Plot

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Plot

• Connecting the Dots

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What Is Plot?

• Plot is a series of related events that make up a
  story or drama.
• Plot is fueled by one or more conflicts.

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What Makes Up a Plot?

• A plot has four parts.
• exposition, or basic situation
• complications
• climax
• resolution
• denouement (in some cases)

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Parts of Plot Exposition

• Exposition is the part of the plot that
  introduces the basic situation and gives
  information about the characters and their
  problems.
• Exposition foreshadows the conflict.

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Parts of Plot Complications

• Complications arise when the characters take
  steps to deal with the conflict introduced in the
  exposition.

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Parts of Plot Climax

• The climax is the moment of greatest emotional
  intensity or suspense.
• The climax marks the moment when the conflict
  must be resolved in one way or another.

Climax
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Parts of Plot Resolution

• Resolution moves from the high point of the
  climax and usually settles the conflict.
• Resolution often ties up any loose ends in the
  story.
• Denouement, if present, comes after the
  resolution and gives extra info (epilogue, where
  are they now)

Climax
Denouement
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Conflict

• Conflict is the struggle or clash between
  opposing characters or forces.
• Conflict
• underlies the entire plot, from exposition to
  resolution
• moves the story along and makes readers care
  about the outcome
• may be internal or external

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What Have You Learned?
Match the terms in the box with the correct
definitions.
Plot Climax Exposition
_____________ The part of the story that
introduces the basic situation. _____________
The moment of greatest emotional intensity or
suspense. _____________ A series of related
events that make up a story or drama.
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Character

• Revealing Human Nature

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Characters can be

• greedy

kind
sneaky
happy
sad
funny
impatient
mean
serious
angry
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What Is a Character?

• A character is a person in a story, poem, or
  play.
• Animals, divinities, and heroes with superhuman
  powers can also be characters.

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Types of Characters

• Protagonist
• Main character in a story (the good guy)
• Examples Luke Skywalker, Little Red Riding Hood
• Antagonist
• Character in opposition to the protagonist (bad
  guy)
• Examples Darth Vader, Big Bad Wolf
• Subordinate
• Play important roles, but are not the main
  characters
• Han Solo, Grandma

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Classifications of Characters

• Flat
• Has only one or two traits (character has no
  depth)
• Round
• Has many different traits, which sometimes
  contradict one another
• Static
• Does not change during the course of the story
• Dynamic
• Changes as a result of the events in the story

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How Writers Reveal Character

• Writers reveal a characters personality through
  characterization.
• Characterization may be direct or indirect.

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Direct Characterization
When writers use direct characterization, they
tell readers directly what a character is like.
Betsy was sharp-tongued. She had an opinion about
everything and wasnt afraid to speak her mind.
Shed give advice to anyone and everyone whether
they asked for it or not.
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Indirect Characterization
When writers use indirect characterization,
readers have to use their own judgement to decide
what a character is like, based on the evidence
the writer gives us.
It wasnt a surprise when Betsy interrupted
again. Thats no way to catch the thief, she
said rolling her eyes. We cant just wait until
he robs another museum. Weve got to be prepared.
Weve got to be there first. We need a piece of
art he cant resist. We need a trap!
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Understanding a Character

• When writers use indirect characterization,
  readers must decide what the character is like
  based on
• the characters speech
• the characters appearance
• the characters private thoughts
• the responses of other characters
• the characters actions

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Speech

• Pay attention to
• the way the character speakstone of voice,
  dialect, volume
• the words the character usesslang, contractions,
  long, difficult words

Stop messing with the camera and take the
picture already, why doncha. I dont want to
stand out here in the heat all day. Ive got
things to do, Aunt Ida hollered.
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Appearance

• Pay attention to
• the way the character looks
• the kinds of clothes the character wears

Jack checked his reflection in the window. His
red hair was cut short with a bit of a spike in
the front, and his pale skin was cleanshaven. His
gray pinstriped trousers had wrinkled a bit
during the train ride, but the creases in his
pant legs were still sharp. As the train pulled
into the station, he stood up, adjusted his tie,
and re-tucked his starched blue shirt. Then, he
draped his suit jacket over his arm, picked up
his briefcase, and waited for a break in the
stream of people exiting the train.
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Private Thoughts

• Pay attention to
• what the character thinks and feels about the
  events and other characters

Why did I ever agree to this? Gerald asked
himself as he loaded his camping gear into the
van. He could list a dozen other things that he
needed to get done this weekend. Gerald,
Kevin said as he walked up beside him, Glad you
could make it, man. I know youve been busy with
the new job and all . . . Hey, no problem. I
always have time for my friends, Gerald replied
with a forced smile.
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Response of Other Characters

