What parts make up a story?
Story Grammar
Setting
Characters
Plot
Climax
Theme
Resolution
Denouement
The time and place of the story is
the setting
Setting
Details that describe:
 Furniture
 Scenery
 Customs
 Transportation
 Clothing
 Dialects
 Weather
 Time of day
 Time of year
Time and place are where the action
occurs
Elements of a Setting
Location
Era
Life
Place
Time
Setting
Physical
Day
Atmosphere
Mood
History
Feelings
Word
Choice
Weather
Use as activator to activate prior knowledge. Write
the web on the board or overhead and students
create one at their seats. Then as class share and fill
in.
The Functions of a Setting
 To create a mood or
atmosphere
 To show a reader a
different way of life
 To make action seem
more real
 To be the source of
conflict or struggle
 To symbolize an idea
We left the home place behind, mile
by slow mile, heading for the mountains,
across the prairie where the wind blew
forever.
At first there were four of us with one
horse wagon and its skimpy load. Pa and I
walked, because I was a big boy of eleven.
My two little sisters romped and trotted
until they got tired and had to be boosted
up to the wagon bed.
That was no covered Conestoga, like
Pa’s folks came West in, but just an old
farm wagon, drawn by one weary horse,
creaking and rumbling westward to the
mountains, toward the little woods town
where Pa thought he had an old uncle who
owned a little two-bit sawmill.
Taken from “The Day the Sun Came Out” by D. Johnson
People
Animals
Or Creatures
The protagonist is the “good guy”
The antagonist is the “bad guy” or
force
Types of Characters
People or animals
Major characters
Minor characters
Round characters
Flat characters
Characterization
 A writer reveals what a character is like and how the
character changes throughout the story.
 Two primary methods of characterization:
Direct- writer tells what the character is like
Indirect- writer shows what a character is like by
describing what the character looks like, by telling
what the character says and does, and by what other
characters say about and do in response to the
character.
Direct Characterization
…And
I don’t play the dozens or believe
in standing around with somebody in my face
doing a lot of talking. I much rather just
knock you down and take my chances even if
I’m a little girl with skinny arms and a
squeaky voice, which is how I got the name
Squeaky.
From “Raymond’s Run” by T. Bambara
Indirect Characterization
The old man bowed to all of us
in the room. Then he removed his
hat and gloves, slowly and carefully.
Chaplin once did that in a picture, in
a bank--he was the janitor.
From “Gentleman of Rio en Medio” by J. Sedillo
Elements of Character
Fully
Developed
Friends
Relatives
Main
Minor
Not Fully
Developed
Character
Protagonist
Flat
Co-Main
Antagonist
Enemy
Factors in Analyzing Characters
 Physical appearance of character
 Personality
 Background/personal history
 Motivation
 Relationships
 Conflict
 Does character change?
Plot is what happens and how it
happens in a narrative. A
narrative is any work that tells a
story, such as a short story, a
novel, a drama, or a narrative
poem.
Parts of a Plot
 Inciting incident – event that gives rise to conflict
(opening situation)
 Development- events that occur as result of central
conflict (rising action)
 Climax- highest point of interest or suspense of
story
 Resolution- when conflict ends
 Denouement- when characters go back to their life
before the conflict
The climax is the most exciting
part!!
Diagram of Plot
Climax
Introduction
Inciting incident/
Opening situation
Denouement
Special Techniques of Plot
 Suspense- excitement or tension
 Foreshadowing- hint or clue about what will happen in
story
 Flashback- interrupts the normal sequence of events
to tell about something that happened in the past
 Surprise Ending- conclusion that reader does not
expect
A hint about what will happen next
is called foreshadowing
For example, if you hear this:
Then you know someone’s about to get eaten!
Great stories have a conflict
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Society Man vs. Machine Man vs. Himself
Conflict
 Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces
 Every plot must contain some kind of conflict
 Stories can have more than one conflict
 Conflicts can be external or internal
 External conflict- outside force may be person, group,
animal, nature, or a nonhuman obstacle
 Internal conflict- takes place in a character’s mind
Theme
A central message, concern, or
insight into life expressed through a
literary work
Can be expressed by one or two
sentence statement about human
beings or about life
May be stated directly or implied
Interpretation uncovers the theme
Example of Theme
“Every man needs to feel allegiance to
his native country, whether he always
appreciates that country or not.”
