What to Review for you 1984 and Elements of Story Test:
The questions on the 1984 test, including the essay questions, will be generated from the
areas we have studied thus far: setting, character, symbolism, and point of view. There will
also be five questions on active/passive voice and a few quote integration questions. The test
will take two classes. On the first day, you will be allowed to bring your novel only. That day
there will be be short answer/paragraph questions, matching questions, and multiple choice
questions that relate setting, character, symbolism and point of view to the novel.
Eg: “He took down from the shelf a bottle of colourless liquid with a plain white label marked
VICTORY GIN. It gave off a sickly, oily smell, as of Chinese rice spirit. Winston poured out
nearly a teacupful, nerved himself for a shock, and gulped it down like a dose of medicine.”
The quote above allows the reader to learn about Winston through
a.
b.
direct presentation of character
indirect presentation of character
Day two of the exam will be the essay day. On this day, you will be able to bring any
handwritten notes along with the novel. You will be expected to write an in class essay of
approximately 400 words on the question you are provided. Your question will relate to
setting, character, or symbolism in the novel. You will be expected to fully integrate
quotations into your essay. There will be a second essay option for the essay that all
students will be given.
Both halves of the exam are worth equal value.
Day 1 of the exam is this Friday, November 13th. Day 2 will be Monday, November 16 th.
All due dates for outstanding 1984 work will be moved to Wednesday, November 18 th,
except for the culminating activity which will be due November 25th. On November 18th, I
will give you the whole class to work on your culminating activity.
1.
Setting:
A.There are three levels of setting:
Micro- The first level of context is the microsystem.
This level has the most immediate and
earliest influences and includes the family, along with local friendship and peer groups, and
neighbourhood or community institutions such as a particular school or church.
Meso- the next level of nested context is the mesosystem.
This possesses intermediate levels
of influence such as larger and less personal social institutions like government, transportation,
entertainment, news organizations, and the like, or geographic regions larger than a
neighbourhood.
Macro- The most global level of contextual surrounding is the macrosystem.
This is the most
distant from individuals and their influence and includes aspects such as international relations
or global changes or even more abstract aspects of culture. For example, the movement from
agricultural and industrial economies to an information-age, global economy is having
widespread influence on the ways societies, communities, and families are operating.
B. Three Main Dimensions of Setting: Physical, Temporal, Social/Psychological
i. Physical: Manufactured vs Natural
ii. Temporal: Clock Time, Calendar Time, Seasonal Time, Historical
Time.
iii. Social/Psychological: the human dimension of setting . The reader must
the social and psychological effects of the setting on the characters in
the story/poem.
C. Uses of Setting
i. create a mood/ atmosphere that affects our response to the work
ii. it may have a direct effect on a character’s motivation
iii. someone or something may enter the setting and change it, causing
conflict.
iv. the setting itself can be an antagonist
v. two settings may come into conflict with each other, causing conflict
in the characters who must live in them and perhaps choose between
them.
2. Character
A.
Character and Characterization
Direct Presentation of Character
Indirect Presentation of character
A story will only be successful when the characters are dramatized: shown to be speaking
and acting, as in a drama.
Three Principles of Convincing Characterization: Consistent, Motivated, Plausible
Character Type: Flat Character, Round Character, Stock Character
Character Development: Static vs Dynamic
B. Super Six Clues to Understanding Character: In order to fully understand a character in a
book, play, or poem you must closely examine the following 6:
i Characters’ Actions
ii. Characters’ Language
iii. Characters’ Thoughts
iv. Characters’ Body Language
v. Characters’ Physical Description
vi. How others Relate to a character.
3.
Symbolism in Literature
A. Definition- A literary symbol is something which means more
than what it is. It is an object, a person, a situation, an action, or
some other item which has a literal meaning in the story but
suggests or represents other meanings as well.
i.
How to recognize a symbol
a. Frequency
b. Detail
c. Position
ii.
Four Types of Symbolism you need to be aware of
a. Name Symbolism
b. Object Symbolism
c. Action Symbolism
d. People Symbolism
iii.
Two things to remember:
a. The story itself must furnish the clue that a detail itself should be taken
symbolically.
b. A symbol may have more than one meaning.
iv.
Contextual vs. Cultural Symbols
a.
b.
4. Point of View:
5. Active vs. Passive Voice
6. Integration of quotations
Contextual Symbol: A unique or original symbol an author creates within the
context of an individual work or an author's collected works.
Cultural Symbol: a symbol widely or generally accepted as meaning
something specific within an entire culture or social group.
A. Types
i. First Person- I, We p.ov.
ii. Third Person Omniscient- He/She p.o.v. : author enters mind of more than one
character
iii. Third Person Limited Omniscient- He/She p.o.v.: author enters mind of only
one character
iv.Third Person Objective- He/She p.o.v.: author doesn’t enter any characters’
minds.
v. Second Person – You p.o.v.