Story Elements
Characters
Setting
Plot
(Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, Resolution)
Theme
Conflict
Point of View
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.
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.
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.
Dynamic and Round
In most books the main character is
both dynamic and round.
Round and Static
Characters can be round and static.
For example, think about the
character James Bond. We know a
great deal about this character’s
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.
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.
Dynamic or Static
Round or Flat
Ebenezer Scrooge
from Charles Dickens's
A Christmas Carol
Dynamic and Round
Dynamic or Static
Round or Flat
Robin
from Batman
Static and Round
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.
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 lion’s 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.
B.
C.
D.
a zoo
a savannah
a desert
a swamp
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".
Example:
I 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.
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.
Example:
You 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.
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".
Example:
Brian 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.
1st, 2nd, or 3rd Point of View
Excerpt from Woodsong by Gary Paulsen
I 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 twentyseven head lamps bobbing up the trail.
Twenty-seven teams have taken our smell as
the valid trail and are following us. Twentyseven teams must be met head on in the
narrow brush and passed and told to turn
around.
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.
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
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 Pa’s riffle, and had
killed the farm animals.
Person vs. Self
In a person vs. self conflict the main
character has a problem within him/herself.
Examples
From Weasel
Nathan spends the winter months struggling
with his conscious. Should he go back to
Weasel’s cabin to seek revenge or forget
about Weasel?
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.
Person vs. Technology
In a person vs. technology conflict, a
character has a problem with robots or
machines.
Example
From Hatchet Brian flying the airplane after the pilot
dies.
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
Exposition
The exposition is the introduction of t
It contains the setting, introduces the
characters, and gives background info
It is the information needed to under
story.
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.
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.
Falling Action
The falling action is where the characters
begin to apply a solution to the conflict and tie
up loose ends.
Resolution
The resolution is how everything turns out in
the story. It is the set of events that bring the
story to a close.
Assignment
Answer Key
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?
Practice with Theme
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 lion’s 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?"
A. hunter's net cannot hold a lion for long.
B. A mouse is good at chewing things.
C. Lions and mice make good pets.
D. Size doesn't matter when doing a good deed.
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?
A.
B.
C.
D.
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
“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?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Look before you leap.
Be kind to your enemy.
Slow and steady wins the race.
Do not attempt too much at once.
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.
Theme Using Hatchet
Theme
Never give up - Determination
Proof (Evidence)
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.
Theme Using Weasel
Theme
seeking revenge vs.
moral choices
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
Assignment –
Answer Key
Survival
Overcoming prejudices
Theme Using Number the Stars
Theme
Do anything to help a friend.
Proof (Evidence)
Annemarie…