This unit will examine a variety a variety of themes and styles. Emphasis is placed on the structure of each of these types of stories. Literary terms, plot structure and writing techniques are studied. Students will apply their understanding of these concepts to reading, analyzing and responding to all short stories provided and are encouraged to respond to themes and arguments from a personal perspective.
ELEMENTS OF THE SHORT STORY
A story or narrative is constructed around the framework of a plot: the organized sequence of events or essentially what happens in the story.
The following are the components of narratives. Read the definitions and view examples and more detailed explanations.
PLOT- is the organized sequence of events
A story or narrative is constructed around the framework of a plot: the organized sequence of events or essentially what happens in the story.
The following are the components of narratives. Read the definitions and view examples and more detailed explanations.
PLOT- is the organized sequence of events
- Introduction / Exposition - beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed.
- Inciting Incident / Initial Action- something happens to begin the action. A single event usually signals the beginning of the main conflict. The inciting incident is sometimes called 'the complication'.
- Rising Action- the story builds and gets more exciting and includes:Foreshadowing- is when the author hints at what is about to happen or is likely to happen later in the story.
In the film, Bambi's relationship with Faline is foreshadowed when Bambi and Thumper resist the idea of being twitterpated and the death of his mother is foreshadowed when she warns Bambi of the dangers of the forest.
Foreshadowing occurs in Harry Potter very early in the books when he frees the snake in "The Philosopher's Stone." This first encounter with the snake foreshadows the importance of the reptiles in subsequent stories: Harry's use of parseltongue, the battle with the basilisk and the link with Voldemort.
Flashback- is when the narrative moves from the current time to the past.
The film Forest Gump tells, through a series of flashbacks, the life story of a man with a below average IQ . The movie begins with Forest waiting at a bus stop. While waiting, he recounts his lifestory to a series of strangers. These flashbacks comprise the movie's plot.
The film Forest Gump tells, through a series of flashbacks, the life story of a man with a below average IQ . The movie begins with Forest waiting at a bus stop. While waiting, he recounts his lifestory to a series of strangers. These flashbacks comprise the movie's plot.
The opening scene to the Pixar movie "UP" is comprised of flashbacks that allow us to see and understand the change in Carl.
Suspense- is that which makes the reader or audience uncertain or tense about the outcome of events. Suspense makes the reader ask "What will happen next?" Suspense is greatest when it focuses attention on a sympathetic character.
In the movie, "The Amazing Spider-Man", Spidey warns Gwen Stacy that Dr. Connors, aka The Lizard, is coming after her.
- Subplot- sometimes referred to as a "B story" or a "C story" and so on, is a secondary plot strand that is auxiliary to the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance. Subplots often involve supporting characters, those besides the protagonist or antagonist. protagonist (click) or antagonist (click).
THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY is an excellent example of subplots.
The main storyline concerns Frodo's quest to return the ring. A secondary storyline is woven around the adventures of Aragon and Legolas' in their quest to protect the settlements and destroy the Orc armies. A third subplot concerns Pippin's and Merry's escape from the Orcs. In the end, all three subplots are woven into the main storyline.
Complications and Crisis- series of difficulties forming the central action in a narrative.
Dilemmas- A dilemma is a difficult choice between two equally undesirable alternatives.
In "THE DARK KNIGHT" WHO WILL BATMAN SAVE? HERO HARVEY DENT or LOVE INTEREST RACHEL DAWES.
In "THE DARK KNIGHT" WHO WILL BATMAN SAVE? HERO HARVEY DENT or LOVE INTEREST RACHEL DAWES.
In "THE MATRIX" WILL NEO TAKE THE RED PILL AND REALIZE THE PAINFUL TRUTH THAT THE WORLD IS IN RUIN OR WILL HE TAKE THE BLUE PILL AND LIVE IN A DREAM WORLD AS AN ALIEN BATTERY?
- Climax- This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?
- Falling Action- occurs after the climax. It is where all the loose ends of the story are tied up. This is also where you will see change in the characters affected by the solving of the main conflict.
- Denouement- the French term meaning "unraveling" or "unknotting," used to describe the resolution of the plot following the climax. It is also known as the “Falling Action.”
In To Kill A Mockingbird, the climax is the attack on Scout. The denouement features the Sheriff and Atticus trying to cover up for Boo Radley's stabbing of Bob Ewell. Jem comes to terms with the injustice of trial, Scout succumbs to sleep, and Atticus wraps it all up by repeating the famous line,
“You never really know a man until you stand in his shoes.”
