Elements of the Short Story BASIC ELEMENTS FOR ANALYZING SHORT STORIES

Definition of Short Story First, we must know what a short story is. A short story is a short piece of fiction, which tells imaginated actions and events of characters. Every short story tells something about someone in sometime. That “something” is called PLOT. That “someone” is called CHARACTER. That “sometime” is called SETTING.

Elements of the Short Story That “something” is called PLOT. That “someone” is called CHARACTER. That “sometime” is called SETTING. And It’s important to say that EVERY TALE or story is about SOMETHING, which is called THEME. Also, in every story, there is a CONFLICT or struggle between two people or things.

Element of the Short Story Let’s get more information about the five elements of the story. Plot: Plot: the organized sequence of events, which can be presented in chronological order or not. Characters Characters: people or things responsible for developing the plot. Conflict Conflict: it can be internal or external. When the characters represent intangible forces, the story is an allegory. Setting: Setting: the place and time of the plot, which vary from story to story. Sometimes they are not stated explicitly. Theme: Theme: the central idea or belief in a short story.

The story: Thrown Away Author: Rudyard Kipling. Let’s analyze the elements of this story: 1. What is the main character in the story? 2. Are there other secondary characters in the story? 3. Is the sequence of events presented in chronological order or not? 4. What is the conflict in the story? 5. What is the theme of the story?

The story: Thrown Away CharactersPlotSettingThemeConflict The BoyChronological order JungleDespair IndiaYouth The colonel A major Fill in the blanks with information from the story Thrown Away by Rudyard Kipling.

Plot Diagram

Explain the five stages of the plot in the story Thrown Away in the following chart. Exposition Rising action Climax Falling Action Resolution