Plot Structure
beginning of a story, characters and setting are introduced
exposition
She's a sly fox
metaphor
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
Who is the "her" in the poem?
(Mother) Nature
any writing that is NOT poetry
prose
a broad statement about a whole group based on a variety of information
EX: Eating sugar causes cavities.
generalization
very end of the story; all conflicts are resolved
resolution
The cars were hissing past us as we walked down the street.
personification
A short "paragraph" in a poem is called...
stanza
a traditional story passed down, usually orally, through the generations
EX: Little Red Riding Hood
tales
Martin Luther King Jr. to give speech
Leader speaks at rally Tuesday
title, subtitle
complications/events are leading up to the climax (most of the story happens here)
rising action
BOOM was all I heard when the shelf holding 100 books fell behind the door.
poetry without any rhyme scheme or meter
free verse
The Outsiders is an example of this fiction
realistic fiction
a note of text placed at the bottom of the page in a book or document that cites a reference or defines a word
footnote
central or main conflict of the story is introduced
initiating event
Dally dared to dance during the derby.
alliteration
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
Who is the narrator of this poem?
Mother/parent
a short story usually about animals that teaches a lesson or moral
EX: Tortoise and the Hare
fable
tells the time order of facts, events, or concepts
EX: timeline, flowchart
sequential or chronological
turning point of the story
climax
If I'm not home by midnight, my car might turn into a pumpkin!
allusion (referring to Cinderella)
Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
What is the purpose of comparing life to a "crystal stair"?
(Answers may vary)
To compare the ideal life (crystal staircase) to the life she has lived to convey the hardships she has dealt with.
this type of fiction includes gods and goddess that were once religious in nature
myths
a boxed section off to the side of a nonfiction text that contains interesting information relating to the main text
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