Literary Elements
DAY 1
Plot Diagram
• Plot – all the events that happen in a story
• Exposition – story background, meet
characters, see setting
• Rising Action – events leading to the climax
• Climax – most intense part; the turning
point
• Falling action – event after the climax that
helps to reach a decision
• Resolution – problem is solved;
denouement
Setting
• Both the time and place of the story.
Point of View
• The perspective from which the story is
told:
1st Person - Narrator tells the story
using I, me, my, etc. We know only
what this character knows and only
what he/she observes.
3rd person limited - the narrator is not
a part of the story, but tells the
thoughts and feelings of only one
character.
• 3rd person Omniscient (all knowing) - the
narrator is not a part of the story, but knows
everything about the characters and their
problems.
• Objective - The narrator never discloses
anything about what the characters think or
feel, remaining a detached observer.
Conflict
The problem in a story that triggers the action.
• External Conflict – struggle with an outside
force:
man vs. man
man vs. fate
man vs. society
man verses nature
• Internal Conflict – struggle with self
man vs. self
Theme
The message
• In most cases the theme will be implied
rather than directly told.
• A hidden message about life, people or
nature.
DAY 2
Characterization
reveals characters and their personalities.
Two types:
Direct - tells us directly what a character is like or
what their motives are.
Indirect - allows us to interpret the kind of person
we are meeting by their speech, actions, thoughts
appearance, or how other characters feel about
them.
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Motivation - why the character does what he or
she does.
Kinds of Characters
Protagonist - Main character
Antagonist - The person or thing working
against the protagonist
• Dynamic (round) – undergo some kind of
change throughout the story.
• Static (flat) - do not change
Simile
compares two things that are alike in some
way using the words “like” or “as”
EX: The desert is as dry
as a bone.
His temper erupts
like a volcano.
Metaphor
• The comparison in which one thing is said
to be another; does not use like or as:
EX: A man is but a weak reed.
The road was a ribbon of moonlight.
DAY 3
Foreshadowing
clues to hint at events that will occur later
in the story
Flashback
scene that takes the story back in time
Suspense
The uncertainty or anxiety we feel about
what is going to happen next.
Irony
A difference between the appearance and
the reality
EX: I posted a video on YouTube about
how boring and useless YouTube is.
The name of Britain’s biggest dog was
“Tiny”.
Symbolism
When the author adds an object to
represent something it isn’t
Allegory
a story in which the characters and
events are symbols
Inference
When you use clues from the story to
figure out something that the author
doesn’t tell you.
DAY 4
Denotation
The dictionary definition of a word.
Connotation
The implied meaning of a word.
EX: The words childish, childlike and youthful have
the same denotation but a different connotation.
“Childish” and “childlike” have a negative connotation
as they refer to immature behavior of a person.
Whereas, “youthful” implies that a person is lively and
energetic.
Dialogue
A conversation between characters.
Quotation marks indicate a speaker’s
exact words.
Allusion
a reference to a place, person, or something that
happened.
EX: “I was surprised his nose was not growing like
Pinocchio’s.” This refers to the story of Pinocchio,
where his nose grew whenever he told a lie.
“He was a Good Samaritan yesterday when he
helped the lady start her car.” This refers to the
biblical story of the Good Samaritan.
Paradox
two opposite things that seem impossible but are
actually true or possible
EX:
The beginning of the end.
Deep down, you're really shallow.
You can save money by spending it.
Truth is honey which is bitter.
DAY 5
DIDLS
• Diction - The author’s word choices.
• Imagery - sensory language
• Details – Facts which are included or
omitted
• Language – Words that describe the
entire body of words in a text
• Syntax – sentence structure
Mood
How we are made to feel as readers
Tone
the author's attitude toward a subject.