UNIT 2: NARRATIVE
Lesson 4:
Check your “Highlighting A
Christmas Memor y” assignment
On Friday, you were given an assignment to highlight
the 4 methods of creating tone in “A Christmas
Memory” by Truman Capote.
Open that assignment now in eBackpack so that you
can compare your work with the following review.
UNIT 2: NARRATIVE
WRITING
UEQ: How do literary elements
create an engaging story,
and how can I use these elements
to write a personal narrative?
Review Lesson 3
What are 4 ways that the author creates tone in
“ A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote?
1. Word choice: highlight in light blue
2. Sentence structure: highlight in lt green
3. Punctuation: highlight orange
4. Narrative voice: highlight in gray
W H AT A R E 4 WAY S T H AT T H E
A U T H O R C R E AT E S TO N E I N “ A
C H R I S T M A S M E M O RY ” B Y T R U M A N
CAPOTE?
1.Word Choice:
Creating Tone with Word
Choice
and a fireplace with two rocking chairs
“
placed in front of it” (imagery of
coziness)
Creating Tone with Word
Choice
“Silently, wallowing in the pleasures of
conspiracy, we take the bead purse
from its secret place and spill its
contents on the scrap quilt.” (irony)
Creating Tone with Word
Choice
“A message saying so merely confirms a piece
of news some secret vein had already
received, severing from me an irreplaceable
part of myself, letting it loose like a kite on a
broken string.” (figurative language)
WHAT ARE 4 WAYS THAT
THE AUTHOR CREATES
TONE IN “ A CHRISTMAS
MEMORY” BY TRUMAN CAPOTE?
2. Sentence Structure
Creating Tone with
Sentence Str ucture
“Enter: two relatives. Very angry. Potent with
eyes that scold, tongues that scald. Listen to
what they have to say, the words tumbling
together into a wrathful tune: "A child of seven!
whiskey on his breath! are you out of your
mind?
WHAT ARE 4 WAYS THAT
THE AUTHOR CREATES
TONE IN “ A CHRISTMAS
MEMORY” BY TRUMAN CAPOTE?
3. Punctuation
Creating Tone with
Punctuation
Life separates us. Those who Know
Best decide that I belong in a military
school. (capitalization reveals attitude
towards those in power)
WHAT ARE 4 WAYS THAT
THE AUTHOR CREATES
TONE IN “ A CHRISTMAS
MEMORY” BY TRUMAN CAPOTE?
4. Narrative Voice
Creating Tone with
Nar rative Voice
“…tame hummingbirds (just try it) till they
balance on her finger, tell ghost stories (we
both believe in ghosts) so tingling they chill
you in July, talk to herself, take walks in the
rain…’
How does overall str ucture
help to communicate tone?
Organize your narrative around the sequence
of the most important events that happen.
Make sure that each event relates to the
feelings that the narrator has about the
overall story events.
Skeleton Str ucture
Look at the skeleton structure of “A
Christmas Memory.” Your assignment:
1. Choose a story that you have from
your memories.
Make a Skeleton Plan
1. Review the criteria for a good personal narrative
on the assignment page in eBackpack (Unit 2,
lesson 4, “Planning a personal narrative…”)
2. Complete the planning questions and develop a
skeleton plan for your personal narrative. Due
this Wednesday.
Lesson 4 LEQ
How can a reader distinguish between
major and minor conflicts, and how
do internal conflicts affect external
conflicts?
Key Words
Major Conflict
Minor Conflict
Internal conflict
External conflict
UNIT 2, LESSON 4 LEQ
How can a reader distinguish
between major and minor
conflicts?
AP #1: What kind of internal
and external conflicts may
characters face in a narrative?
What is exter nal conf lict?
human
Human vs. ____________________
Human vs. _ Nature
Human vs. ______Society
WHAT IS EXTERNAL
CONFLICT?
Human vs. self
(often, this can be a moral struggle—
a conflict regarding doing what is
right or ethical.
AP #2:
What is major conflict?
A major conflict is the dominant
problem of the story that connects
to the climax and theme of the plot
structure.
WHAT IS A MINOR
CONFLICT?
A minor conflict is a secondary
conflict that intertwines with the
major conflict. (ex. “The Dinner
Party)
DIFFERENCE?
Major conflicts drive the plot and connect
clearly to the overall theme.
Minor conflicts relate to the major conflict in
some important way; they help to elucidate the
major conflict.
DIFFERENCE?
Usually, the reader first encounters the major
conflict. Then, other minor conflicts help to
reinforce the major conflict. At the resolution
of the story, the relationship of the major
conflicts, the minor conflicts, and the theme
become clear.
Lesson 4 Activity #1
Finding the Major Conflict in
A Christmas Carol by Charles
Dickens.
Lesson 4 Activity #1
As we read Stave 1, try to figure
out what the major problem is that
is faced by the main character.
Lesson 4 Activity #1
What literary devices does the
author use to establish the major
conflict in this text?
“A Christmas Carol” Stave 1
What is the point of view of the story?
Who is the narrator of the story?
“A Christmas Carol” Stave 1
Who is the main character being
described in Stave 1?
“A Christmas Carol” Stave 1
How does the author use descriptive
elements to help reinforce the
conflict?
“A Christmas Carol” Stave 1
How does Dickens use Direct and
Indirect Characterization to help
establish the major conflict?
“A Christmas Carol” Stave 1
How does the setting help to
characterize the main character?
(Indirectly characterizes Scrooge as
cold and unfeeling.)
“A Christmas Carol” Stave 1
Why does the author use an
allusion to Hamlet by William
Shakespeare?
ASSIGNMENTS
Remember to check the class website
for assignments related to Lesson 4.
Most assignments will be found in
eBackpack, organized as: MP2, Unit 2,
Lesson 4.