literary elements through music

Scholar Name: _______________________________

Literary Elements Pre-Test

5 minutes

Directions: Match the following literary elements to their definitions:

1.___ Setting A. The people or things that are doing the actions in a story

2.___ Characters B. How the conflict comes to an end, (it is either fixed or not)

3.___ Point of view C. The main character of the story

4.___ Conflict (all) D. When a character in a story battles against a problem inside themselves

5.___ Conflict: Character vs. Self E. The main message or moral of a story; what it’s mostly about

6.___ Conflict: Character vs. Character F. Determines who is telling a story, and who they are talking to

7.___ Conflict: Character vs. Environment G. When a character in a story fights against another character

8.___ Resolution H. When a character in a story struggles against their environment

9.___ Theme I. The battle, fight or struggle going on between the characters in a story

10.___Protagonist J. Where and when a story takes place

Literary Elements in Music

1

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:Setting: Where and when everything takes place. This includes the location, time of day, weather, temperature, possible smells in the air, or anything that is part of the environment where the action is taking place.

• Examples: In a house, under the bus, in the morning, in the middle ages, etc.

Point of View:

• 1st person: Pronouns such as I, My, Mine, Us, We, Our, Ours

• 2nd person: Pronouns such as You, Your, Yours,

• 3rd person: Pronouns such as He, Him, Her, Hers, They, Their, Theirs, Them, It, Its, It’s, etc.

• 3rd person Objective: The narrator does not show any thought or feelings (including their own)

• 3rd person Limited: The narrator’s view of thoughts or feelings is LIMITED to one character

• 3rd person Omniscient: The narrator can view the thoughts and feelings of all characters in the story

Characters: The people and things which take part in the action of a story. This doesn’t always have to be a person. For example, Clifford the big red dog is a character, even though he isn’t human.

• Protagonist: Usually the main character of the story who ends up in a conflict because of the antagonist. Usually the “good guy”

• Antagonist: The character or characters which usually fight against the protagonist. Usually the “bad guy” or “bad guys”.

• Supporting Character: Other characters who contribute to the story, but are not in the middle of the conflict

Conflict: The problem or problems that take place between the characters in the story

• Character vs. Self: A character struggles with some sort of internal problem Ex: Should I dump my girlfriend?

• Character vs. Environment: A character struggles with something in their environment. Ex: A tornado or loosing their job

• Character vs. Character: A character struggles with another character in the story. Ex: Two characters are fighting with each other.

Resolution: How the conflict of the story is resolved. The protagonist will usually overcome the antagonist or antagonists.

Theme: The main message of a story. Could be the moral, or just the point the author wants you to take away.


2

ThrillerArtist: Michael Jackson

Songwriter: Rod Temperton

It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the darkUnder the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heartYou try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make itYou start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyesYou're paralyzed

[CHORUS]:'Cause this is thriller, thriller nightAnd no one's gonna save you from the beast about strikeYou know it's thriller, thriller nightYou're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller tonight

You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to runYou feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sunYou close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination, girl!But all the while you hear the creature creeping up behindYou're out of time

[CHORUS]

Night creatures calling, the dead start to walk in their masqueradeThere's no escaping the jaws of the alien this time(They're open wide)This is the end of your life


3

What is the setting at the beginning of the song?________________________________________________________________________________________What characters to we meet at the beginning of the song?________________________________________________________________________________________

What is the point of view of this song?____________________________________________Underline your evidence.

Who is the protagonist?________________________________________________________________________________________Who is the antagonist?________________________________________________________________________________________Are there any supporting characters?________________________________________________________________________________________What is the conflict presented in this song? (go to the notes and be specific)____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

They're out to get you, there's demons closing in on every sideThey will possess you unless you change that number on your dialNow is the time for you and I to cuddle close together, yeahAll through the night I'll save you from the terror on the screenI'll make you see

That this is thriller, thriller night'Cause I can thrill you more than any ghost would ever dare tryThriller, thriller nightSo let me hold you tight and share aKiller, diller, chiller, thriller here tonight

[CHORUS]

(I'm gonna thrill ya tonight)Darkness falls across the landThe midnight hour is close at handCreatures crawl in search of bloodTo terrorize y'alls neighborhood

I'm gonna thrill ya tonight, ooh babyI'm gonna thrill ya tonight, oh darlin'Thriller night, baby, ooh!

