Short Stories Unit
English 9
Characteristics of Short
Stories
Limited in length
Limited to one main event and the development of
one character
Ex:
Napoleon Dynomite vs. Breakfast Club
Plot
Sequence of incidents or actions in a story. Whatever
the characters do, or whatever happens to them,
constitutes plot.
Finding Nemo Plot
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1/unit/shortstory.shtml
Plot

The most important element in plot is conflict.
 External or internal conflict
 A story often ends when conflict is resolved
but this is not always the case…
Plot Structure
Plot is the literary element that describes the structure
of a story. It shows the a causal arrangement of events
and actions within a story.
Types of Linear Plots
Plots can be told in
Chronological Order
Flashback
In media res (in the middle of things) when the story
starts in the middle of the action without exposition
Pyramid Plot Structure
The most basic and traditional form of
plot is pyramid-shaped.
This structure has been described in more
detail by Aristotle and by Gustav
Freytag.
Aristotle’s Unified Plot
The basic triangle-shaped plot structure was described by
Aristotle in 350 BCE. Aristotle used the beginning, middle,
and end structure to describe a story that moved along a linear
path, following a chain of cause and effect as it works toward
the solution of a conflict or crisis.
Freytag’s Plot Structure
Freytag modified Aristotle’s system by adding a rising action
(or complication) and a falling action to the structure. Freytag
used the five-part design shown above to describe a story’s
plot.
Modified Plot Structure
Freytag’s Pyramid is often modified so that it extends slightly
before and after the primary rising and falling action. You
might think of this part of the chart as similar to the warm-up
and cool-down for the story.
Plot Components
Climax: the turning point, the
most intense moment—either
mentally or in action
Rising Action: the series of
conflicts and crisis in the story
that lead to the climax
Falling Action: all of the
action which follows the
climax
Exposition: the start of the
story, the situation before the
action starts
Resolution: the conclusion,
the tying together of all of
the threads
Conflict
Conflict is the dramatic struggle
between two forces in a story. Without
conflict, there is no plot.
Types of Conflict
Interpersonal Conflict
Human vs Human
Human vs Nature
Human vs Society
Internal Conflict
Human vs Self
Commonly found in creative writing
Literary Themes
What is a theme?
Themes can be found everywhere: literature,
stories, art, movies etc…
The theme of a fable is its moral.
The theme of a parable is its teaching.
The theme of a piece of literature is its view
about life and how people behave.
Theme & Meaning
Theme is the…
underlying meaning of the story,
a universal truth,
a significant statement the story is making
about society, human nature, or the human
condition.
Theme = idea
The theme of a literary work is its underlying central idea or
the generalization it communicates about life.
Theme...the meaning of
life?
The theme expresses the author's opinion or
raises a question about human nature or the
meaning of human experience.
At times the author's theme may not confirm or
agree with your own beliefs.
Even then, if skillfully written, the work will still have
a theme that illuminates some aspects of true
human experience.
The author's task is to communicate on a common
ground with the reader.
Although the particulars of your experience may
be different from the details of the story, the
general underlying truths behind the story may be
just the connection that both you and the writer
are seeking.
An understanding of theme
is dependent upon one's
previous experience of
life and literature.
At the same time, theme
in literature can
enlarge one's
understanding of life.
Be aware that the theme never
completely explains the story.
It is simply one of the elements that make up
the whole. Some short stories have
secondary themes as well.
Common Literary Themes
(Themes repeated in many works)
1.
The quest for
immortality
“Stranger, stop and cast an eye.
As you are now, so once was I.
As I am now, so you shall be,
Prepare for death and follow me.”
2. The individual’s relationship and obligation
to society.
Sometimes called “man vs. society”
3. The individual’s inward journey to understand
himself or herself/identity.
Sometimes called “man vs. self”
4. The individual’s relationship
and obligation to the natural
world. Sometimes called
“man
vs.
nature”
5. How justice and injustice are decided
6. The individual as hero; what
it means to be a hero or antihero.
7. What it means to be a “survivor.”
8. The individual’s
experience of alienation
and despair
9. The artist’s relationship and obligation to
society.
10.
aka:
What tomorrow’s world holds for us …
“The Future”
11. Love:
Topics/Effects
Marriage