• Pay attention to
• what other characters think about the character
• what other characters say about the character
• how other characters act toward the character

Did you hear that Candace made the team? Ray
asked. Yeah, replied Bonnie, Im so happy for
her. She was determined to make the cut this
yearshe and I practiced every weekend, and she
worked really hard to improve her serve and
backhand. She even beat me a few times.
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Actions

• Pay attention to
• what the character does
• how the character does it (willingly, grudgingly,
  joyfully)

Nina hummed to herself as she chopped up
vegetablescelery, carrots, bell peppersfor the
soup. She cheerfully carried the cutting board
over to the stove and tilted it so all the
vegetables slid into the stock pot. Then she
turned, held the cutting board above her head
with one hand, and shimmied over to the sink.
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What Have You Learned?
Determine whether each of the following
statements is true or false.
1. Characters in stories, poems, and plays are
always people. a. true b. false 2. When trying
to determine what a character is like based on
speech, you should pay attention to tone of
voice. a. true b. false 3. When writers use
direct characterization, they allow readers to
interpret what a character is like. a. true b.
false
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Setting

• The Backdrop of a Story

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What Is Setting?

• Setting is the time and place of a story or play.
• A storys setting may include
• its geographical location
• a specific time of day
• a time period
• the weather

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How Is Setting Created?

• Writers use precise sensory details and images to
  create a storys setting.
• What do the characters

• see?

• A smoky gray sky?

• A murky sea?

• smell?

• Burning wood?

• Dead fish?

• hear?

• Shrieking birds?

• Crashing waves?

• touch?

• Brittle sticks?

• Gritty sand?

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Setting Reveals Character

• A storys setting can help reveal a characters
  personality.

How we loved Mama Della! Her bright and cozy
kitchen was always open to us on a summer
afternoon. Wed tumble up the steps and plop down
on the old red bench to munch chewy homemade
cookies or gnaw on watermelon wedges. Wed sit
with our legs swinging and gulp and slurpand
wait. We had to be patient sometimes shed have
to finish arranging flowers from her
gardensnapdragons, daisies, or sunflowersin the
green bottle vase and set it on the crisp
tablecloth. But then she would sit back and
launch into one of her mesmerizing tales.

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Setting Reveals Mood

• The setting can contribute to a storys
  atmosphere, or mood, and affect the way we feel.

The evening sky grew dim as thick, gray clouds
rumbled together. Heavy tree branches overhanging
the path blocked out almost all of the fading
light. I felt caught in a dark tunnel. I glanced
around and realized this part of the running
trail was deserted. A trickle of fear swept over
me as I picked up my pace. Then a fierce clap of
thunder shot through the air, and I stumbled.
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Setting Works with Plot

• The setting can play an important role in a
  storys plot.

Bryon hunched forward as he trudged up the narrow
mountain pass. The wind screamed in his ears, and
the icy pellets pounded his face so that he could
hardly see. The snowstorm had come upon them
without warning and showed no signs of stopping.
But the secret plans were hidden near Bryons
heart. His delivering of the plans to the Council
was the last hope the Turins had for remaining
Free. If we dont find shelter before dark, we
will be forced to turn back, he thought numbly.
But his heart sank, for retreating meant his band
must take the long route through the open country
of the Enemy.
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What Have You Learned?
Are the statements below true or false?
_____________ 1. The setting is the time and
place in which a story occurs. _____________ 2.
Setting rarely contributes to a storys
mood. _____________ 3. A storys setting is not
related to character development. _____________
4. Setting can play an important role in a
storys plot.
True
False
False
True
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Theme

• What does it mean?

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What Is Theme?

• Theme is the central idea of a work of
  literature.
• Usually, the theme reveals a truth about human
  behavior.

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Theme vs. Subject

• The subject is what the story is about.
• The story of The Three Little Pigs is about
  planning.
• The theme states what the subject means.
• The theme of The Three Little Pigs is that
  those who dont plan ahead may suffer the
  consequences.

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Where Is the Theme?

• A storys theme is usually not stated directly.
• All of the elements of the storyplot events,
  characters, setting, and dialoguemake up the
  theme.

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Stating a Storys Theme

• General guidelines for stating a storys theme
• Step 1 Think about how the main character
  has changed throughout the story.
• Ask what the character has discovered as a result
  of the storys events.
• Step 2 Use at least one sentence to state the
  theme.
• NOT The theme is technology.
• BUT The theme is that technology can bring
  people together even as it seems to isolate
  them.

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Stating a Storys Theme

• Step 3 Remember that theres more than one way
  to state a storys theme.
• You may even find several themes in one story.

