Definition
The main events in a story.
What is a plot?
The larger idea represented in a story about human nature or the world.
What is the "theme" of a story?
The end of the story that ends with either a happy or tragic ending.
What is a Resolution?
These are character traits revealed through dialogue.
What is characterization through speech?
A conflict inside a character's own mind, such as indecision.
What is character vs. self?
A struggle between two characters, opposing forces in a story.
What is conflict?
The tortoise and the hare were going to have a race. The hare knew he was faster than the tortoise. After the race had begun, the hare decided he was fast enough that he could take a break and catch up to the tortoise later. The tortoise, even though he was slow, kept trying his hardest to win the race. When the hare tried to catch up and beat the tortoise it was too late. He had waited too long to try to win the race and the tortoise beat him. What is the moral of the story?
Slow and steady wins the race.
Series of events that move the story to the climax, character faces obstacles and challenges
What is the Rising Action?
These are character traits revealed by the behavior of the characters in a story.
What is characterization through Actions?
Character vs character; character vs society; character vs nature all represent this kind of conflict.
What are external conflicts?
This is where the story takes place. Time or place.
What is setting?
The Bulls and the Lion: A lion had been watching three bulls feeding in an open field. He had tried to attack them several times, but they kept together and helped each other to drive him off. The lion had little hope of eating them, for he was no match for three strong bulls with their sharp horns and hoofs. But he could not keep away from that field, for it is hard to resist watching a good meal, even when there is little chance of getting it. Then one day the bulls had a fight. When the hungry lion came to lick his chops and watch them as he did each day, he found them in separate corners of the field, as far away from one another as they could get. It was now an easy matter for the lion to attack the bulls one at a time. What is the moral of the story?
United we stand, divided we fall.
The peak of the story. They most exciting part.
What is the Climax?
When the author tells us directly about a character rather than showing us.
What is direct characterization?
A fistfight between your protagonist and antagonist.
What is a character vs. character conflict?
The main character in the story, often the good guy.
What is protagonist?
One day a countryman going to the nest of his goose found there an egg all yellow and glittering. When he took it up it was as heavy as lead. He was going to throw it away, because he thought a trick had been played upon him. Instead, he took it home on second thoughts. Soon, he found to his delight that it was an egg of pure gold. Every morning the same thing occurred. He soon became rich by selling his eggs. As he grew rich he grew greedy; and thinking to get at once all the gold the goose could give, he killed it and opened it only to find -- nothing. What is the message in the passage?
Greed doesn't pay.
The series of events after the climax that led to the end of the conflict
What is the Falling Action?
His eyes- how they twinkled! And his dimples how merry. His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry.
What is characterization through looks?
A character disagrees with the values, laws, or beliefs of a group
What is Character vs Society conflict?
The way an author reveals the special qualities and personalities of a character in a story
What is characterization?
In a field one summer's day a grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. A group of ants walked by, grunting as they struggled to carry plump kernels of corn. "Where are you going with those heavy things?" asked the grasshopper. Without stopping, the first ant replied, "To our ant hill. This is the third kernel I've delivered today." "Why not come and sing with me," teased the grasshopper, "instead of working so hard?" "We are helping to store food for the winter," said the ant, "and think you should do the same." "Winter is far away and it is a glorious day to play," sang the grasshopper. But the ants went on their way and continued their hard work. The weather soon turned cold. All the food lying in the field was covered with a thick white blanket of snow that even the grasshopper could not dig through. Soon the grasshopper found itself dying of hunger. He staggered to the ants' hill and saw them handing out corn from the stores they had collected in the summer. He begged them for something to eat. "What!" cried the ants in surprise, "haven't you stored anything away for the winter? What in the world were you doing all last summer?" "I didn't have time to store any food," complained the grasshopper; "I was so busy playing music that before I knew it the summer was gone." The ants shook their heads in disgust, turned their backs on the grasshopper and went on with their work. What is the moral of the story?
Work should come before play.
Characters and setting are established at this point in the story.
What is the Exposition?
Louise didn't know why she had ever wanted to become the CEO of a company. She supposed that at one time, she had thought that she could make a difference.
What is characterization through Thoughts?
A hunter stranded in the wilderness, pursued by a pack of wolves.
What is Character Vs. Nature conflict?