Logical-sensible love
Romance

Self-centered love
Platonic or
companionate love

Game-Playing

Unrequited love

Godly love

Familial love
Admiration

Infatuation
Possessiveness

Erotic love
Intense dependency

Jealousy
Altruistic love
Love of Country
12. Role of Institutions
Sometimes called
“man vs. the
institution”
Literary Themes
End of Presentation.
The Lottery
“If a thousand foolish
people do a foolish thing,
it’s still a foolish thing”.
What does this mean?
How does it relate to the
lottery?
Do you agree/disagree?
Why?
What is an example of this
in real life?
Consider this when examining
mood in “The Lottery”?
After execution of the woman, the people go back to work
or eat lunch as if nothing has happened.
Villagers do not excuse children from the lottery.
Children take part in the stoning.
When Mr. Hutchinson pulls from his wife’s hand the slip of
paper she has drawn, he holds it up for all to see and
contributes to her execution.
The Lady or the Tiger
What is the theme or message of
the work?
Do you agree or disagree with the
message? Why?
Mood = EMOTIONS!
Tone
Content
What is tone?
Purpose of tone
Elements to make the tone
How to identify tone?
What is Tone?
Tone: the implied attitude of a writer toward the subject
and characters of a work.
ATTITUDE
CHARACTERS
AUTHOR
Tone may be
happy, sad, formal, informal,
ironic, playful, serious, angry,
naive condescending, or many
other possible attitudes
TONE EXAMPLE
Finally, one of the girls pointed to the grass and
giggled. "Meow!" A cat sat on the edge of the field
and licked its paw. They did indeed have company.
The girls ran over to the cat and pet his belly. They
laughed and the cat sauntered back to the field.
TONE Example
The tone of this passage is happy/contentment as there
was a successful, happy resolution to the problem.
Elements to make the tone
Elements contribute to make the tone
The
speaker
The
author’s
language
The
author
The theme
or/and the
characters
Tips to identify tone
Tone must be inferred through the use of
descriptive words.
You can recognize the tone/attitude by the
language/word choices the author uses.
His language will reveal his
perspective/opinion
Note:
Be careful to separate mood from tone. The tone shows you
an author's opinion, while mood is the feeling and
atmosphere of the text
Essential Question
How do both the mood & tone of a story help the
author achieve it’s purpose?
BrainPop: Mood & Tone
Class Blog
Adam Griffen Prezi
Setting: The Portable
Phonograph
5 minute write:
Imagine that you are fleeing your homes because of an impending
calamity that threatens to destroy civilizations. List 5 items that you
would take with you?
The Portable Phonograph:
CP English:
GROUPWORK:
Find a line or two that demonstrates
Clark’s use of setting to create mood and
atmosphere in the text.
Point of View
Omniscient Narrator
Point of view is simply the vantage point from which the story is
told.
Omniscient means “all knowing”. In this case there is no
identifiable narrator.
The omniscient narrator knows all the thoughts and feelings of
all the characters .
Omniscient Narrator Example
Once upon a time there was a girl named Cinderella. Cinderella
got her name because she was forced to work as a servant and
sleep near the cinders. Cinderella was treated cruelly by her
wicked stepmother, who was jealous of the girl’s good looks and
sweet temper because her own daughters were ugly and mean.
Limited Third POV
Story is narrated by someone who stands outside the story, but
who sees everything from the limited vantage point of only one
character.
All attention is focused on one person.
We do not know much of what other characters outside this one
are thinking or feeling.
Limited Third Person POV
Example
Once upon a time there was a girl name Cinderella, who was
treated cruelly by her stepmother. Cinderella often wept bitterly
in her ashy corner. Nightmares haunted her, and she feared that
darkened scullery when the rats came out and played about her
feet. At times, she wondered if her goodness would ever be
rewarded.
Third Person Objective
The narrator tells “his” or “her” story and does not
reveal any character’s thoughts or feelings. Characters
may reveal their feelings through actions or dialogue.
Example: He walked down the street. A man drove by
and yelled, “Hey, watch where you’re going!”
First-Person POV
This is when the writer lets one character tell the story.
This narrator can be a hero or heroine of the story, or a minor
character is observing the action.
This narrator would speak using “I”.
As an audience we only know what the narrator reports to us.
First Person POV example
I had spent sixteen years sitting in the cinders of my kitchen.
My stepmother must have hated me, because she made me do
the dirty work. I could not understand the reasons for her
feelings, for I had always treated her with respect. I slept in the
ashes and was tortured by nightmares and fear of rats.
Second Person
The narrator tells “you” or “your” story, usually used
for instructions.
Example: First, you should wash your hands.
“Choose Your Own Adventure” story
To analyze the POV ask these
questions.
Is this narrator a character in the story, or does the narrator stand
outside the story?
Does the narrator know about all the action and characters in the
story or is it limited to one character?
How does the point of view affect my reaction to the story’s
characters and events?
Author’s Purpose
Modes of Writing
Three Reasons for Writing
1. To Inform (Expository)
2. To Persuade (Persuasive)
3. Entertain (Narrative or Poetry)