From “A Man Without a Country” by Edward Hale
pg. 185 in Prentice Hall Literature book
The point of view is the perspective
of the story
“That rotten wolf
tried to eat us!!!!”
“I was framed! I
just wanted to
borrow a cup of
sugar!”
Whether you’re the reader, or
the writer, a great story
includes all these literary
elements!!!
setting
theme
plot
foreshadowing
protagonist
conflict
characters
antagonist
climax
resolution
point of view
denouement
How to Determine a Thesis
The Goal of Analysis
 To demonstrate some new understanding of the
literary work
 State this new understanding in the form of an
assertion
 Support your analysis with evidence and commentary.
What’s an Assertion
 An assertion is an opinion
about a general subject, like
life, relationships, gender or
class that you think the
author is making through
some element (character,
theme, symbol) of the novel
Think aloud: Finding an assertion
 I noticed that in Stargirl the main character Stargirl
changes
 Stargirl changes twice during the novel: first she is an
eccentric, free-spirit, later she tries to conform to the
behaviors of her peers, but finally she returns to her
true individualistic self
What’s Next?
Now make an assertion based on this analysis of Stargirl:
 Ask: What new understanding about life,
relationships, gender or class does this present?
 Answer: Stargirl doesn’t like this society…she finds it
shallow and phony…so she quits it.
Formula to make an assertion:
 (author’s name) is making a point about (general
subject); the specific point s/he is making is that
_____________________.
 Example: In Stargirl, author Jerry Spinelli makes a
point about the superficial nature of modern society;
the specific point he is making is that society is
shallow and does not value individuality and it
therefore should be rejected.
From Formula to Thesis
 Revise your assertion statement adding that the author
is using the character(s) to make that specific point
 Example: Jerry Spinelli, author of Stargirl, uses the
protagonist Stargirl to argue that modern society is
superficial and incapable of valuing individuality and
should be rejected.
 This then becomes the preliminary thesis.
Let’s try another one:
 I noticed that in The Pearl, the main character, Kino,
changes.
 Kino changes during the course of the novel. First he
is a young father and husband who is poor but
content. However, after he finds a great pearl, he
changes into a ruthless murderer.
What’s next?
 Now make an assertion based on this analysis of Kino.
 What new understanding about life, relationships,
gender or class does this present? (In other words, why
does he change? – this is your analysis.)
 Answer: Kino changes because of his greed. He finds
out that greed is a destructive force that can ruin one’s
life.
Formula to make an assertion:
 (author’s name) is making a point about (general
subject); the specific point s/he is making is that
_____________________.
 Example: Author John Steinbeck makes a point about
the destructive nature of greed in man; the specific
point he is making is that placing one’s greedy needs
over the more important intangible needs of family
can destroy a man’s life.
From Formula to Thesis
 Revise your assertion statement adding that the author
is using the character(s) to make that specific point.
 Example: Through Kino’s struggles with the pearl,
Steinbeck demonstrates that placing one’s greedy
needs over the more important intangible needs of
family can destroy a man’s life.
Think Aloud:
 Character compare/contrast
 I noticed that Arthur, in Button, Button and Chris in
Hundred Bucks of Happy are similar in that both
decide to do the right thing. Both characters are
tempted by wealth, but choose to make good, selfless
decisions
A Formula To Use To Make an Assertion
 Use the formula
 Richard Matheson, author of Button, Button and
Susan Beth Pfeffer, author of A Hundred Bucks of
Happy are making a point about self-sacrifice; the
specific point they are making is that good people
think of others before themselves.
Now turn this into a thesis.
 Revise your assertion statement adding that the author
is using the character to make that specific point.
 The authors Matheson and Pfeffer are using their
characters of Arthur and Chris to illustrate that to be a
good person, one must put the welfare of others above
one’s own desires.