“A Rose For Emily” What is the lesson the story is trying to teach us? List 5 “oddities” in the story Describe the narrator

Plot Analyzing Literature

Analysis How do we analyze a story?

What’s Normal? In order to identify “oddities” in the text, we first must be aware of what is “normal.” That is why we study as many aspects of literature as possible: that way, we enter into the academic conversation about what is “normal” in literature and what is not.

Plot If all writers wrote their stories in chronological order, “plot” would be defined as: plot = the sequence of events in a story. The problem is, not all writers write chronologically.

For example, Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” is not written in chronological order. Try putting the following events of the story into chronological order:

The town goes to Emily’s funeral Homer says he “likes men”; is seen drinking with younger men at the Elks club Colonel Sartoris remits or stops collecting Emily’s taxes The town calls Emily “Poor Emily.” The new mayor sends Emily a tax bill Emily buys a set of men’s clothes The deputation (acting deputy) visits Emily’s house Homer Baron disappears Emily’s father dies Emily is forty years old. “the smell” Emily gives lessons in china-painting four men sneak into Emily’s house and spread lime in the cellar. Emily dies Tobe lets the townspeople into Emily’s house after Emily’s death Emily tells the town her father is not dead at all. Tobe walks out the back and disappears Emily lets them bury her father Emily meets Homer Baron Emily’s funeral Emily is thirty years old They find a man’s desiccated body on a bed in the house The town believes Emily to be a “fallen” woman Emily buys arsenic

Emily’s father dies The town calls Emily “Poor Emily.” Colonel Sartoris remits or stops collecting Emily’s taxes Emily buys a set of men’s clothes Homer Baron disappears The new mayor sends Emily a tax bill Emily is forty years old. The deputation (acting deputy) visits Emily’s house Emily gives lessons in china-painting Emily dies “the smell” Tobe lets the townspeople into Emily’s house after Emily’s death four men sneak into Emily’s house and spread lime in the cellar. Tobe walks out the back and disappears Emily tells the town her father is not dead at all. Emily’s funeral/The town goes to Emily’s funeral Emily lets them bury her father Emily meets Homer Baron Emily is thirty years old They find a man’s desiccated body on a bed in the house The town believes Emily to be a “fallen” woman Emily buys arsenic Homer says he “likes men”; is seen drinking with younger men at the Elks club

Plot Therefore, it might be more accurate to define plot as: plot= the organization of the sequence of events in a story However, that organization is often arranged according to what is happening in the story (although not always, as in Faulkner).

So, it might be most accurate to say: plot = the organization in a story of events into a sequence based on cause and effect

And generally, a plot contains these elements: 1. Exposition Introduces characters Introduces background information important to the story Conflict or complication Can be within a character Between a character and society Between two characters Crisis Conflict intensifies and forces the characters into a choice Climax The moment of greatest tension in the story Characters make a choice and deal with the consequences 5. Denouement (dan-noo-mahn) Resolution or non-resolution to the conflict

In order to figure out what the conflict is, you must be able to identify a story’s protagonist and antagonist. Protagonist= who the audience is rooting for, sometimes heroic, sometimes not so heroic. Antagonist = the character or force working against the protagonist.

For example, what is the central conflict in a “Rose for Emily”? Who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist?

Why does Faulkner order the story the way he does Why does Faulkner order the story the way he does? How does that order help communicate the story’s overall meaning?