Elements of a Story

1
Elements of a Story

• Setting.
• Time and Place.
• Character.
• Protagonist and Supporting Characters.
• Round vs. Flat.
• Dynamic vs. Static.
• Direct Characterization vs. Indirect
  Characterization.
• Point of View.
• 1st person narration vs. 3rd person narration.
• Omniscient vs. Limited.
• Reliable vs. Unreliable.
• Tone/Mood. (Style)
• Narrators Attitude.
• Emotional Impression.

• Plot.
• Exposition (a.k.a. Introduction)
• Setting, Character, Point of View, Tone/Mood
• Inciting Incident (a.k.a. Narrative Hook)
• Central Conflict
• Development (a.k.a. Rising Action)
• Climax
• Falling Action
• Resolution (of the Conflict)
• Denouement (a.k.a. Conclusion)
• Theme.
• Meaning or Lesson.

2
Elements of a Story

• Setting
• When and Where does a story takes place?
• When (time) moment, time of day, time of year,
  time period.
• Where (place) (abstract or concrete) location,
  surroundings.
• General setting vs. Specific setting.
• e.g. the universe on the point of a needle in a
  pin cushion under my bed in my room at my home in
  Boonville, Missouri.
• e.g. is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase
  exempli gratia (for example).

3
Elements of a Story continued

• Character
• Who are the people, animals, or things with
  personalities that the story follows?
• Flat a character who has limited features,
  mental or physical.
• Round a character who has distinct personality
  and physical traits.
• Static a character who does not change over the
  course of a story.
• Dynamic a character who develops and changes
  significantly throughout the story.
• Protagonist the main character the character
  whose problem is the central conflict.

4
Characterization

• How the writer creates and develops a characters
  personality.
• Direct Characterization the writer tells you
  about a characters personality traits by
  directly describing him or her.
• e.g. Charlie was a mean, old man.
• Indirect Characterization the writer shows you a
  characters personality traits by describing that
  characters appearance, actions, and how others
  interact/respond to him or her.
• e.g. Wrinkle-faced, white-haired Charlie used to
  scream at his neighbors children when they
  walked on his lawn, and he would starve and beat
  his dog and then train her to bark at the kids
  when they came near his yard.

5
Elements of a Story continued

• Point of View
• Who is telling the story?
• 1st person the narrator is a character in the
  story and usually has limited information outside
  of himself.
• 3rd person the narrator is not a character in
  the story.
• Reliable (truthful) vs. Unreliable (not truthful
  for certain reasons confused/ignorant, evil,
  insane, etc.).
• Limited (the narrator is only able to relay that
  which a person would be able to perceive) vs.
  Omniscient (the narrator knows and can describe
  everything about the characters, plot, and
  setting).

6
Elements of a Story continued

• TONE explains how the narrator feels about the
  elements of the story.
• What is the narrators attitude?
• e.g. formal/informal, serious/playful.
• MOOD is the impression the elements of the story
  leave on you.
• How does the tone make you feel?
• e.g. happy/sad, funny/scary.
• Style...

7
Elements of a Story continued

• Plot
• What are the major and minor events of the story?
• Chronological order events happen as they would
  on a timeline (past or present).
• Foreshadow details in the story that may hint as
  to what will happen later chronologically in the
  story.
• Flashback events that happened prior to the
  current chronological event in the story.
• Tangent details that digress from the
  chronological events of the story.

8
Plot

• EXPOSITION (a.k.a. INTRODUCTION)
• the introduction of the setting and characters.
• INCITING INCIDENT (a.k.a. NARRATIVE HOOK)
• the introduction of the conflict.
• DEVELOPMENT (a.k.a. RISING ACTION)
• the development of the conflict.
• CLIMAX
• when the conflict is at its strongest.
• FALLING ACTION
• the events leading to the outcome of the
  conflict.
• RESOLUTION
• the outcome of the conflict.
• DENOUEMENT (day-new-maw) (a.k.a. CONCLUSION)
• all of the events occurring after the resolution.

9
Conflict

• The central CONFLICT of a story is the type of
  struggle that the protagonist undergoes. The
  struggle will be either External or Internal.
• Protagonist vs. Antagonist (man v. man) A
  protagonists opposing force is another character
  in the story. (the Most Dangerous Game) short
  story
• Protagonist vs. Fate A protagonists opposing
  force is historical pattern or the foreseen
  future. (Oedipus Rex) drama
• Protagonist vs. Nature A protagonists opposing
  force is the natural world (plants, animals,
  weather, etc.). (to Build a Fire) short story
• Protagonist vs. Self A protagonists opposing
  force is himself (his own thoughts, feelings, and
  actions). (the Laugher) short story
• Protagonist vs. Society A protagonists opposing
  force is the people and beliefs of the society he
  is in. (the Grapes of Wrath) novel
• Protagonist vs. Supernatural A protagonists
  opposing force is something that is
  unexplainable. (the Iliad the Odyssey)
  novel/poem
• NOTE a story may have several different
  conflicts occurring at the same time. Like THEME,
  it may be a matter of interpretation.

10
Elements of a Story continued

• Theme
• Why was the story written?
• What is the meaning of the story (the universal
  truth)?
• What lesson are you taught by reading the story
  (the message)?
• Cliché a statement of theme made using
  figurative language.
• Never judge a book by its cover.
• Moral a statement of theme commanding the reader
  to do or not to do something.
• Dont form an opinion about someone based only on
  the way he looks.
• Thematic Statement a statement of theme made
  using formal language.
• Appearances can be deceiving.

11
Elements of a Story continued

• Character
• Who are the people, animals, or things with
  personalities that the story follows?
• Flat a character who has limited features,
  mental or physical.
• Round a character who has distinct personality
  and physical traits.
• Static a character who does not change over the
  course of a story.
• Dynamic a character who develops and changes
  significantly throughout the story.
• Protagonist the main character the character
  whose problem is the central conflict.