- Ending which includes:
- Happy
- Sad
- Indeterminate- indeterminate ending is one in which the central conflict is left unresolved.
A VERY SHORT STORY by Ernest Hemingway
One hot evening in Padua they carried him up onto the roof and he could look out over the top of the town. There were chimney swifts in the sky. After a while it got dark and the searchlights came out. The others went down and took the bottles with them. He and Luz could hear them below on the balcony. Luz sat on the bed. She was cool and fresh in the hot night.
Luz stayed on night duty for three months. They were glad to let her. When they operated on him she prepared him for the operating table; and they had a joke about friend or enema. He went under the anaesthetic holding tight on to himself so he would not blab about anything during the silly, talky time. After he got on crutches he used to take the temperatures so Luz would not have to get up from the bed. There were only a few patients, and they all knew about it. They all liked Luz. As he walked back along the halls he thought of Luz in his bed.
Before he went back to the front they went into the Duomo and prayed. It was dim and quiet, and there were other people praying. They wanted to get married, but there was not enough time for the banns, and neither of them had birth certificates. They felt as though they were married, but they wanted everyone to know about it, and to make it so they could not lose it.
Luz wrote him many letters that he never got until after the armistice. Fifteen came in a bunch to the front and he sorted them by the dates and read them all straight through. They were all about the hospital, and how much she loved him and how it was impossible to get along without him and how terrible it was missing him at night.
After the armistice they agreed he should go home to get a job so they might be married. Luz would not come home until he had a good job and could come to New York to meet her. It was understood he would not drink, and he did not want to see his friends or anyone in the States. Only to get a job and be married. On the train from Padua to Milan they quarrelled about her not being willing to come home at once. When they had to say good-bye, in the station at Milan, they kissed good-bye, but were not finished with the quarrel. He felt sick about saying good-bye like that.
He went to America on a boat from Genoa. Luz went back to Pordonone to open a hospital. It was lonely and rainy there, and there was a battalion of arditi quartered in the town. Living in the muddy, rainy town in the winter, the major of the battalion made love to Luz, and she had never known Italians before, and finally wrote to the States that theirs had only been a boy and girl affair. She was sorry, and she knew he would probably not be able to understand, but might some day forgive her, and be grateful to her, and she expected, absolutely unexpectedly, to be married in the spring. She loved him as always, but she realized now it was only a boy and girl love. She hoped he would have a great career, and believed in him absolutely. She knew it was for the best.
The major did not marry her in the spring, or any other time. Luz never got an answer to the letter to Chicago about it. A short time after, he contracted gonorrhea from a sales girl in a loop department store while riding in a taxicab through Lincoln Park. - Full Circle- full circle ending is when the climax or falling action returns to the same scene, place or theme in which the narrative began.
“It’s a Wonderful Life” begins with several people praying for George Bailey. At the end, George Bailey finds himself among all of those people who had been praying for him.
PLOT DEVICES - elements introduced to the story to advance, delay or resolve the conflict which include:
- Complications / Dillemas / Crises
- Suspense
- MacGuffins- a plot device in the form of some goal, desired object, or other motivator that the protagonist is willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to pursue, often with little or no narrative explanation as to why it is considered so desirable.
- Red Herrings- a device or diversion used to distract the onlooker from the original idea. Red herrings are often seen in films, adventure games, and puzzles. However, the most common use for a red
herring is in literature, especially mystery and thriller stories. Simply put, a red herring is an item which has no use in the story except to distract the reader from the real culprit. The red herring can take the form of a character, which the reader may believe to be the killer, only to discover later that he is innocent. Or it can take the form of an item which readers believe to be the clue to a discovery, but which turns out to be worthless. - Foreshadowing
- Flashback
- Subplot
- Dues ex Machina- plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly
solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object. It can be roughly translated as "God made it happen."
In Superman II Clark Kent gives up his powers, and when he does so, he's told that it's forever. There's NO WAY to ever get his powers back. EVER.
POINT OF VIEW
FIRST PERSON SUBJECTIVE - The narrator is a character in the story. This is easily identifiable through
the use of the word "I" or first person pronouns such as me, we, and my.
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THIRD PERSON POINTS OF VIEW
*Third Person Objective - In this case, the narrator operates like a camera or a 'Fly on the Wall' and reveals what is seen, but not what the characters think.
