, Ishikawa and Jenkins.
Names written in the air
And stitched into the cloth of the day.
A name under a photograph taped to a mailbox.
Monogram on a torn shirt,
I see you spelled out on a storefront windows.
And on the bright unfurled awnings of this city.
I say the syllables as I turn a corner—
Kelly and Lee
Medina, Nardella, and O’Connor.
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How can you tell when someone is in a good or bad
mood?
Poems and stories also have moods.
The mood is the overall feeling or atmosphere a
poem or story creates. Authors include details,
descriptions, and words to create a mood.
The third stanza imagines thousands of flowers
“heavy with dew like the eyes of tears.” What does
this make you think about?
This makes me think about thousands of people
who died. It seems sad, yet pays respect to the
victims with a beautiful image.
What is the mood of this poem? Circle any words
and phrases that reflect the mood of the story.
Mood and Symbolism“The Names” by Billy Collins
Yesterday, I lay awake in the palm of the night.
A soft rain stole in, unhelped by any breeze,
And when I saw the silver glaze on the windows,
I started with A, with Ackerman, as it happened,
Then Baxter and Calabro,
Davis and Eberling, names falling into place
As droplets fell through the dark.
Names printed on the ceiling of the night.
Names slipping around a watery bend.
Twenty-six willows on the banks of a stream.
In the morning, I walked out barefoot
Among thousands of flowers
Heavy with dew like the eyes of tears,
And each had a name—
Fiori inscribed on a yellow petal
Then Gonzalez and Han, Ishikawa and Jenkins.
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Names written in the air
And stitched into the cloth of the day.
A name under a photograph taped to a mailbox.
Monogram on a torn shirt,
I see you spelled out on a storefront windows.
And on the bright unfurled awnings of this city.
I say the syllables as I turn a corner—
Kelly and Lee
Medina, Nardella, and O’Connor.
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Identify symbolism within the poem.
A symbol is something that has meaning in itself,
but also stands for something else.
Symbolism comes in many forms. The stars on the
American flag stand for each of the states. The bald
eagle is our national symbol of freedom. These, and
other symbols, are printed on U.S. coins and bills.
Symbolism in a poem or story can be a person,
object, or an idea that has two meanings:1)literal, or
basic meaning, and 2) a meaning which is used in a
different way than usual.
Read the third stanza:
The flowers symbolize the thousands of people who
died.
The poet includes one name for every letter of the
alphabet. What does this symbolize?
Poet’s Use of Imagery
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In the morning, I walked out barefoot
Among thousands of flowers
Heavy with dew like the eyes of tears,
And each had a name—
Fiori inscribed on a yellow petal
Then Gonzalez and Han, Ishikawa and Jenkins.
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Identify the poet’s use of imagery.
Imagery is a combination of descriptive words and
phrases that creates vivid images, or pictures, in the
reader’s mind. Imagery appeals to the senses. It
helps us feel like we can see, hear, smell, and taste
things we read about.
Reread the third stanza.
There is lots of imagery here. I can feel myself
walking barefoot among the flowers, my feet wet
and cold. I can see many bright colors—red, yellow,
pink, purple. I can even smell the fresh aroma of all
kinds of flowers.
Reread the poem silently and circle an example of
imagery that you particulary like. Share how each
appeals to your senses.
Symbolism
When I peer into the woods
I see a thick tangle where letters are hidden
As in a puzzle concocted for children.
Parker and Quigley in the twigs of an ash,
Rizzo, Schubert, Torres, and Upton,
Secrets in the boughs of an ancient maple.
Names written in the pale sky.
Names rising in the updraft amid buildings.
Names silent in stone
Or cried out behind a door.
Names blown over the earth and out to sea.
In the evening—weakening light, the last swallows.
A boy on a lake lifts his oars.
A woman by a window puts a match to a candle,
And the names are outlined on the rose clouds—
Vanacore and Wallace,
(let X stand, if it can for the ones unfound)
Then Young and Ziminsky, the final jolt of Z.
