Literary Techniques
Literary Techniques I
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Character
Characterization
Dialect
Dialogue
I: Characters
Static – Dynamic – Round - Flat
II: Characterization
III: Dialect
IV: Dialogue
Rules for writing dialogue:
1. Follow all quotation mark rules
2. Indent the quoted words of the character
3. Use a new line when changing to the speech of another person
A rule to remember is 'New speaker, new line'.
• Dialect is the way words are heard or
spoken
• Dialogue is the conversation using the
words
To a Mouse
On Turning Her Up in Her Nest With the Plow
By Robert Burns
Written in 1785 and Published in 1786
These are the first three stanzas of the poem “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns. Try to Read the Scottish Dialect.
Text of the Poem
Wee, sleekit, cow’rin, tim’rous beastie,
O, what a panic’s in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi’ bickering brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an’ chase thee,
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Wi’ murd’ring pattle!
I’m truly sorry man’s dominion,
Has broken nature’s social union,
An’ justifies that ill opinion,
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
An’ fellow-mortal!
I doubt na, whiles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen icker in a thrave
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’S a sma’ request;
I’ll get a blessin wi’ the lave,
An’ never miss’t!
Literal Rendering of the Poem
Tiny, sleek, cowering, fearful mouse,
O, what a panic is in your breast!
You need not start away so hasty,
With pattering noises!
I would be loath to run and chase you,
With my murdering spade!
What did he say?
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I'm truly sorry that my world,
Has broken into your world,
And justifies your ill opinion of men,
Which makes you startle
At me, you poor, earth-born companion,
And fellow mortal!
I doubt not that at times you may steal;
What then? poor little animal, you must live!
An occasional ear of corn out of twenty-four sheaves
Is a small request;
I'll be blest with the rest of the corn,
And never miss the ear you took!
Literary Techniques II
• Symbol
• Personification
• Plot
I: Symbol
Common Symbols in Literature
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dove: peace
ice: death
spring: youth, birth, life
water: birth, rebirth
winter: death, dying, old age
eagle: freedom, liberty, strength
skull: death
rose: love, beauty
crown: wealth, royalty
wedding ring: love, commitment
cross bones: death, danger
sunrise: new start, beginning
full moon: danger, weirdness
autumn: middle age, maturity
Symbols
II: Personification
III: Plot
What kind of plot is this…
Literary Techniques III
• Narrator
• Point of view
• Suspense
Narrator and Point of view
Practicing Point of View: Which and Why?
1st Person Point of View
2nd Person Point of View
3rd Limited Point of View
3rd Omniscient Point of
View
Suspense
Literary Techniques IV
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Conflict
Irony
Flashback
Foreshadowing
Allusion
Moral and Theme
I. Conflict
GOT Conflict?
Character vs. Character
Character vs. fate
Character vs. Society
Character vs. nature
Character vs. Self
II. Irony
III. Flashback
IV. Foreshadowing
Allusions NOT Illusions…
you’re not hallucinating!
Yes, You are SEEING a
COW…I’m called,
The Moona Lisa
By
Gary Larson
I. Allusion
Morals and
Lessons
learned in literature
II. Moral and Theme
Morals: As seen in Literature
Appearances are deceptive
One good turn deserves another
Gratitude is the sign of noble souls
It is best to prepare for the days of necessity
It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow
A willful beast must go his own way
He that finds discontentment in one place is not likely to find happiness in another
A man is known by the company he keeps
They are not wise who give to themselves the credit due to others
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
False confidence is the forerunner of misfortune
Vices are their own punishment
Evil wishes, like chickens, come home to roost
One man's pleasure may be another's pain
He who is once deceived is doubly cautious
Necessity is the mother of invention
It is easy to kick a man that is down
Sorrow not over what is lost forever
Those who seek to please everybody please nobody
Every one is more or less master of his own fate
Honesty is the best policy
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched
He who plays a trick must be prepared to take a joke
Fables: Listed by Moral
Appearances can be deceptive
Beauty is only skin-deep
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
Birds of a feather flock together
Every man for himself
Evil-wishes, like chickens, come home to roost
Fair weather friends aren't worth much
Liars can't be trusted
Look before you leap
Might makes right
Mind your own business
Necessity is the mother of invention
No act of kindness is ever wasted
One good turn deserves another
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
Pride goes before the fall
Quality, not quantity
Slow and steady wins the race
United We Stand, Divided We Fall
You are known by the company you keep
Literary Themes
Ambition
Beauty
Betrayal
Courage
Duty (filial piety)
Fear
Freedom
Happiness
Jealousy
Loneliness
Love
Loyalty
Perseverance
Prejudice
Suffering
Truth
Example
• Moral of the story…
– Do your homework and you will succeed
• Theme of the day…
– Failure
THE END