1. Literary Elements

2. Plot What does it mean? What does it look like?
The sequence of events that take place
Exposition (the beginning)
Rising Action (events that lead up to the climax)
Climax (major turning point of the story)
Falling Action (results of the conflict and climax)
Resolution (the end, how things are resolved)
Major and minor events or conflicts that involve the characters
Other plot devices/terms include: flashback, flash- forward, time lapse, suspense, foreshadowing, cliffhangers, surprise endings, closed endings, open endings

3. Point of View What does it mean? What does it look like?
First person – “I”, “me”
The Outsiders. Ponyboy is narrating from his point of view.
Second Person – YOU
“Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss.
Third Person Omniscient – All knowing, perspective is not limited, can perceive in many different vantage points
And Then There Were None
Third Person Limited Omniscient – Perspective is limited to one character’s thoughts, feelings, vantage point, but uses third person pronouns
The Wallet
What does it mean?
The perspective from which a story is told

4. Characterization What does it mean? What does it look like?
Description by the narrator
Dialogue and thoughts
Character actions
Classifications of types of characters:
Protagonist
Antagonist
Flat
Round
Static
Dynamic
Refers to the creation and development of characters, the people who carry on the action in a literary work.

5. Mood What does it mean? What does it look like?
The atmosphere or feeling of a literary work
The mood may be joyful, gloomy, suspenseful, etc.

6. Tone What does it mean? What does it look like?
The attitude or viewpoint that an author shows towards his or her subject
The tone may be serious, sympathetic, angry, mysterious, etc.
You can usually determine the narrator’s tone by studying the author’s diction (or word choice).

7. Structure What does it mean? What does it look like?
How the parts of a literary work are organized and arranged
The structure of a novel may be based on chronological order with occasional flashbacks.
The structure of poetry includes the number, form, pattern of lines, and stanzas.

8. Theme What does it mean? What does it look like?
Themes often have to do with widely held human concerns such as love, death, justice, dignity, happiness, etc.
Theme Topic = one word
Theme Statement = expands on that word
What does it mean?
The central idea of a literary work
The universal life lesson within the novel

9. Conflict What does it mean? What does it look like?
A struggle between two opposing forces
Internal Conflict:
Man vs. Self
External Conflicts:
Man vs. Man
Man vs. Society
Man vs. Nature
Man vs. Machine

10. Setting What does it mean? What does it look like?
The time and place in which events occur
Setting can include descriptions of locations, dates, time of year, weather, dangerous or safe, etc. and how it affects the overall meaning of the story.

11. Diction What does it mean? What does it look like?
The word choice of the author
Words that help to convey different attitudes or tones.
Adjectives and adverbs (describing words) and verbs (action words) are helpful in considering the author’s diction.