Literary Element
1. Setting: the location and
time frame in which the
action of a narrative takes
place.
2. Plot: in fiction, the structure
of interrelated actions,
The Treasure of Lemon Brown
The old tenement, New York.
It’s raining outside with
lightning. Increases tension in
the story. Gives the character a
reason to be in the tenement.
Class Notes
The Inn of Lost Time
Desolate forest in feudal era
Japan. Sets up the mystery.
Class Notes
Flowers for Algernon
The lab, Charlie’s apartment,
the factory where he works. Set
up the controlled environments
where he interacts with people
in different ways.
Class Notes
consciously selected and
arranged by the author. The
events that happen.
3. Theme: A central idea or
statement that unifies and
controls an entire literary
work.
- Everyone has a Treasure
- Time is a valuable thing
- Important lessons and wisdom - Not everything is as it seems
from older people.
4. Allusion: A casual reference
in literature to a person,
place, event, or another
passage of literature, often
without explicit
identification. Allusions can
originate in mythology,
Blues music
Tale of Urashima Taro
- Treatment of disabled people
in society
- Intellect versus emotions
- Experimentation on people
and animals
Bible Story: Adam and Eve
Look at pun and diction
Look at pun and diction
Look at pun and diction
biblical references, historical
events, legends, geography,
or earlier literary works.
5. Connotation: The extra tinge
or taint of meaning each
word carries beyond the
minimal, strict definition
found in a dictionary.
6. Denotation: The minimal,
strict definition of a word as
found in a dictionary
Look at pun
Look at pun
Look at pun
7. Diction: The choice of a
particular word as opposed
to others to create a mood or
affect how we perceive the
story.
Class Notes
Class Notes
Class Notes
8. Euphemism: Using a mild or
gentle phrase instead of a
blunt, embarrassing, or
Lemon Brown tells Greg that
he only hurts but nowhere that
hasn’t been hurt before.
Zenta tells Tokubei that the
people here have a weird sense
of humor and it was all a joke.
The inn people really wanted to
take their money.
Zenta telling his story about the
Inn.
You pulled a Charlie Gordon.
Meaning you did something
stupid.
Zenta asking to go inside the
house to inspect the changes
that happened “in fifty years”.
Algernon starts declining in
intelligence.
painful one.
9. Flashback: A method of
narration in which present
action is temporarily
interrupted so that the reader
can witness past events
Lemon Brown talking about his
days as a blues player
10. Foreshadowing: Suggesting,
Greg entering an abandoned
building. Lemon Brown
standing at the top of the stairs
looking ominous.
hinting, indicating, or
showing what will occur
later in a narrative.
11. Hyperbole: exaggeration or
Lemon Brown had a razor that
could cut a week into nine
Charlie recalling when he was a
child.
Charlie felt like Ms. Kinnian
was a genius because she could
overstatement.
12. Imagery: Language that
speaks to the senses. Creates
a specific description of how
something tastes, looks,
feels, smells and sounds.
13. Irony: when something
happens besides the thing
that is expected. Someone
says something and means
something else. We know
something the characters
don’t know.
14. Metaphor: A comparison or
analogy stated in such a way
as to imply that one object is
another one, figuratively
speaking
15. Mood: In literature, a
feeling, emotional state, or
days. It exaggerates how sharp
it is.
Class Notes
read.
Class Notes
Class Notes
The thugs are looking for a
monetary treasure but Lemon
brown has an emotional
treasure.
Zenta knows they are in the
same inn where his story
happens, but Matsuzo has no
idea.
Sweet Lemon Brown: He’s like
a lemon, sour-sweet. Sings
music about sad events but with
the sweetest voice.
Zenta carrying a sword. He is
the “sharp” one (analytical or
smart) between him and
Tokubei.
Charlie becomes much more
intelligent and gets fired from
his job for trying to help
improve the factory.
Charlie thinks being more
intelligent he will be more
accepted, then people still don’t
know how to deal with him
when he is a genius.
Charlie comparing knowledge
to sand no matter how much of
it he wants to grab it slips
through his fingers.
Pg 26. Disappointed, Sad,
Tense, Angry
Pg. 34 Light, Familiar
Pg. 66 Hope, Lost
3rd Person Limited
3rd Person and 1st Person
1st Person
disposition of mind of the
reader based on the diction,
setting and other elements in
the story.
16. Point of View: The way a
story gets told and who tells
it
Greg vs Weather. Greg vs
Lemon Brown. Greg vs. Thugs.
Greg vs Father. Greg vs
Himself.
In the beginning when Greg is
18. Puns: A play on two words
on the stoop. I means he is
similar in sound but different sitting on the steps. Also that he
in meaning.
is on a hard place, as in being
in trouble. It also means the
verb to stoop.
Lemon Brown’s treasure
19. Symbol: A word, place,
represents his love for his son
character, or object that
and the love his son had for
means something beyond
him.
what it is on a literal level.
17. Conflicts
20. Tone: The means of creating
a relationship or conveying
an attitude from the author
or mood.
Serene,.Calm, Pg 26
Zenta vs. The Inn Keepers.
When Zenta says he wonders if
the other travelers had the same
fate. We could read it as same
faith, as in maybe they also
believed the hoax played on
them to swindle their money.
Zentas sword representing his
logical and intelligent
personality.
Tokubei’s money bag
symbolizing greed and
ambition.
Bamboo shoots representing
the passage of time and the
truth.
Gloomy, Serious, Pg 34
Charlie vs. Doctors. Charlie
wants to be smarter. Charlie vs.
Ms Kinnian. Charlie vs. factory
workers.
“Algernon bit me” which
would also be read as Algernon
beat me. Foreshadowing
Charlie’s decline.
Charlie’s books represent
knowledge and intelligence.
Charlie’s rabbit’s foot and
horseshoe represent
superstition and emotions.
Algernon represents Charlie
and how the scientists view him
as almost just another lab rat.
Annoyed, Pathetic pg. 66
Paragraph 3