Transcript Story Structure: tells how authors present the story

Welcome to the
Elements of the Story: You're going to have to know this stuff
so spend some time on it!
Mr. Mayer
Oh, yeah…
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If the slide asks you a question, try to
answer it inside your brain. You don’t
have to write anything down, but you
are expected to know the elements of a
short story and recall them for use on
tests and on the final exam.
Story Structure: tells how authors present
the story
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Exposition: background about
characters, setting, situation
Rising Action: conflict arises,
more information is learned
about characters and setting
Climax: when action reaches
the highest point
Falling Action: the story begins
wrapping up, characters are
dealing with whatever happened
in the climax
Resolution: This tells how the
story concludes
Climax
Rising
Action
Exposition
Falling
Action
Resolution
How Writers Create Setting
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Details: Adding details makes the story
seem more believable.
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Sensory Imagery: Adding details that
appeal to the reader’s sight, smell,
taste, touch, and hearing creates a vivid
picture.
Point of View: This is the view from which
the story is told
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Ask yourself, “Who
is telling the story?”
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There are 3 types of
point of view. Get
ready…here they
are...
A- First Person
1. The narrator is recognizable by use of first person
pronoun, generally "I" but sometimes "we"
2. The narrator offers one perspective
3. The narrator asks reader to take into account the
character of the storyteller
4. The narrator may be a participant, a character involved
in the events, or a non-participant, an observercharacter not actually involved and therefore closely
resembles third person .
When reading stories in the first person, we need to realize that
what the narrator is recounting might not be the objective truth. We
should question the trustworthiness of the accounting.
B- Third Person
An outside force without any clear identity tells the
story [described elsewhere as like the eye of God]
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1- Omniscient: Narrator moves freely about in
time and space and into characters’ thoughts and
feelings . The narrator knows everything about
them, interprets and comments on their behavior,
and even comments on the significance or
meaning of the story.
There are 2 kinds…
B- Third Person
 2 - Limited omniscient: Like omniscient, the story
is told in third person, but the author tells it from
the viewpoint of only one character. The author
looks at events through the eyes, mind and
emotions of that one character. The writer moves
inside and outside the character and knows what
that character sees, hears, feels, and thinks.
However, nothing is revealed about the other
characters except for what his chosen character
knows or infers. This point of view is closer to the
conditions of real life and may serve to unify the
story since all details are seen through the eyes
and experience of one person.
3- Objective :
 narrator refrains from any editorial commentary .
The narrator can go anywhere, but can only
record what is seen and heard. The narrator tells
what happens without stating more than can be
inferred from the story's action and dialogue. The
narrator never discloses anything about what the
characters think or feel, remaining a detached
observer.
Theme: what the story is about--the issues that it
explores
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A theme is a universal idea.
A theme teaches a specific lesson or
moral.
Most stories have more than one
theme.
For example: sometimes it’s better to turn a person in to the
cops if it means they will turn their life around and be a more
positive and successful person!
Imagery: uses details to describe something and
evoke feelings
The icy hail
furiously pelted
my car, leaving
magnificent holes
in the smooth hood.
The sound pierced
my ears ruthlessly, as I
tried to find shelter.
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Imagery gives you
detailed pictures in
your mind.
Symbol: an image, character, or action that
stands for an idea beyond its literal meaning
Some aren’t...
Some are obvious...
Tone: is like the author’s “tone of voice”--it tells
you their attitude towards the characters, setting, etc.
“She dismally
muttered that she’d always
love him, even though
he was gone.
She’d never love again.”
What’s the tone here?
Irony: to intend a meaning opposite of what is
expected. There are a few kinds of irony.
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Dramatic Irony: The audience knows
something that the character does not.
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Situational Irony: when the opposite of what
was expected happens.
Dramatic
Irony: You
know what the
farmer does not.
Situational
Irony: You’d
expect
cheetahs to
run, not
speed-walk.
Which kind
of irony is
this?
Which kind
of irony is
this?
Hyperbole: an exaggerated statement used to
make a strong effect
“Whoa! That cookie looks like a million bucks!”
Foreshadowing: A writing technique that
gives readers clues about what will happen later in
the story.
“As he pondered the morning, he
reassured himself that he locked the
door. Something kept telling him
otherwise, but he pushed it out of his
mind.”
What might this be foreshadowing?
Protagonist: the main character
in the story (good guy)
Antagonist: the force against the
protagonist (bad guy)
Simile: comparing 2 things using like or as.
Her hair was as soft as cotton.
Metaphor: comparing 2 things without using
like or as.
A heavy blanket of snow fell all day long.
Flashback: details from an earlier point in
time are revealed to the reader