Short Story
A short story is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6I24S7
2Jps
•a work of fiction that is shorter and more
limited than the novel,
•usually focuses on one important event in
the lives of a small number of main
characters,
•author’s purpose is to entertain,
•varies in length, but is usually short
enough to be read in one sitting.
Plot
Development
Plot Diagram
Climax
exposition
Plot:
The sequence of events in a story.
resolution
Exposition
Climax
exposition
resolution
Exposition:
the author introduces the characters, creates
the setting, and introduces the conflict.
Exposition
Setting:
Setting:
Includes where and when the story takes
place.
How setting is expressed:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Place
Time of day
Weather
Seasons
Type of People
Kinds of clothing
Smells, sounds
Rising Action & Climax
As they say in writing and reading circles . . .
the plot thickens!!!
Plot Diagram: Rising Action
Climax
exposition
resolution
Rising Action:
a series of crises, events or turning points
that build tension towards the climax.
Plot
Diagram:
Climax
exposition
Climax
resolution
Climax:
The most intense or crucial moment or event
when the tension reaches a peak. The turning
point
Rising Action:
The stairs leading
up to the top.
There are many
stairs that lead
there.
Climax:
You have reached the top of
the stairs after a long climb.
This is the highest point with
the most excitement. It is the
turning point that resolves the
conflict or problem
Falling
Action
&
Resolution
Plot Diagram: Falling Action
Climax
exposition
resolution
Falling Action:
The story examines the consequences or
outcomes of the climax and the tension fades.
Falling Action:
After reaching the
climax, the stairs lead
back down. There may
be many stairs or just a
few that lead there.
Resolution:
The problem or
conflict is solved.
The last puzzle
piece is put into
place.
Plot Diagram: Resolution
Aladdin’s
review of Plot
exposition
Climax
resolution
Resolution:
The story’s main problem or conflict is
resolved, bringing the conflict to an end.
Theme
• Theme is the
underlying meaning
of the story, a
universal truth, a
significant statement
the story is making
about society, human
nature, or the human
condition. Theme is
written as a
statement.
• Video on Theme
Possible Theme Topics:
Betrayal
Courage
Loyalty
Fear
Freedom
Friendship
Happiness
Honesty
Perseverance
Theme
• What are some of the overall lessons or
messages learned in the story? Themes
are generally written as statements
– Friendship is a wonderful thing.
– Perseverance is a worthy character trait.
– Trustworthiness is an important quality.
– Loyalty can be shown in many ways.
– There is no place like home.
– Everyone should try to get along.
Theme as Disney told it:
Definition: A common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated
throughout a literary work.
Example: “True love conquers all” is the main theme of Sleeping
Beauty.
Disney / Via lauraestaceysofficialblog.wordpress.com
Point of View
Perspective from which
the story is told.
1st person: In the first person point of view, the narrator is a
character in the story. He/She will use pronouns like “I” “we” “.
When reading stories in the first person, we need to realize that
what the narrator is recounting might not be the objective truth.
We should question the trustworthiness of the accounting.
3rd Person : Here the narrator does not participate in the action of
the story as one of the characters, but lets us know exactly how the
characters feel. We learn about the characters through this outside
voice.
Types of 3rd person Point of View
Omniscient Points of View (3rd person)
A narrator who knows everything about all the characters is all knowing or
omniscient.
Limited Points of View (3rd person) A narrator whose knowledge is limited to
one character, either major or minor, has a limited omniscient point of view.
As you read a piece of fiction think about
these things:
•How does the point of view affect your responses to the
characters?
•How is your response influenced by how much the narrator
knows and how objective he or she is?
•First person narrators are not always trustworthy.
•It is up to you, the reader, to determine what is the truth and
what is not.
Exposition
Character:
Character:
Person, animal, or imaginary creature that
plays a role in the story.
Types of Characters:
Protagonist: main character in the story,
hero(ine).
Antagonist: character that causes
the initial conflict . . . The bad guy/girl
Round: character with
many personalities.
He/she has many
strengths and
weaknesses.
Flat: this character
usually has one kind of
personality, such as only
good or only evil. Often,
less important in the story.
Dynamic:
this character changes
because of what happens to
him or her in the story.
Often this character learns
as a result of an event in
the story.
Video on static and dynamic
Static:
This character stays the
same throughout the story.
Character
review video
Direct vs. Indirect
Characterization
Direct Characterization:
the writer makes direct
statements about a
character's personality:
• tells what the character is
like.
