Understanding Plot Elements in Short Stories: A Guide for English 9 Students
This guide outlines the essential terms related to plot structure and character dynamics in short stories, tailored for English 9 students at Kelly Road English Department. It covers key concepts such as setting, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement, protagonist, antagonist, foreshadowing, irony, and more. Students will gain insights into the narrative framework and character development techniques essential for crafting engaging short stories.
Understanding Plot Elements in Short Stories: A Guide for English 9 Students
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Presentation Transcript
Kelly Road English Department – English 9 Short Story Terms
Plot Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • What happens in a story
Setting Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • The place and time in which a story occurs
Exposition Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • Tells background information about what has gone on in that setting • Sets up later plot events
Crisis Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • The main problem or troubling event that sets the action going
Rising Action Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • The series of events leading to the climax
Climax Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • The point at which the action and/or tension is at its height
Falling Action Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • The beginning of the end of the story • Crisis resolved; character conflicts dealt with
Denouement Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • Day-new-maw • Loose ends of the plot tied up, either after the climax, or (more commonly) in the very final scenes of the story
Protagonist Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • The main character(s) in a story
Antagonist Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • The character(s) or force(s) arrayed against the main character
Foreshadowing Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • Hints given in the plot about what is going to happen later
Irony Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • When the writer expresses a meaning that is different than the words used
Parody Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • To make fun of a type of literature by writing something like it that pokes fun at it
Mood Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • Also called atmosphere • The “feeling” presented in the story through the way the author describes scenes or plot events • Eg.: It was a dark and stormy night…
Tone Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • The author’s attitudes and/or biases that come through in the story, whether in character descriptions, or in their dialogue
Dilemma Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • A choice that a character must make between 2 unpleasant outcomes, in response to a plot challenge • Dilemmas are often hard choices that involve moral or ethical issues
Symbolism Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • When an important person, place or thing in a story represents both itself, and something else • The secondary representation is generally figurative
Suspense Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • A feeling of tension that builds throughout the plot • Usually linked to what will happen at the climax
Flashback Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • A scene inserted into the plot that shows events that occurred at an earlier time
Conflict Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • General term for negative interactions between characters
Internal Conflict Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • Internal – struggle inside a character’s mind or self – Person vs. Self
External Conflict Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • Person vs. Person – conflict between 2 or more characters • Person vs. Environment – conflicts between a person and their situation – Nature, society, group, etc.
Characterization Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • Round – character has many traits • Flat – character has few traits
Characterization Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • Dynamic – character’s traits change over time • Static – character’s traits do not change over time
Characterization Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • Stereotype/Stock – character with clichéd traits • Eg. James Bond, Robin Hood, Wicked Stepmother, etc. • Realistic – A character who is NOT based on a stereotypical cliché, but on “real life”
Characterization Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • Motivation – the combination of circumstance and personality that makes a character do what they do
Point of View Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • The viewpoint through which a story is told • Types: • First Person – “I” – solely the POV of the narrator; reader only knows as much as narrator
Point of View Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • The viewpoint through which a story is told • Types Cont’d: • Third Person Omniscient – “God Mode” – narrator knows characters’ thoughts and feelings • Third Person Limited Omniscient – narrator knows thoughts and feelings of one character, but not necessarily others
Theme Kelly Road English Department – English 9 • The central idea or thesis of a story • Can be stated directly by the author, or indirectly through the outcome of the plot
The End Kelly Road English Department – English 9