*Third Person Omniscient - This is a story told from the point of view of the storyteller who knows all the facts. The narrator is all-seeing and reveals the thoughts and emotions of all characters.
*Third Person Limited Omniscient -Third person limited is when the narrator is an outsider who sees into the mind of one character.
*Third Person Objective - In this case, the narrator operates like a camera or a 'Fly on the Wall' and reveals what is seen, but not what the characters think.
*Third Person Omniscient - This is a story told from the point of view of the storyteller who knows all the facts. The narrator is all-seeing and reveals the thoughts and emotions of all characters.
*Third Person Limited Omniscient -Third person limited is when the narrator is an outsider who sees into the mind of one character.
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SETTING
- Time and Place
- Atmosphere and Mood
CHARACTER
These terms constitute the main character types found in short stories and novels. Read the definitions and learn the key characteristics of each type. For further explanations and examples, view each clip.
ROUND CHARACTERS are characters who are complex and realistic; they represent a depth of personality which is imitative of life. They frequently possess both good and bad traits, and they may react unexpectedly or become entangled in their own inner conflicts.These characters have been fully developed (physically, mentally, and emotionally) by an author and are detailed enough to seem real. Protagonists (the main character) are normally round characters.
Here are a few of the complex, complicated characters portrayed by actor Jack Nicholson.
Here are a few of the complex, complicated characters portrayed by actor Jack Nicholson.
1. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST by Ken Kesey
Randall MAC McMurphy
FLAT CHARACTERS are distinguished by their lack of a realistic personality. A flat character often only has one or two defining traits, though occasionally a flat character may have several defining characteristics, the character falls short of the complexity associated with a round character.
1. JACK SPARROW: Pirates of the Carribean:
2. INDIANNA JONES
A DYNAMIC CHARACTER is one who changes significantly during the course of the story.
Changes considered to qualify a character as dynamic include changes in personality or understanding, changes in commitment, changes in values or morality. Changes in circumstance, even physical circumstance, do not apply unless they result in some change within the character. The protagonist in literature is nearly always a dynamic character.
SHREK begins the movie as a lonely, grumpy and self-centred ogre. By the end, he has fallen in love, made a friend and learned to be selfless and empathetic.
JACK TORRANCE in the Shining begins as a mild mannered writer and recovering alcoholic trying to salvage his relationship with his family. By the end of the movie, he is a possessed, psychotic determined to murder his loved ones.
A STATIC CHARACTER does not undergo significant change. They remain basically unchanged throughout an entire work. Whether round or flat, their personalities and values remain essentially stable throughout the course of the story. This is commonly done with secondary characters in order to let them serve as thematic or plot elements.
PETER PAN: the little boy who never grew up.
LEONIDAS: from the movie "300"
A STOCK or STEREOTYPED CHARACTER is one which relies heavily on cultural types or names for his or her personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. In their most general form, stock characters are narrowly defined, often by one exaggerated trait.
Nerds Playing Basketball (Big Bang Theory on Hoops)
A CHARACTER FOIL is a character that contrasts with another character, usually the protagonist and so highlights various facets of the main character's personality. A foil usually has some important characteristics in common with the other character, such as superficial traits or personal history. Authors typically use the foil to throw the character of the protagonist into sharper relief.
HOMER AND NED FLANDERS:
Protagonist
The protagonist is the main character in the literary work.
ANTAGONIST
The antagonist is or are the forces that oppose the protagonist.
CHARACTERIZATION
DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION: The author directly tells the reader what the character is like.
In Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," the narrative begins with the author's [narrator's] description of the Grinch.
View 2:08 to 3:40 mins:
In Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," the narrative begins with the author's [narrator's] description of the Grinch.
View 2:08 to 3:40 mins:
Watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas [1966] (Classic) in Family | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com
INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION: The character is understood through his / her speech, thoughts, actions, and appearance. An understanding of the character may also be determined from his or her affect on other characters.
1. COLONEL KILGORE: "Apocalypse Now"
This scene from Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now," is an excellent example of indirect characterization: Colonel Kilgore's personality is presented through his motives, choices, actions and words. A narrator does not tell us what Kilgore is like, but we get a very strong image of this complex character through his actions, appearance and speech.
2. HANNIBAL LECTER: "Silence of the Lambs"
CONFLICT: External / Physical
An external conflict is often a physical conflict against an outside forces: the environment, a setting, an enemy (antagonist).
