Plot Structure
This is the turning point in a story.
What is the climax?
This point of view uses pronouns like I, me, or my and is a character in the story.
What is 1st person narration?
This point of view is often found in self help books and uses the pronoun you.
What is second person point of view?
Identify the theme in the following story:
Chloe wanted to learn to ride her bike, but she was struggling. She had already fallen twice and had a skinned knee and hurt hands. "You can do it!" shouted her father, as he pushed Chloe a third time and let go. She was going on her own, but suddenly fell. She cried, but said, "Again, daddy!" This time she went farther but fell into the ditch. A few moments later, though, she was riding down the street, smiling from ear to ear.
What is "Never give up" or "Keep trying until you succeed"?
“Callie and Manny grip their ping pong paddles with white knuckles. Heavy beads of sweat run down their faces. The whole class watches, but the only sound in the room is Callie and Manny’s gritting teeth. Match point. The final serve will decide the winner. The audience holds their breath.”
The use of the words white knuckles, heavy beads of sweat, gritting teeth, and the audience holding their breath create this mood in the passage.
What is tense or suspenseful?
Using a direct quote, identify the climax in the following example: On a sunny summer day, a boy sees a snake lying still in the road. He bends close to look at it. Suddenly, the snake moves. The boy jumps back. The snake slithers away hissing.
What is "Suddenly, the snake moves"?
Identify two pieces of imagery that create a comforting mood in the following excerpt from A Wrinkle in Time.
“Meg knelt at her mother’s feet. The warmth and light of the kitchen had relaxed her so that her attic fears were gone. The cocoa steamed fragrantly in the saucepan; geraniums bloomed on the window sills and there was a bouquet of tiny yellow chrysanthemums in the center of the table. The curtains, red, with a blue and green geometrical pattern were drawn and seemed to reflect their cheerfulness throughout the room. The furnace purred like a great, sleepy animal; the lights glowed with steady radiance…” (L'Engle 16).
What are
"The warmth and light of the kitchen"?
"The cocoa steamed fragrantly in the saucepan"?
"The curtains, red, with a blue and green geometrical pattern were drawn and seemed to reflect their cheerfulness throughout the room"?
"The furnace purred like a great, sleepy animal"?
"the lights glowed with steady radiance…”?
This is how a short story typically begins due to its short length.
What is in medias res or in the middle of the action?
Select the passage that has the more regretful tone and provide three (3) examples of words that create the tone.
A. I tried to console her. She stopped me, however, by putting her fingers in her ears at the first words I uttered and then lying down on the rug with her face pressed against the floor. Since nobody could convince her to get up, she was allowed to lie there as long as she liked.
B. But I had wounded Dora’s soft little heart, and she was not to be comforted. She was so pathetic in her sobbing. I don’t know what I said to hurt her. All night, I felt pangs of remorse that made me miserable. My conscience was haunted by a vague sense of enormous wickedness.
What is passage B and what are "I don't know what I said to hurt her," "I felt pangs of remorse," and "My conscience was haunted"?
This is the definition of plot.
What is the organized sequence of events in the story?
Read the story below, determine the point of view, and provide evidence to support it.
As the clock neared three, Dave was worried. He did not want to fight James, but he knew everyone would think he is a coward if he didn't. As James walked up to the playground, he smirked at Dave and flexed his muscles to look tough, but on the inside, James was afraid. He knew that if he was caught fighting, he would be kicked off the basketball team. The two boys faced each other but neither one really wanted to fight.
What is third person omniscient point of view due to the use of third person pronouns like he and the narrator knowing both characters thoughts and feelings?
This is the definition of an unreliable narrator and these are three types a reader may find in a story. You can earn a Jolly Rancher by using a word made from a root in your response.
What is a narrator who cannot be trusted, and who are children, lunatics, prisoners, criminals, and/or the elderly?
This is the definition of resolution.
What is a reasonable conclusion to the story that resolves all conflicts?
These are the six elements of plot in the order they appear.
What are exposition, rising action, inciting incident climax, falling action, and resolution?
How do mood and tone differ?
What is mood is reader-centered and based on feelings and emotions created by the text while tone is author centered and represents the author's attitude toward their topic, subject, and/or theme?