A short story is a A short story is a brief work of brief work of prose fiction.prose fiction.

Every story Every story shares certain shares certain elements that elements that

work together to work together to create an effect.create an effect.

The exposition The exposition comes at the comes at the

beginning of the beginning of the story and story and

introduces the introduces the reader to the reader to the

setting and the setting and the characters.characters.

TIMETIME

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PLACEPLACE

protagonistprotagonist: A story’s main character (the : A story’s main character (the person with the problem) person with the problem)

antagonistantagonist: The character in conflict with the : The character in conflict with the protagonist protagonist

round characterround character: A fully developed character, : A fully developed character, often prone to change often prone to change

flat characterflat character: A one-dimensional character, : A one-dimensional character, typically not central to the storytypically not central to the story

characterizationcharacterization: The process by which an : The process by which an author presents and develops a fictional author presents and develops a fictional character character

1.1. What the character saysWhat the character says

2.2. What the character doesWhat the character does

3.3. What the character thinksWhat the character thinks

4.4. What other characters say about him/herWhat other characters say about him/her

5.5. What the narrator tells you directlyWhat the narrator tells you directly

Charlie Gordon Charlie Gordon is mentally is mentally disabled.disabled.

““Miss Kinnian says maybe they can make me smart. I want to Miss Kinnian says maybe they can make me smart. I want to be smart. My name is Charlie Gordon. I am 37 years old and be smart. My name is Charlie Gordon. I am 37 years old and 2 weeks ago was my brithday. I have nuthing more to rite now 2 weeks ago was my brithday. I have nuthing more to rite now so I will close for today.”so I will close for today.”

Miss Luella Miss Luella Jones is Jones is

unafraid, and unafraid, and stands up for stands up for

herself.herself.

““The large woman simply turned around and kicked him The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter. Then she right square in his blue-jeaned sitter. Then she reached down, picked the boy up by his shirt front, and reached down, picked the boy up by his shirt front, and shook him until his teeth rattled.”shook him until his teeth rattled.”

Big brother Big brother is ashamed is ashamed

of his of his younger, younger, disabled disabled brother.brother.

““I thought it was bad enough having an invalid I thought it was bad enough having an invalid brother, but having one who possibly was not all there brother, but having one who possibly was not all there was unbearable, so I began to make plans to kill him was unbearable, so I began to make plans to kill him by smothering him with a pillow.”by smothering him with a pillow.”

Ivan is a Ivan is a huge man huge man

who who cannot cannot hear or hear or

speak and speak and is not is not

particularlparticularly smart.y smart.““Ivan is an incredibly strong fellow,” remarked the general, Ivan is an incredibly strong fellow,” remarked the general,

“but he has the misfortune to be deaf and dumb. A simple “but he has the misfortune to be deaf and dumb. A simple fellow, but, I’m afraid, like all his race, a bit of a savage.”fellow, but, I’m afraid, like all his race, a bit of a savage.”

Miss Jones is a Miss Jones is a heavy-set woman heavy-set woman and carries a large and carries a large

purse.purse.

““She was a large woman with a large purse that She was a large woman with a large purse that had everything in it but hammer and nails. It had had everything in it but hammer and nails. It had a long strap and she carried it slung across her a long strap and she carried it slung across her shoulder.”shoulder.”

Activity

A series of events that make up a story.A series of events that make up a story.

Plot diagramPlot diagram

Someone Wanted/Because But So

Laurie

Scho

attention from his parents and his teacher

he misbehaved at home and in school

he invented “Charles”

The basic problem or challenge in a The basic problem or challenge in a story.story.

Conflict can beConflict can be

Or conflict can beOr conflict can be

is the relationship of the

narrator to the story. The narrator may be a character in the story, or he may be

an outsider.

“As I placed the carefully wrapped package on the park bench, I looked up and saw Molly walking across the street. I hoped that she hadn’t seen me.”

