1. FORESHADOWING, FLASHBACK, SYMBOLISM, & IRONY

2. Definition for Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is when an author provides clues or hints to suggest events that will occur later in the plot.
Foreshadowing helps to create suspense, which is the uncertainty or anxiety that a reader feels about what will happen next in a story.

3. Example
Think of the story, Little Red Riding Hood. What hints is the reader given that help foreshadow the ending of the story?
Early on, we learn that the wolf wants to eat Red Riding Hood, but is afraid to so in public, so he asks her where she is going and she tells him she is “going to see my grandmother.”
The wolf then asks where the house is located, and Red Riding Hood tells him that the house “is just above the mill…the first house you come to in the village.”
The wolf makes it to the grandmother’s house first and eats her, then “lays himself down snuggly in the bed [and] waited for Little Red Riding Hood.”
When Little Red Riding Hood arrives, the wolf (pretending to be the grandmother) encourages Red Riding Hood to “make haste and come to be, for it is very late.”
Once in bed, Red Riding Hood comments that her grandmother has “great arms…great ears…great eyes…and great teeth” all before the wolf finally eats Red Riding Hood.

4. Example Think of The Three Little Pigs.
How does the reader know that the wolf will try to attack the pigs?
How does the reader know that the wolf will arrive at the brick house?
How does the reader know that the wolf will not be able to blow down the brick house?

5. Practice
Almost all stories use foreshadowing in some way. Try to match the following passages with the plot development that the passage foreshadows.
From: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
“ ‘I shouldn’t like to loose any of you children at this stage of the proceedings.’ ”
From: A Day No Pigs Would Die
“ ‘The sky’s a good place to look’ he said, ‘and I got a notion it’s a good place to go.’ ”
From: Johnny Tremain
“ ‘Each shall give according to his abilities, and some –’ he turned to Rab – ‘some will give their lives.’ ”
From: The Cay
“ ‘Well, you can rest easy, Phillip. The Germans would never torpedo this old tub.’ Yet I saw him looking over the lifeboats.”
The narrator’s father will die.
One of the characters will later be lost.
An enemy will attack the ship.
Rab will die later in the story.

6. Practice
Read the following story. What hints are you given that help foreshadow how the story will end?
I spent all day yesterday looking for my wallet, which I knew I had lost in the morning on the way to school. Since I arrived at school early, I had time to retrace my steps all the way back to my house, but I could not find it. The only other idea I had is that David might know. I had run into him on the way to school. David and I are not really friends – in fact, I think he dislikes me. But for some reason he walked the last two blocks to school with me. After I retraced my steps and had no luck, I decided to ask him if he might have seen it. When I did, he was very friendly and said he was sorry, but he had not seen my wallet at all. As I walked away, I heard him laughing at his locker with Brett, who I also think dislikes me. When I got home, I double- checked my book bag and my binder, but still I had no luck. I walked to school one more time, following the same path, and still I could not find it. Then, when I got to school this morning, I learned from the principal that David had stolen my wallet. He might have been laughing yesterday, but I’ll be laughing for the next month every time I pass the detention room on my way out of school.

7. Definition for Flashback
Definition: flashback interrupts what’s going on in a story to tell the readers about something that happened in the past.
Authors use words like "He remembered when … " or "She thought about that time last year when …"
Authors sometimes signal when the flashback is over by using words like “Now” or “Today.”
A flashback gives readers a deeper understanding of a character's personality.

8. Example:
"You're getting it. Good girl!" Anya cheered as she ran beside her little sister. Anya smiled, remembering when her dad had taught her to ride a bike. She could still see him running beside her, even when he didn't need to anymore! He'd always been so protective. But now, he was gone and she alone had to take care of the family. "I still need you, Dad," she whispered.
What might the author be telling us here?

9. Continued….
Flashbacks can give you information about a character to help you figure out his or her motives, or reasons, for doing things.
This example would help you understand why Anya might turn down a chance to travel with a band, even though that was her dream.

10. Practice:
In Taylor Swift’s “Trouble” video, the artist uses flashback.
Answer the following questions in your packet.
What information do we learn because of the flashback scenes?
How would the video be
different without those scenes?

11. Definition for Symbolism
An author’s use of a tangible item (a person, place, word or object) to represent an intangible item (an idea, a feeling, a concept).
When an author wants to suggest a certain mood or emotion, he can also use symbolism to hint at it, rather than just blatantly saying it. Symbolism can give a literary work more richness and color and can make the meaning of the work deeper.   

12. Example:
In our daily life, we can easily identify objects, which can be taken as examples of symbol such as the following:
The dove is a symbol of peace
A red rose or red color stands for love or romance
Black is a color that represents evil or death (NOT ALWAYS)
A broken mirror may symbolize separation
The color green is a symbol of hope, growth, and new life

13. Practice:
Example #1
We find symbolic value in Shakespeare’s famous monologue in his play As you Like It:
“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts,”
Where or what is the symbolism in this monologue???

14. Answer:
“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts,”
The above lines are symbolic of the fact that men and women, in course of their life perform different roles. “A stage” here symbolizes the world and “players” is a symbol for human beings.

15. Practice:
Example #2:
“Ah Sunflower, weary of time, Who countest the steps of the sun; Seeking after that sweet golden clime Where the traveler’s journey is done;”
What/Where is the symbolism in this poem????

16. Answer:
“Ah Sunflower, weary of time, Who countest the steps of the sun; Seeking after that sweet golden clime Where the traveler’s journey is done;”
Blake uses a sunflower as a symbol for human beings and “the sun” symbolizes life. Therefore, these lines symbolically refer to their life cycle and their yearning for a never-ending life.

17. Practice:
Example #3
Sara Teasdale in her poem Wild Asters develops a number of striking symbols:
“In the spring, I asked the daisies If his words were true, And the clever, clear-eyed daisies Always knew.
Now the fields are brown and barren, Bitter autumn blows, And of all the stupid asters Not one knows.”

18. Answer:
“In the spring, I asked the daisies If his words were true, And the clever, clear-eyed daisies Always knew.
Now the fields are brown and barren, Bitter autumn blows, And of all the stupid asters Not one knows.”
In the above lines, “spring” and “daisies” are symbols of youth. “Brown and barren” are symbols of transition from youth to old age. Moreover, “Bitter autumn” symbolizes death.

19. Definition for Irony The opposite of what you expect
The implication, through plot or character, that the actual situation is quite different from that presented.

20. Examples:
The name of Britain’s biggest dog (until it died recently) was Tiny. THAT’S IRONIC!
A police station gets robbed.
A doctor smoking outside of a hospital.
A math teacher failing his math classes in college.
A personal trainer eats McDonalds every day.

21. Practice:
Directions: Listen to the song “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette and write down “ironic examples” she uses in the lyrics of her song.