21st Century Literature of the Philippines and the World
What is a plot
Plot diagram - a tool that is commonly used to organize a story into specific parts. A plot
diagram also gives a common framework for analyzing and understanding written prose.
Plot analysis - uses the plot diagram to ask and answer questions about the plot of a story.
The exposition or the introduction gives background information about the main
characters, establishes the setting, and states the problem in the story.
The rising action is where the tension or suspense builds and the problem becomes
more complicated. There is often more than one step in this part of the plot analysis.
When analyzing a piece of writing, the inciting incident is often the final part in the rising
action that happens just before the climax. It is the event that forces the main character
or characters into action.
The conflict in the story is often introduced in the exposition but is given more detail
throughout the rising action. The conflict can be between characters (man vs. man),
between a character and societal norms or values (man vs. society), between a character
and natural forces (such as weather or animals), or between a character and him or
herself when he or she has an internal struggle (man vs. self).
The climax is the decisive moment or the crossroads in the story. This is usually the most
exciting part in the story and often makes the reader keep reading.
The falling action is the sequence of events that happen after the climax that lead to a
resolution for the characters.
The resolution is the result or conclusion of the story. This is how things turn out for the
characters who were involved in the conflict.