Direct Characterization:
Ed Johnson scratched his head in
confusion as the sales rep explained
Dralco’s newest engine performance
diagnostic computer. The old mechanic
hated modern electronics,
preferring the old days when all he needed
was a stack of manuals and a good set of
tools.
Ervin II, Terry . "Fiction Factor - Direct vs. Indirect
Characterization." Fiction Factor - Writing Tips for Fiction Writers.
N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2010. <http://www.fictionfactor.com/guests
Indirect Characterization:
the writer reveals information
about a character and his
personality through that
character's:
• thoughts, words, and actions,
• how other characters respond
to that character, including
what they think and say about
him.
Indirect Characterization:
“That Ed Johnson,” said Anderson, watching
the old mechanic scratch his head in confusion
as the sales rep explained Dralco’s newest
engine performance diagnostic computer. “He
hasn’t got a clue about modern electronics.
Give him a good set of tools and a stack of
yellowing manuals with a carburetor needing
repair, and he’d be happy as a hungry frog in a
fly-field.”
Conflict:
Conflict:
A struggle or clash between two opposing
forces.
Conflict:
Internal Conflict:
External Conflict:
Struggle occurs
within the
character
Struggle occurs
between the
character and an
outside force.
Person vs. Self
Person vs. Person
Person vs. Society
Person vs. Nature,
Person vs. Unknown,
Person vs. Technology,
Person vs. Supernatural
Conflict videos
And the plot thickens…
• Tone/Mood- the overall emotions or “feel”
of the book~ MOOD is within the reader.
Tone is the author’s use of words to create
feelings within the reader.
• Flashback- taking us back to an event
that happened before the action of the
story.
• Foreshadowing- the use of hints to give
us more insight into characters’ motives.
• Suspense- giving us bits of information
along the way that lead us to the climax.
Tone/Mood
• Tone is the author’s attitude in words in the
story
• Mood is how the reader feels as he reads
• What sort of emotions are you
experiencing as you read the book?- mood
• How does the author bring out these
emotions in the reader?- tone
• Are there any words, phrases, sentences,
or paragraphs that are particularly strong
for this emotion? - tone
Flashback
• What events from before the action in the
book have you learned about?
• Why do you think it was important to learn
about this event?
• How does the author use this information
to keep you interested in the story?
http://leoashton.vizua.com/blues%20clues/blues_clues_
wp_1024.jpg
Foreshadowing
• Has the author given you any hints about
upcoming events?
• Is there a change happening in the weather, the
setting, or the mood?
• Are there objects or scenic elements that
suggest something happy, sad, dangerous,
exciting, etc.?
• Do characters or the narrator observe something
in the background that might be a hint about
something to come later?
Suspense
• What information has the author given you
about the conflict in the story?
• How has the author used new conflicts to
build excitement in the story?
• Are you still waiting on information to be
revealed? If so, what information are you
waiting on?
“Charles” and “The Lottery”
by Shirley Jackson
Shirley Jackson, 1916-1965, one of the most
brilliant and influential authors of the twentieth
century, is widely acclaimed for her stories
and novels of the supernatural, including the
well-known short story “The Lottery” and the
best-selling novel “The Haunting of Hill
House.”
Shirley Jackson wrote in two styles. She
could describe the delights and turmoil's of
ordinary domestic life with detached hilarity;
and she could, with cryptic symbolism, write a
tenebrous horror story in the Gothic mold in
which abnormal behavior seemed perilously
ordinary.
Excerpt from her obituary published in the New
York Times on August 10, 1965
(December, 14, 1916 - August, 9 1965)
“Charles” ~Dialogue
• Dialogue is the conversation between two
or more characters in a novel, short story,
drama, etc.
• Dialogue is set aside by the use of
quotation marks and a short explanation of
who spoke the words. There can also be
a descriptive word used to describe how
the words were spoken.
• Every time a speaker changes, a new
paragraph should begin, so it won’t always
include “said.”
How dialogue is used in Charles:
• Dialogue is used to show the relating of a
story from Laurie to his mother.
• His mother becomes increasingly
concerned about the environment her son
is being taught in.
• What do we find out about Charles at the
end of the story?
Dramatic Irony
• Dramatic Irony occurs when the reader
knows something that a character does
not.
“The Lottery” ~Vocabulary
 Boisterous: noisy and lively; unrestrained or
unruly
 Reprimand: harsh criticism from an authority
figure.