MAN VS. THE ENVIRONMENT
TOUCHING THE VOID: Although much of this movie involves battling the elements during the ascent of a difficult climb in the Andes, the novel also looks at a very difficult moral dilemma the protagonist faces.
MAN VS. THE ENVIRONMENT
TOUCHING THE VOID: Although much of this movie involves battling the elements during the ascent of a difficult climb in the Andes, the novel also looks at a very difficult moral dilemma the protagonist faces.
MAN VS. MAN [A protagonist vs. an antagonist]
HARRY POTTER: The final battle between Harry and Voldemort.
CONFLICT: Internal / Psychological
An internal or psychological conflict usually involves the making of a difficult moral decision such as when facing a dilemma, a difficult choice between two undesirable alternatives.
LORD OF THE RINGS
Gollum's internal dialogue, as his two personalities (Gollum, the creature obsessed / possessed by the ring and Smeagol, the hobbit he once was) battle over whether or not to kill Frodo and take the ring, is an excellent example of dilemma and internal conflict.
LORD OF THE RINGS
Gollum's internal dialogue, as his two personalities (Gollum, the creature obsessed / possessed by the ring and Smeagol, the hobbit he once was) battle over whether or not to kill Frodo and take the ring, is an excellent example of dilemma and internal conflict.
THEME
is the argument or general idea expressed by a literary work, whether implied or explicitly stated. Often it is an observation about life or people.
Short Story Interactive Refreshers:
Setting - http://www.calgaryacademy.com/tools/sssetting.html
Plot - http://www.calgaryacademy.com/tools/ssdiagram.html
Conflict - http://www.calgaryacademy.com/tools/ssconflict.html
How to Read a Short Story:
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Assignment #1:
You will need a high speed internet connection to complete the work on three short films. Please use the links provided for each film, and or within the assignment (copy and paste in address bar).
Learning about Short Stories through Short Film Assignment: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzQ3kg30d6vbWFJrZm0tQU9GNUk/edit?usp=sharing
1.) "For the birds" is from Monster's Inc https://vimeo.com/61971077
2.) "One man Band" is from Cars http://www.dump.com/disneyband/
3.) "Lifted" is from Ratatouille http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY1_HrhwaXU
*Must read and complete where necessary:
Short Story Elements Short Story Theory Notes
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Before reading Short Story #1 you will click the link below to begin your quest as we will be practicing and developing several skills as we read:
- R.A.P. (Read, Ask Questions, Paraphrase): http://www.calgaryacademy.com/tools/rap.html
- WATO (words, actions, thoughts, opinion of others) activities will help us understand the protagonist.
and we will look at things the author is trying to show or teach us through them.
4. Theme activities will help us understand the main message of the story.
*Remember- You will be asked to read various stories and complete the activities that follow during this unit. Lastly, submit your work at the beginning of class next day.*
We will began reading short stories this week, starting with the story "Harrison Bergon." You will use the visual media from the short stories walk-though (here: short story walk through. ) to review plot, setting, character, conflict and theme.
Short Story #1 - Harrison Bergon
This story is a futuristic tale about a world where everyone is forced to become 'equal' in ways you would not expect. The story revolves around a character named George, whose above average intelligence has him forced to wear a device that rudely and regularly interrupts his thoughts so that he doesn't have an unfair advantage.
We see at one point in the story, near the end, that George gets up to 'grab a beer'. The reason he does this
reveals something important about George's character. Something has broken deep inside of George.
What is it?
There is also an assignment to be completed once the story has been read:
Story and Activities can be downloaded here
Short Story #2 - Lather and Nothing Else
Describes the experience of a small-town barber during Colombia’s civil unrest of the late 1940s.
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Lather and Nothing Else from Zach Healey on Vimeo.
Short Story #3 - Gentlemen Your Verdict
The story is about Lieutenant-Commander Oram, the captain of a submarine, with a crew of 21 other men. They were sent on a test run to make sure a new part of their sub worked the way it was supposed to. But the sub hit an unexpected mine and sank...
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Short Story #4 - Dr. Heidegger's Experiment
Nathaniel Hawthorne Biography:
http://www.egs.edu/library/nathaniel-hawthorne/biography/
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Short Story #5 - A Man Had No Eyes
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Short Story #6 - Two Fishermen
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Short Story #7 - The Snob
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Short Story #8 - All the Years of Her Life
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Short Story #9 -The Possibility of Evil
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Final Writing Assignment using "FLIP SNACK"
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