Writing to Inform
Often called expository writing.
Expository writing shows or explains facts.
•
•
•
•
Examples:
Biography of Barack Obama
News report about a shooting
Note to a friend
Essay about “killer bees”
Remember: Expository = Expose
Writing to Persuade
Attempts to influence the reader.
Usually makes an argument.
•
•
•
•
Examples:
Political speeches
Advertisements
A cover letter for your resume
An essay urging readers to recycle
Writing to Entertain
Narratives: stories.
Have a beginning, middle, and end
A story may have a lesson, but the
author’s main purpose is to entertain.
•
•
•
•
Examples of Writing to Entertain
Harry Potter books
Poems about love
Narrative essay about the big game
Script for a TV show
Is it a story, poem, or drama (script)?
Yes
No
Does the text make arguments?
Yes
No
Does the text give facts?
Yes
Entertain
Persuade
No
Inform
Start
Over
Voice
Each writer has a distinct personality.
Each writer has passions, opinions, prejudices, and information.
Words should capture the writer's personality.
Writers with strong voice capture the reader's attention with
individuality, liveliness, and energy.
Strong voice makes the writer's purpose clear.
Strong voice helps readers experience the emotions of the writer
and understand the writer's ideas.
Careful word choice, punctuation, paragraphing and style help
strengthen a writer's voice.
Voice Example:
Learning to play piano…
Ex. 1 – Audience: Parents
Those piano lessons you’re pushing on your reluctant ten year old, stressful
though they may be, will pay off down the line. No one was worse than me
as a kid, giving my mother (bless her soul!) a run for her money every day at
practice time. She had to round me up, tear me away from my friends, sit me
down on the bench, and then listen to me moan and watch me squirm for the
required half an hour. I learned, through her calm persistence, that I might as
well apply myself, since I was wasting a half hour anyway. She always
smiled and said, “Someday you’ll thank me!” She stuck to her guns, and
offered HIGH PRAISE when my dirty little fingers produced anything that
remotely resembled music. After awhile a surprising thing began to happen
– the scales and Hannon exercises started to pay off and my fingers gained
some kinesthetic knowledge of their own. I discovered, to my reluctant
delight, that I COULD PLAY! The key was consistency, her quiet but
unfailing persistence, and her confidence and belief that she was giving me a
gift I could not yet recognize.
Voice Example:
Learning to play piano…
. Ex. 2 – Audience: piano teachers
The challenge in teaching piano to children is not in acquiring students,
rather it is in keeping students motivated and engaged. A one size fits all
approach will leave you with only a handful of students. The gifted, indemand pedagogue is the one who sees each student and adapts a
balanced combination of technique, repertoire, and theory in a variety of
ways based on the ability, attention span, maturity, and personality of the
individual student. This involves a good deal of careful observation,
time spent researching or creating appropriate music and material, and
taking the time and energy to pinpoint the motivational devices that
move a student to want to practice. Of course, demonstrating a real
passion and zest for your own playing, and sharing that freely is often
the most powerful way to intrigue and motivate your young protégés. At
a recent conference on piano pedagogy and methodology we explored a
variety of specific strategies which I will share.
Voice Notes
A Voice Revealed
Knowing Poe
Edgar Allan Poe Video
“Cask of Amontillado”: POV
Analyze the actions, motives, and attitudes of the two
main characters.
Key Supporting Details
Supporting details are the examples and ideas that
support the main idea.
Writers use these details to help establish the main
idea, whether they state it directly or imply it.
Key supporting details provide with you the important
details or elements that help you understand the main
idea.
Non- key supporting details do not support the main
idea.
Key Supporting Detail
Examples
Reading a passage about fabulous dinner parties, it
would be off topic to digress into a lengthy discussion
about how the families obtained wealth.
The Necklace
Journal Prompt: Is the price that Mme. Loisel pays
for being lent the necklace too high, or is it worth
the social triumph and memory for an evening?
What could she have done instead of trying to
cover up her mistake?
Irony
3 Kinds of Irony
What is Irony?
Irony is about expectations.
Irony: the opposite of what is expected.
3 kinds of irony
Verbal
Dramatic
Situational
Verbal Irony
A character says one thing but means the opposite
Also called sarcasm or being sarcastic.
Examples
The locker room smells really good.
Awesome! Another homework packet!
Dramatic Irony
When the reader understands more about the events of a story
than a character.
You know something that a character doesn’t.
Example
Tim’s parents are proud of the “A” he got on the test, but we know
he cheated.
Alex writes a love poem to Judy but we know that Judy loves
Devin.
Situational Irony
When what actually happens is the opposite of what is expected.
Something about the situation is completely unexpected.
Example
General Sedgwick’s last words were, “They couldn’t hit an
elephant at this distance.”
Bill Gates uses an Apple computer.
Review
Something that is ironic is unexpected.
If unexpected by a character, it’s dramatic.
If unexpected by everyone, it’s situational.
If it’s sarcasm, it’s verbal.
REVIEW!