 Interminably: endless or seemingly endless
because of monotony or tiresome length
 Petulantly: easily annoyed, complaining rudely,
impatient irritation
*
* Rising Action- how does the author increase our
tension throughout the story?
* Point-of-View- why does the author choose to tell
the story in third person?
* Foreshadowing- how does the author foreshadow
the outcome of the story?
* Symbolism- how were the symbols of the rocks and
the color black used in the story?
* Irony- when something is the opposite of what you
think it should be.
“Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut
Writer, novelist. Born on November 11,
1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Kurt
Vonnegut is considered one of the most
influential American novelists of the
twentieth century. He blended literature
with science fiction and humor, the
absurd with pointed social commentary.
Vonnegut created his own unique world
in each of his novels and filled them
with unusual characters, such as the
alien race known as the
Tralfamadorians in Slaughterhouse-Five
(1969).
Other novels/stories:
The Sirens of Titan (1959), Mother
Night (1961), Cat's Cradle (1963),
Breakfast of Champions (1973), Jailbird
(1979), Deadeye Dick (1982), Palm
Sunday: An Autobiographical Collage
(1981), and Timequake (1997).
November 11, 1922-April 11, 2007
Biography
Vocabulary
• Vigilance: watchful especially to avoid
danger
• Luminous: bathed in or exposed to
steady light
• Doozy: something that is unusually good,
bad, big, severe, etc.
Story elements to focus on…
• Climax- why does the author spend so
much time on the climax?
• Motive/Conflict- what is it about the main
conflict that causes Harrison to behave
the way he does?
• Theme/Symbolism- how does the symbol
of the handicaps help the reader
understand theme?
• Tone- how does the author’s choice of
words cause the reader to feel shocked?
“The Bet” by Anton Chekhov
One of Russia's greatest writers,
Chekhov began his career writing
jokes and anecdotes for popular
magazines to support himself
while he studied to become a
doctor. Between 1888 and his
death he single-handedly
revolutionized both the drama
and the short story. Near the end
of his life he married an actress,
Olga Knipper. He died from
tuberculosis in 1904, age 44.
Biography taken from:
http://chekhov2.tripod.com/
Vocabulary
* Rubles: the basic unit of money of Russia
* Stake: something that you could win or lose in a
game, contest, etc.
* Haphazardly: having no plan, order, or direction
* Contempt: a feeling that someone or something is not
worthy of any respect or approval
* Emitted:
produced or released
* Lackadaisical: careless and lazy
* Stealthy:
secretly, below the radar
* Prominent: noticeable or famous
Factual vs. Interpretive Questions
• Factual Questions
have only ONE
correct answer.
• Factual questions
address only ONE
specific part of the
story.
• Interpretive Questions
have MORE THAN
ONE possible answer
• Interpretive Questions
apply to MORE THAN
ONE part of the
story.
Practice
Does the lawyer stay for the entire 15 years?
Why did the lawyer leave 5 minutes early?
Motive
• Motive is the reason a character takes a
specific course of action.
– Not all motives are bad.
– Some motives can help lead the character to
a resolution.
Story elements to focus on…
Falling action- how does the author wrap
up our questions about the lawyer’s
action? Does the author’s explanations
satisfy you?
Motive/conflict- What was the conflict in
the beginning and what was the lawyer’s
motive for leaving early?
Suspense- what is the question the reader
has throughout the story? How is finally
answered?
“Tell-Tale Heart”
By Edgar Allan Poe
Poe was born in Boston. He was a poet,
writer, editor, and literary critic. His
short stories were his main type of
writing, and today they are considered
some of the best American short stories
in history. His tales usually are a mix of
mystery and macabre (grim and dealing
with death).
Poe married his 13-year old cousin,
Virginia Clemm. Her early death may
have inspired some of his writing. Poe’s
best known fiction are Gothic (horror
and romance ) in order to appeal to the
public’s tastes at the time.
born January 19, 1809, Boston, Massachusetts—
died October 7, 1849, Baltimore, Maryland
Biography
Vocabulary
Resembled – looked like
Distinctly – clearly
Cunning – slyly, carefully, cautiously
Hideous – very ugly or frightful
“I think it was his eye. Yes, it
was his eye! One of his eyes
was pale blue and dull. It
resembled the eye of a vulture.”
“The Tell-Tale Heart” is a fun little horror story where the
narrator is driven insane because of his obsession with an
old man’s creepy eye!
The narrator thinks he’s perfectly sane and tries to convince
the reader throughout the story. He is suffering from
extreme paranoia and mental health issues.
