Short Story Unit- Terms to know

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Short Story Unit- Terms to know
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Setting

• Time and place
• Can create the conflict, atmosphere, mood of the
  story

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Protagonist

• The central character in the story, the one that
  drives the action usually the hero, but
  sometimes it can be the villain if he/she drives
  the action

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Antagonist

• The opponent that struggles against the
  protagonist
• (may not be a personcould be nature or even the
  characters own conscience)

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Characterization

• The way an author reveals a characters
  personality
• By telling us directly
• By describing how they look
• By what they character says
• By revealing the characters thoughts
• By the way others react or feel about him/her
• By the characters actions

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Characterization

• Round fully developed
• Flat one dimensional
• Stereotype a person, group, or issue considered
  to typify or conform to an unvarying pattern or
  manner and lacking individuality
• ( ex. dumb blonde)

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Plot

• Events in the story (story line)

Climax

Rising Action
Falling Action
Resolution
Exposition
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Conflicts

• Struggle between opposing forces in a story
• Internal- in a persons mind
• External- person against another person, person
  against society, or person against nature

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Complication/ Rising Action

• Obstacles that the character(s) face as the story
  progresses all the actions that take place
  before the climax

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Turning point/ climax

• Climax- emotional high point or turning point
• Outcome of conflict is about to happen

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Falling Action

• All the actions that take place after the turning
  point/crisis/climax- leads to the final
  resolution of the conflict (happy or unhappy)

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Resolution/ Denouement

• When the storys problems are resolved (happy or
  unhappy) and the story comes to an end

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Tone

• Attitude the writer takes toward the subject of
  the work, the characters in it or the audience-
  writers try to manipulate language to achieve a
  certain effect
• Single word examples solemn, playful, sarcastic,
  ironic, critical, reverent (respectful),
  irreverent (disrespectful), philosophical
  (truth-seeking)

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• Tone Words
• dreamy
• afraid
• fanciful
• happy
• horrific
• humorous
• irreverent
• joking
• joyful
• mocking
• objective
• peaceful
• pitiful

bitter boring candid childish cold complimentary
condescending confused contemptuous detached dra
matic proud
shocking silly sentimental sharp sad
sarcastic somber sweet sympathetic
tired upset vibrant zealous
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Symbolism

• A person, place, thing, or event that has meaning
  in itself and stands for something more than
  itself

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Metaphor

• Comparison not using like or as
• Directly stated Fame is a bee
• Implied I like to see it (train) lap the Miles
  (train moving is compared to an animal lapping
  water)
• Extended- the comparison is continuously made
  throughout the work

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Simile

• Comparison using like or as

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Personification

• To give object or animal human characteristics

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Imagery

• The use of language to evoke a picture or a
  concrete sensation of a person, thing, place or
  experience.

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Irony - a discrepancy or difference between
appearance and reality

• Verbal irony- says something but means something
  else
• Situational irony- is when what is expected to
  happen is the opposite of what really happens
• Dramatic irony- the character thinks one thing is
  true, but the audience knows better

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Foreshadowing

• Use of hints and clues to suggest what is going
  to happen. A writer can use foreshadowing to
  create suspense.

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Theme

• The insight about human life that is revealed by
  the literature. Theme is not the same as the
  subject. Subject might be one word or a phrase
  like growing up. The theme is stated in at
  least one sentence or more. For most young
  people, growing up is a process that involves the
  pain of achieving self-knowledge.

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Theme is not a moral

• A moral tells how to behave or what to do. Theme
  is an observation.
• Incorrect theme The theme of The Life You Save
  May Be Your Own is that you shouldnt hurt other
  people.

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A theme is not a bumper sticker statement or a
cliché

• Incorrect theme The theme of A Life You Save
  May Be Your Own is that what comes around goes
  around.

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Themes do not refer to the specific names or the
events of the plot

• Incorrect theme The theme of The Life You
  Save is that Mr. Shiftlet is a con artist and
  will be punished

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Wording to use

• Avoid shallow words like anyone all none
  everything everyone you
• Use terms that suggest a more realistic view of
  human experience like we us society often
  people sometimes

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Thematic Vocabulary
Search for identity Scapegoat/ victim Innocence/
illusion Prejudice Social status
Persistence Repentance Revenge Journey
Heart vs Reason Law/ justice Free will/ will
power Greed Guilt Falsity/ pretense Dreams/
fantasies Loyalty Materialism Mob psychology
Alienation Ambition Appearance/ reality Custom/
tradition Betrayal Courage/ cowardice Women/
feminism Cruelty/ violence Defeat/
failure Chance/ fate/ luck