• George, a character in the story, is the narrator

• Uses “I” or first person

• Tells us his own thoughts

• Cannot tell us the thoughts of other characters

• Can tell us only what he sees other characters doing or what is told to him

In third person point of view, the narrator is not a character in the story, but is an outsider,

or third person.

“As George placed the carefully wrapped package on the park bench, he looked up and saw Molly walking

across the street.”

• Narrator is not a character in the story.

• Cannot tell us the thoughts of any of the characters.

• Like a news reporter, this narrator can give only the facts as they occur.

• Story uses third person pronouns (“he, “him,” “his,” etc.)

“George, anxiously hoping that no one was watching him, placed a carefully wrapped package on an empty park bench. But when he looked around, he saw Molly watching him from across the street.”

•Narrator is not a character in the story

• Narrator sees into the mind of only one character - George

• Narrator cannot tell the thoughts or feelings of any of the other characters

• Story uses third person pronouns (“he,” “she,” “her” “his” etc.)

“George, anxiously hoping that no one was watching him, placed a carefully wrapped package on an empty park bench. But Molly, who was walking home, saw him and couldn’t help thinking that he was acting strangely.

• Narrator is not a character in the story

• Narrator has the ability to see into the minds of all the characters

• Like a superhuman being, the narrator is omniscient (all-knowing)

• Story uses third person pronouns (“he,” “him,” “his,” etc.)

Ms. Bolden looked at Darrell sternly. She simply didn’t know what to do with this boy. Darrell had been in Ms. Bolden’s office twice earlier this week. Now here he was again, and this time he was charged with something much more serious. Ms. Bolden shook her head. There really was no doubt in her mind. Darrell was guilty. She looked at the police officer standing next to Darrell. No question whatsoever--Darrell had done it.

I can’t believe what is happening to me. I know that I’ll never convince Ms. Arrington and the cop that I had nothing to do with this. Man! I didn’t do it. Why won’t anyone believe me? I’ve been in trouble before, but I’ve never done anything like this! I’ve got to convince them, or I might as well kiss my life good-bye.

Officer Perry looked at Edric and scratched his head. All the evidence pointed to Edric’s guilt, but the officer just couldn’t be sure. Mrs. Jackson, on the other hand, knew that Edric was guilty as sin. His numerous brushes with authority in the past left no question in his mind at all. Edric hung his head, knowing that this time he would not be able to talk his way out of trouble.

What the author is telling us about life What the author is telling us about life through his/her story.through his/her story.

A universal truth.A universal truth.

The new 9th-grade English teacher was mean – really, really mean. She wouldn’t accept any assignments done in pencil. She went berserk when someone tried to turn in a paper torn from a notebook. She called your parent every time you missed an assignment. All the kids hated her. But when the test results came in, every kid in the class scored in the 99th percentile.

A town in Hawaii was located near a small, deep quarry surrounded by high rocks where kids went to swim in the summer. Recently, a group of friends had been swimming in the quarry and diving into the water from the rocks, when one of the 12-year-olds dove into the water, hit his head on a submerged rock, and drowned.

Now, on a hot and sunny afternoon, Andre and his buddies went to the quarry to swim and cool off. Andre’s friends decided to dive from the sharp, dangerous rocks. One by one, they climbed up the slippery side, and one by one, they held their noses and plunged into the icy water below.

As he crept up the rock, all Andre could think of was the poor, dead boy who had foolishly jumped to his death. When he reached the top, he inched his way to the edge of the cliff, his toes tightly curled around the jagged rocks. Looking down to the water, Andre felt dizzy and slightly sick to his stomach. Far below, Andre’s friends shouted, “Come on, chicken! Cluck, cluck, cluck. Jump, chicken! Jump”

Andre took a deep breath, closed his eyes, turned around, and slowly made his way back down the rock. Behind him, his friends were laughing raucously and yelling insults at Andre. As he made his way home, Andre felt a sense of peace and a sense of power.