Short Story Notes

A. A Flat Character: has only one or two traits

B. A Round Character: is complex. A round character has many traits and seems life-like.

C. A Static Character: remains the same throughout the story.

* STATIC= STAYS

D. A Dynamic Character: changes in their personality or beliefs in the story.

E. A Stereotype Character: is a type of character whose personality is immediately known. Ex: __________ __________ __________

F. The Protagonist: is the main character in the story

G. The Antagonist: is the force or person acting against the protagonist.

A. The Mood of the story is the feeling you get from reading the story.

i. Examples of Mood:

a. excitedb. angryc. scaredd. joyful

A. The setting is the environment in which a story takes place.i. Setting includes the

a. Timeb. Placec. Mood

A. The plot is the order of events that occur in the story.

i. introduction/expositionii. Rising actioniii. climaxiv. Falling Actionv. Conclusion/Resolution/Denouement

Section that introduces characters, the setting, and conflicts.

Consists of a series of complications. These occur when the main characters take

action to resolve their problems and are met with further problems:FearHostilityThreatening situation

The turning point in the story: the high point of interest and suspense

Rising Action or Complications Falling Action

Climax

All events following the climax or turning point in the story. These events are a result of the action taken at the climax.

(Denouement or Conclusion)The end of the central conflict: it shows how

the situation turns out and ties up loose ends

A. The theme is the reason the author wrote the story.

The theme can teach us a lesson about life or make important conclusions about life.

B. Theme is the main idea of the story

a. The theme of “Thank You, Ma’am” is:everyone deserves a second

chance.

b. The theme of “The Street that Got Mislaid” is:

sometimes mistakes can lead to happiness

A. Conflict is the problem in the story.

B. Conflict is the obstacle that the protagonist encounters

C. Types of Conflict:

i. PERSON AGAINST themselvesa. Bob decides to quit his job.

ii. PERSON AGAINST persona. Bob is attacked by

iii. PERSON AGAINST society/environment a. Bob climbs Mt Everest

b. Bob is not accepted by his neighbors

iv. PERSON AGAINST technology/supernatural

a. Bob fights the dragonb. Bob has to program his

computer

1. Irony is used by a writer to express something that is the opposite of what is expected by the readers

2. 2. It is the difference between what we think and what happens

a. A snowplow stuck in the snow b. A big, angry dog named Daisyc. A student claps and says

“good job” when her friend trips.

The average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon oil spill was $80,000. At a special ceremony, two of the most expensively saved animals were released back into the wild amid cheers from onlookers. A minute later they were eaten by a killer whale.

Two animal rights activists were protesting the cruelty of sending pigs to a slaughter house in Germany. Suddenly the pigs, all 2000 of them, escaped through a broken fence and trampled the two protesters to death.

A terrorist didn’t pay enough postage on a letter bomb. It came back with “return to sender” stamped on it. Forgetting it was the bomb, he opened it and was killed.

1. A symbol is something that is used to represent something else.

2. A symbol is an image that is often used to represent an abstract idea or quality.

a. a rose is a symbol for _____________b. a dove is a symbol for _____________c. water is a symbol for ______________d. a lion is a symbol for _____________

1. Foreshadowing is a method authors use to maintain suspense in a piece of literature.

2. Foreshadowing occurs when the author gives readers a hint or clue about what is going to happen later.

“Watch where you’re going, you nut,” John hollered through the closed car window. “Those semi-trucks have no business passing on a night like this,” he thought. He gripped the wheel firmly, and his arms ached, but he tried to relax his fingers and breathe deeply. He squinted thought the windshield against the glare of the falling snow. John knew he had to relax. The roads were beginning to get slippery, and here and there lining the ditch were cars that had slid off the highway. At times it was hard for John to see the oncoming traffic lights until they were almost upon him. Suddenly, the lights became unbearably bright… it seemed they were shining right at him. A horn blasted.

Can you predict what will happen next? What clues helped you make that prediction?

1. Flashback is used to tell readers about something that happened before the story began.

a. A character will remember events that occurred before the story began

b. The author may retell events that occurred before the story began.

1. There are 3 types of point of view

a. First Peron Point of View is told through the narrator using the pronouns “I”, “we”, “us”, etc.

i. the first person narrator is a character in the story.

b. Third Person Omniscient is told by the author/narrator using the pronouns he, she, it, they, them.

i. Omniscient means that the narrator knows everything (thoughts, emotions, reasoning)

about what is going on inside all of the characters’

c. Third Person Limited Omniscient is told by the author/narrator using the pronouns “he”, “She”, “they”, “them”, etc.

i. Limited Omniscient means that the narrator knows everything (thoughts, emotions, and

reasoning) about what is going on inside one characters' mind.