The foulest stench is in the airThe funk of forty thousand yearsAnd grisly ghouls from every tombAre closing in to seal your doom

And though you fight to stay aliveYour body starts to shiverFor no mere mortal can resistThe evil of the thriller


4

What is the conflict presented in this song? (go to the notes and be specific)____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What do you think the theme or moral of this song is?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How would you describe the tone or mood of this song?________________________________________________________________________________________

Foulest: most disgusting, filthy, dirty, offensive to the sensesStench: a really bad smell

Funk: a great fear or terror

Grisly: horrible, gruesome, causing horror, gross, messy

Mere: nearly nothing, worthless

Mortal: a person who is still alive

Dark LadyArtist: Cher

The fortune queen of New Orleans,Was brushing her cat in her black limousineOn the backseat were scratches fromThe marks of men her fortune she had wonCouldn't see through the tinted glass,She said "Home James" and he hit the gasI followed her to some darkened room,She took my money, she said "I'll be with you soon"

[CHORUS]Dark Lady laughed and danced and lit the candles one by oneDanced to her gypsy music till her brew was doneDark Lady played back magic till the clock struck on the twelveShe told me more about me than I knew myself

She dealt two cards, a queen and a threeAnd mumbled some words that were so strange to meThen she turned up a two-eyed jack,My eyes saw red but the card still stayed blackShe said the man you love is secretly trueTo someone else who is very close to youMy advice is that you leave this place,Never come back and forget you ever saw my face


5

What is the setting at the beginning of the song?________________________________________________________________________________________What characters to we meet at the beginning of the song?________________________________________________________________________________________What is the change to the setting at the end of the first stanza?________________________________________________________________________________________


Who is the protagonist?________________________________________________________________________________________Who is the antagonist?________________________________________________________________________________________

What is the conflict presented in the third stanza? (go to the notes and be specific)____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

[CHORUS]

So I ran home and crawled in my bed,I couldn't sleep because of all the things she saidThen I remembered her strange perfume,And how I smelled it was in my own room!So I sneaked back and caught her with my man,Laughing and kissing till they saw the gun in my handThe next thing I knew they were dead on the floor,Dark Lady would never turn a card up anymore

[CHORUS]


6

What supporting character appears near the end?________________________________________________________________________________________How is the conflict resolved at the end of the song?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What do you think the theme or moral of this song is?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How would you describe the tone or mood of this song?________________________________________________________________________________________

Smokey Joe's CafeArtist: The Coasters

One day when I was eating beans at Smokey Joe’s CaféSitting, digging on the scene at Smokey Joe’s CaféA chick came walking through the doorThat I had never seen beforeWell, at least I’d never seen her down at Smokey Joe’s CaféI started shaking when she sat right down next to me

Her knees were almost touching mine at Smokey Joe’s CaféA chill ran up and down my spine at Smokey Joe’s CaféI could smell here sweet perfumeShe smiled at me, my heart went boomEverybody in the room, at Smokey Joe’s Café they said“Now be careful, that chick belongs to Smokey Joe”.

From behind the counter, there came a manChef ’s hat on his head and a knife in his handHe grabbed my by the collar and he began to shoutYou better eat up all your beans and get right on out

So now I’ll never eat again at Smokey Joe’s CaféSo we’ll never meet again at Smokey Joe’s CaféI’d rather get my chili beansAt Jim’s or Jack’s or John’s or Jean’sThan take my chances eating down at Smokey Joe’s CaféI risked my life, when I messed with crazy Smokey Joe.


7

What is the setting of this song?________________________________________________________________________________________Who are the characters?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


What kind of figurative language do you notice here?________________________________________________________________________________________Who is the protagonist?____________________________________________Who is the antagonist?____________________________________________Who are the supporting characters?____________________________________________Describe the conflict and resolution:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How would you describe the tone or mood of this song?________________________________________________________________________________________

No Particular Place To GoArtist: Chuck Berry

Riding along in my automobileMy baby beside me at the wheelI stole a kiss at the turn of a mileMy curiosity running wildCrusin' and playin' the radioWith no particular place to go

Riding along in my automobileI's anxious to tell her the way I feelSo I told her softly and sincereAnd she leaned and whispered in my earCuddlin' more and drivin' slowWith no particular place to go

No particular place to goSo we parked way out on ko-ko-moThe night was young and the moon was goldSo we both decided to take a strollCan you image the way I feltI couldn't unfasten her safety belt

Riding along in my calabooseStill trying to get her belt a-looseAll the way home I held a grudgeFor the safety belt that wouldn't budgeCrusin' and playing the radioWith no particular place to go


8

What is the setting of this song?________________________________________________________________________________________Who are the characters?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Ko-ko-mo: far away from everywhere.

Who is the protagonist?____________________________________________Who is the antagonist? (hint- it’s not a person)____________________________________________Who are the supporting characters?____________________________________________

Describe the conflict and resolution:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________How would you describe the tone or mood of this song?________________________________________________________________________________________

Post Test/ HomeworkDirections: Respond to the following prompt about the Literary Elements of one of the songs from this packet.

You can hear/watch the music videos on Edmodo. Go to “Library” and look in the folder called “Literary Elements”.

Write a 2-3 Paragraph description of the literary elements present in one of the songs from this packet. Be sure to address the following points:

Setting Characters Point of View (hint- what pronouns are used?) Conflict (hint- be specific) Resolution Theme Figurative Language How do the literary elements work together to help the message of the song? **Use evidence from the song lyrics that help to support your argument.**

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literary elements through music

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