General guidelines for stating a storys theme
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What Have You Learned?
Decide whether each statement is a theme or a
subject.
subject
_____________ being an individual _____________
Humanity must learn to value differences but also
to see beyond them. _____________ Dreams will
not come true unless you work to make them
true. _____________ the importance of love
theme
theme
subject
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Point of View

• Whos Talking?

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A Familiar Story?

• I had been a frog for a long time, but when the
  golden sphere splashed into the murky water at
  the bottom of my pond, it reminded me of
  something I had known about long before. I had
  held something in my handsI had thrown it
  through the air in the opposite motion from
  catching a fly. I had laughedsuddenly I could
  remember laughing.
• I took the heavy, cold golden ball and swam to
  the surface. My head broke through the water, but
  my body was weighed down by the ball. I hung
  there, swaying, staring up at the bright world.
  Then, motion filled my vision. Something large
  and pale swooped down at me, and suddenly both
  the ball and I were flying through the air toward
  a bright shape. Please, the shape said in words
  I could somehow understand, please give me back
  my golden ball.

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What Is Point of View?

• Point of view is the vantage point from which a
  writer tells a story.
• What you learn about events, characters, and
  places depends on the point of view of the
  narrator, the voice that tells the story.

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Points of View

• The three most common points of view
• Omniscient
• Third-person limited
• First person

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Omniscient Point of View

• In the omniscient point of view, the narrator
  knows everything about the story.
• The narrator is not part of the story but rather
  an observer who knows
• everything about all the characters, even their
  private thoughts
• the past, present, and future of the story, as
  well as what is happening everywhere in it

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Omniscient Point of View

• Every summer, the cousins played capture the
  flag when their families met at the lake house.
  They divided into three teams and every year
  planned more elaborate tactics.
• Russell organized his brothers and sister to
  hide their flag high in a tree. Theyll never
  find it here, he thought happily. He really
  wanted to outsmart Lucia this year.
• On the other side of the lake, the twins Lucia
  and Jennifer helped their younger brothers pile
  up brush to look like an abandoned beaver dam.
  We should make a decoy, too, Lucia suggested.
• Paul was an only child, so he and the Franklin
  family were a team. Im the oldest in our
  family, so I should be in charge, Janie argued.
  Paul frowned at her. She was only twelve. What
  did she know about strategy? Im the oldest on
  the team, he told her.

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Third-Person-Limited Point of View

• In third-person-limited point of view, the
  narrator zooms in on the thoughts and feelings of
  just one character.
• The narrator plays no part in the story and has
  limited knowledge of it.

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Third-Person-Limited Point of View

• Paul stood in the woods near the lakefront and
  looked at Janie. His brown hair fell into his
  eyes, and he irritably pushed it back. Why did
  his younger cousin always have to argue? He
  wondered how his aunt and uncle could put up with
  her all the time. Maybe it was good that he was
  an only child. Sometimes even two weeks with
  Janie seemed long.
• Im the oldest in our family, so I should be in
  charge, Janie argued.
• Paul frowned at her. She was only twelve. What
  did she know about strategy? Paul was fifteen,
  and he had a lot of great ideas about where to
  hide the flag. Janie wasnt old enough to have
  any clever plans.

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First-Person Point of View

• In first-person point of view, the narrator is
  one of the characters in the story and tells the
  story using the pronoun I.
• All of your information about the story comes
  from this narrator.

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First-Person Point of View

• Mostly I liked Janie. She was a lot of fun, but
  sometimes she really got on my nerves! I had all
  these ideas about capture the flag, and she
  didnt want to listen she only wanted to argue.
  I didnt know how my aunt and uncle could stand
  her! Being with Janie for two weeks really made
  me glad I was an only child.
• Im the oldest in our family, so I should be in
  charge, Janie whined to me. She was pouting, and
  her face was turning red.
• I sighed. Janie was only twelve. What did she
  know about strategy? Her idea would probably be
  to put the flag under a rock and then run around
  yelling and chasing anyone who came near her. I
  knew that Lucia and Jennifer and Russell would
  come up with some really clever plans. Our team
  was already at a disadvantage because we had the
  two youngest cousins, Adam and Lynn. Im the
  oldest on the team, I told her.

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Why Is Point of View Important?

• Point of view determines all of the information
  you get about a story.
• Consider how a story would be different if
  another voice were telling it.
• Think about how information in a story is
  affected by the narrators perspective on the
  events.

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What Have You Learned?
Match these terms with the correct definition.
Omniscient First person Third-person limited
_________________ One of the characters in the
story is the narrator. _________________ The
narrator knows everything about all the
characters. _________________ The narrator
describes the thoughts and feelings of just one
character.