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Symbolism can have a literal, or basic,
meaning and a meaning that is used in a
different way than usual.
What does the narrator let X stand for?
Why is the letter X an appropriate symbol
for the “ones unfound.”
The “ones unfound” must be the victims
who could not be identified. X seems like a
good symbol for these victims since it is
often used to indicate something unknown.
Also, the poet may have used this letter
since there are few actual names that start
with X.
Tone
Read the following statement enthusiastically, honestly, and truthfully:
Wow! I really like those shoes!
Now read the following statement sarcastically with the emphasis on the
word, “really”.
Wow! I really like those shoes!
Just by changing your tone of voice, the meaning of what you are saying
changes. The same is true with literature. You need to practice
hearing the tones as you read.
Use the poem “Richard Cory” to answer the following question on
tone as well as practice question on context clues.
”Richard Cory”
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean flavored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good-morning,” and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich-yes, richer than a king—
And admirably schooled in every grace
In fine we thought that he was everything;
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
1)
What is the overall tone of the poem?
a)
sad
b)
dreary
c)
humorous
d)
matter-of-fact
Literary Characteristics—Tone
Answer (d)
Although the subject matter of this poem is quite
sad, the tone in which is expressed is very
much matter-of-fact, without much emotion put
forth at all.
2) The first stanza of the poem states,
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.
What does the word “imperially” mean in this
sentence?
f)
kingly
g)
happily
h)
extremely
i)
impressively
Words and Phrases
Answer (f)
The word “imperially” means “kingly.” The reference
to “crown” should help you figure this out.
Conflict
Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces. Conflict is a very important element.
In many cases, conflict creates the interest and excitement in a piece of literature. Conflict
involves two things that are, in some way, fighting against each other. There are different
types of conflict; below are the four types.
 Person vs. Persons: Two people in conflict, can be physical, emotional, verbal.
 Person vs. Society: A person in conflict with some element that is valued by society (i.e.,
money, fame, morals)
 Person vs. Nature: A person in conflict with some element of nature, could be an animal,
weather, fire, and so on
 Person vs. Him/Herself: A person in conflict or struggling with some inner element, some
element of himself or herself, perhaps a decision or an emotion.
Questions about conflict would ask, Who is it between?, or How is it resolved? The resolution
of a conflict is simply the way the conflict (or problem) is resolved (or solved). When
answering these types of questions, ask yourself what things are struggling against one
another and how the struggle is finally ended.
Conflict
Read the following situations, and on the lines below, identify the conflict. Then decide on a resolution of your own.
1)
The tornado was bearing down on the little Central Florida town. In the Brown household, all of the family members were
peacefully sleeping, completely oblivious to the fact that an F5 tornado, the strongest tornado known, sometimes referred to as
“the finger of God,” was headed straight for their quaint little house.
Conflict:_________________________vs._________________________
Possible Resolution:__________________________________________________________________________________
2)
Michael had lied to his parents about going to the party last night. Because he knew that they would not approve, he had told
them that he would be going to the movies with his buddy, Ron, and then spending the night at Ron’s house. The problem was
that while he was at the party (which was on the opposite side of town from the theater), his parents’ car, which he had been
driving, was rear-ended and rendered not drivable.
Conflict:_________________________vs._________________________
Possible Resolution:__________________________________________________________________________________
Jennie and Mark were no longer speaking, Jennie had called Mark a “pig-headed rat,” and, in turn, Mark called Jennie a “foolish
Daddy’s girl.” The two had been friends and neighbors since they were three and had had arguments before. This time, though,
it looked as if neither was willing even to consider speaking to the other.
Conflict:_________________________vs._________________________
Possible Resolution:___________________________________________________________________________________
3)
Terms to Know for the Test
 Setting
 Mood
 Flashback
 Flash-forward
 Plot
 Events
 Problem
 Conflict
 Rising Action
 Climax
 Falling Action
 Solution/Resolution