Explain the influence of the setting on plot development Setting & Plot 7.3 C Analyze how place and time influence the theme or message of a literary work 7.6 A Explain the influence of the setting on plot development

Setting Where AND When a story takes place Sometimes stated directly in the exposition However, sometimes you have to infer it from clues the author gives you Descriptions about the climate The ways people talk and dress The available technology Ex. A book using flying cars to travel on Earth would be set in the future; knights battling in a kingdom most like set in the Middle Ages

Setting The waves lobbed repeatedly against the side of the little wooden fishing boat as the boy and his grandfather prepared their nets for the day. The sun was just rising over the horizon and Greek music was playing on the small radio. The clues in this paragraph indicate that the story takes place on the sea in Greece, early in the morning, perhaps in the summer. The presence of the radio suggests that the story takes place in the present time or recent past.

Setting & Plot The elements of a story often work together. You’ve already learned how a character’s motivations and actions can influence the plot of a story. The setting can also have a major impact on the characters and plot. Example: In Scott O’Dell’s novel Island of the Blue Dolphins, the plot is centered around the main character Karana, who is struggling to survive by herself on a remote island.

Setting & Tone The setting can also set a tone of a literary work and helps the author convey his or her message (tone = the writer’s attitude toward the subject matter) For example: A certain time and place may go hand in hand with specific attitudes or social behaviors. Like in Mildred Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry, the Logans, an African American family, live on a farm in rural Mississippi in the early 1930’s. This setting adds to the plot because it is a time in which segregation was practiced in the South and shows how racism affected southern society at the time which will create the conflicts of the story and impact the tone of violence as the plot unfolds. In turn, the setting, the conflicts it creates and the tone will help the reader understand the author’s message that racism and violence are wrong.

Practice The sky grew darker and darker. Chelsea noticed that off to the east, it had taken on a bizarre greenish color. Something was terribly wrong – could a tornado be brewing? Just an hour ago her dad had driven off in that direction, heading toward Navarro County. Chelsea stood at the window, frozen in her tracks. Should she head to the cellar or stay by the phone? How does the setting influence Chelsea’s feelings and motivations? Explain. Chelsea lives in a place that can have tornadoes. She sees that one might be coming and is afraid for her dad. She is too scared to decided what to do next.