12
Characterization

• How the writer creates and develops a characters
  personality.
• Direct Characterization the writer tells you
  about a characters personality traits by
  directly describing him or her.
• e.g. Charlie was a mean, old man.
• Indirect Characterization the writer shows you a
  characters personality traits by describing that
  characters appearance, actions, and how others
  interact/respond to him or her.
• e.g. Wrinkle-faced, white-haired Charlie used to
  scream at his neighbors children when they
  walked on his lawn, and he would starve and beat
  his dog and then train her to bark at the kids
  when they came near his yard.

13
Elements of a Story continued

• Point of View
• Who is telling the story?
• 1st person the narrator is a character in the
  story and usually has limited information outside
  of himself.
• 3rd person the narrator is not a character in
  the story.
• Reliable (truthful) vs. Unreliable (not truthful
  for certain reasons confused/ignorant, evil,
  insane, etc.).
• Limited (the narrator is only able to relay that
  which a person would be able to perceive) vs.
  Omniscient (the narrator knows and can describe
  everything about the characters, plot, and
  setting).

14
Elements of a Story continued

• TONE explains how the narrator feels about the
  elements of the story.
• What is the narrators attitude?
• e.g. formal/informal, serious/playful.
• MOOD is the impression the elements of the story
  leave on you.
• How does the tone make you feel?
• e.g. happy/sad, funny/scary.
• Style...

15
Elements of a Story continued

• Plot
• What are the major and minor events of the story?
• Chronological order events happen as they would
  on a timeline (past or present).
• Foreshadow details in the story that may hint as
  to what will happen later chronologically in the
  story.
• Flashback events that happened prior to the
  current chronological event in the story.
• Tangent details that digress from the
  chronological events of the story.

16
Plot

• EXPOSITION (a.k.a. INTRODUCTION)
• the introduction of the setting and characters.
• INCITING INCIDENT (a.k.a. NARRATIVE HOOK)
• the introduction of the conflict.
• DEVELOPMENT (a.k.a. RISING ACTION)
• the development of the conflict.
• CLIMAX
• when the conflict is at its strongest.
• FALLING ACTION
• the events leading to the outcome of the
  conflict.
• RESOLUTION
• the outcome of the conflict.
• DENOUEMENT (day-new-maw) (a.k.a. CONCLUSION)
• all of the events occurring after the resolution.

17
Conflict

• The central CONFLICT of a story is the type of
  struggle that the protagonist undergoes. The
  struggle will be either External or Internal.
• Protagonist vs. Antagonist (man v. man) A
  protagonists opposing force is another character
  in the story. (the Most Dangerous Game) short
  story
• Protagonist vs. Fate A protagonists opposing
  force is historical pattern or the foreseen
  future. (Oedipus Rex) drama
• Protagonist vs. Nature A protagonists opposing
  force is the natural world (plants, animals,
  weather, etc.). (to Build a Fire) short story
• Protagonist vs. Self A protagonists opposing
  force is himself (his own thoughts, feelings, and
  actions). (the Laugher) short story
• Protagonist vs. Society A protagonists opposing
  force is the people and beliefs of the society he
  is in. (the Grapes of Wrath) novel
• Protagonist vs. Supernatural A protagonists
  opposing force is something that is
  unexplainable. (the Iliad the Odyssey)
  novel/poem
• NOTE a story may have several different
  conflicts occurring at the same time. Like THEME,
  it may be a matter of interpretation.

18
Elements of a Story continued

• Theme
• Why was the story written?
• What is the meaning of the story (the universal
  truth)?
• What lesson are you taught by reading the story
  (the message)?
• Cliché a statement of theme made using
  figurative language.
• Never judge a book by its cover.
• Moral a statement of theme commanding the reader
  to do or not to do something.
• Dont form an opinion about someone based only on
  the way he looks.
• Thematic Statement a statement of theme made
  using formal language.
• Appearances can be deceiving.

19
Constructed Responses

• Constructed response items should be written in
  complete sentences, restating the question/prompt
  in the response.
• e.g. Why did the chicken cross the road?
• Acceptable constructed response
• The chicken crossed the road to get to the other
  side.
• DO NOT begin sentences with the words Yes,
  No, Well, or So, and DO NOT use the phrases
  I think or I believe they are unnecessary.
• e.g. Why did the chicken cross the road?
• Unacceptable response
• To get to the other side. (fragment)
• I think the chicken crossed the road to get to
  the other side. (unnecessary)
• Well, the chicken crossed the road because there
  was a handsome rooster on the other side.
  (informal)

20
Active Voice vs. Passive Voice

• Voice is determined by the relationship between
  the subject and the verb.
• Only action verbs show voice linking verbs do
  not show voice.
• In a sentence in the active voice, the subject
  performs the action expressed by the verb
  (generally, use the active voice to emphasize the
  subject and eliminate confusion about the
  performer of the action).
• Active voice (preferred) e.g. Joe washed the
  dishes in the kitchen.

21
Active Voice vs. Passive Voice

• In a sentence in the passive voice, the subject
  receives the action expressed by the verb
  (generally contains the helping verb to be
  followed by the past participle of the action
  verb and a by/from prepositional phrase use
  the passive voice to emphasize the receiver of
  the action or when the performer of the action is
  unknown).
• Passive voice (generally, the active voice is
  preferred in this situation) e.g. The dishes
  were washed by Joe in the kitchen.
• Passive voice (the performer of action unknown)
  e.g. The dishes were washed in the kitchen.
• Passive voice (emphasize receiver of action)
  e.g. Joe was soaked by the dishwater.