Ask yourself: What point of view is the
story in?
Ask yourself: Whose heart does
he really hear beating?
Suspense
• Suspense is the quality that is created
when the reader is uncertain about what
will happen next.
• In “The Bet” readers are left wondering if
the man will stay the whole time or if the
banker will win the bet.
• In “The Tell-Tale Heart” readers are left
wondering if the man will confess his
crime.
Flashback
• Flashback occurs when the author
interrupts the action of the story to give us
information that occurred before the story
began.
• At the beginning of “The Tell-Tale Heart”
and “The Bet”, both authors tell us that the
story they are about to tell has already
occurred.
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
Insanity Plea
Use specific evidence from the story to support whether the protagonist is guilty or
innocent by reason of insanity.
Legal Definition of Insanity
In a criminal trial, the word “insanity” means something more specific than when we use it
in everyday speech. You can’t say that someone on trial is “insane” just because he did
something that most of us would consider “crazy” (like killing someone, chopping up the
body, and hiding the pieces under the floorboards.)
That’s because, in a trial, when we say someone is insane, we’re saying that the person
didn’t fully understand what he or she was doing and therefore shouldn’t be held
responsible for his or her actions. Read the following legal definition of insanity:
Insanity is a mental illness of such a severe nature that a person cannot distinguish
fantasy from reality, cannot manage his/her own affairs, or is subject to uncontrollable
impulsive behavior. In criminal cases, a plea of "not guilty by reason of insanity" will
require a trial on the issue of the defendant's insanity (or sanity) at the time the crime was
committed.
In this context, "not guilty" does not mean the person did not commit the criminal act for
which he or she is charged. It means that when the person committed the crime, he or
she could not tell right from wrong or could not control his or her behavior because of
severe mental defect or illness. Such a person, the law holds, should not be held
criminally responsible for his or her behavior.
(INTERNET SOURCE: www.USLegal.com)
•
•
Example First Piece of Evidence for the PROSECUTION:
First of all, the killer remembers everything about the crime and can talk
about it calmly. In his confession, the killer says, “Hearken! and observe
how healthily, how calmly, I can tell you the whole story” (pg 1). A person
who is legally insane cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, so he
probably wouldn’t have such an accurate memory of everything that
happened. If he remembers all the facts about what he did, this proves that
he was aware of reality and was not insane.
•
•
Example First Piece of Evidence for the DEFENSE:
First of all, the man was hearing things that weren’t really there. In his
confession, the man claimed that he had a very acute sense of hearing. He
says, “I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things
in hell” (1). It sounds as if this man can’t tell the difference between things
he’s actually hearing and things that he’s just imagining—you can’t actually
hear sounds coming from heaven or hell. If a person who is legally insane
has a hard time distinguishing between fantasy and reality, this man is
clearly insane.
Figurative Language
• Will Ferrell on Figurative Language
 Comparisons
◦ Analogy- a similarity between like features of two things
◦ Simile- uses like or as to compare 2 things
◦ Metaphor- does not use like or as to compare
◦ Allusion- comparison to a famous person or situation
 Exaggeration
◦ Hyperbole- highly exaggerated statement
◦ Idiom- an expression whose meaning is not the literal
meaning but a figurative one
 Sounds
◦ Onomatopoeia- the word is the sound
◦ Alliteration- repeating beginning sounds for effect
 Other
◦ Personification- giving human qualities to inanimate
objects
◦ Symbolism- giving special meaning to an object or person
Symbolism
• Definition: An object, character, figure, or color that is
used to represent an abstract idea or concept.
Example: Dumbo’s “magic” feather represents courage
and self-confidence. Once he truly believes in himself,
he no longer needs it as a psychological crutch.
Seventh Grade by Gary Soto
• How did Gary Soto show the reader how much Victor liked Teresa?
Provide text evidence to support your answer.
• EXAMPLE OF CITING TEXT EVIDENCE
• In “Seventh Grade” by Gary Soto, the protagonist, Victor, likes
Teresa. On p. 36, lines 10-11, the narrator refers to Teresa as “a girl
he had liked since catechism classes at St. Theresa’s.” On p. 39,
lines 73-74, Victor admired how Teresa walked down the hall, “one
foot in front of the other.” On p. 42, line 177, the narrator says that
“The rosebushes of shame on [Victor’s] face became bouquets of
love.” It is clear through Victor’s actions that he likes Teresa and
wanted her to be ‘his girl’.
• You will use the handout to help you structure a paragraph citing
text evidence to support the above thesis.