LITERATURE TERMS PRESENTATION

1. POINT OF VIEW First person point of view is when the person telling the story is also in the story. The story is told with the pronouns “I, me, or mine”. Third person point of view is when the person telling the story is not in the story. The story is told with the pronouns “He, She, her, his” is used. This is a excerpt from “Al Capone Does My Shirts”. It is in the first person. Rewrite the two sentences below in third person, changing the pronouns and verbs to agree. I think about going in my room now, but it smells like the inside of an old lunch bag in there. So I am a little jumpy.

2. CONFLICT A conflict is a problem or struggle. In literature there are four types of conflicts. Man vs. Man Man vs. Himself Man vs. God Man vs. Nature Numbers one and two are the best ones to apply to the novel. Find an examples of each of those types in the novel Al Capone Does My Shirts.

3. PROTAGONIST A protagonist is the leader of the story. The protagonist usually has the most lines and is involved with the most action. In the movie Spiderman, Spiderman would be the protagonist. Who is the protagonist in Al Capone Does My Shirts?

4. ANTAGONIST The antagonist in the story is the person or force that goes against the protagonist. The antagonist causes conflict. In Spiderman, the Green Goblin is the antagonist to Spiderman. He causes problems for Spiderman. 4. In Al Capone Does My Shirts who or what is the antagonist?

5. FLASHBACK Flashback is when the author goes back in time to describe a past event. Read the following paragraph and write the one sentence that is the flashback. Outside the offices of Nichols Plumbing, Sally paused for a moment in thought. In preparation for her job interview, she put on her best dress. She looked the part of an account clerk with this dress. This job was important and she wanted to make a good impression.

6. FORESHADOWING Foreshadowing is when the author gives “clues” to help you figure out the ending. What are three clues that Piper will cause trouble for Moose?

7. FOIL A foil is a person who is a contrast to another person. SpongeBob is a foil for Patrick. In the Al Capone Does My Shirts Piper is a foil for whom?

8. IRONY Irony is when something appears one way but is really another. For example it might be ironic that a marathon runner would die of a heart attack. This is something you wouldn’t think would happen because it appears the runner would be in tip top shape but in reality he could have a heart problem. Find an example of irony in Al Capone Does My Shirts?

9. THEME The theme is the underlying message the author wants you to learn about life. For example in Charlotte’s Web the theme might be “Never give up” or “Work with you friends”. What is one theme in Al Capone Does My Shirts?

10. SYMBOLISM An owl is a symbol of wisdom. A cross is a symbol of religion. Purple is a symbol of royalty. What are Natalie’s buttons a symbol of?

11. INCENTIVE MOMENT Incentive moment is the first conflict or problem that gets the story rolling. If this problem didn’t occur in the story, it would just be a series of daily events. In the Wizard of Oz the incentive moment is when the tornado strikes. If this didn’t happen, Dorothy would not start her journey. What is the incentive moment in Al Capone Does My Shirts?

12. Climax The climax of the story is the turning point. It is when the action comes to an exciting or dramatic change. When the climax happens characters usually change in some way. The climax is usually one important event. The climax is usually towards the last part of the book. What event is the climax in Al Capone Does My Shirts?

13. PLOT SEQUENCE Read the story below. Write one or two sentences to tell the incentive moment, climax, and the ending. A man is walking to work. A stranger bumps into him. The man checks for his wallet and realizes that it missing. He runs after the stranger and demands the wallet, which the stranger gives to him. At work, the man calls home to tell his wife of the incident. She informs her husband that he left his wallet on the dresser that morning. The man realizes that he accidentally robbed the stranger! He finds he stranger’s phone number in the wallet and calls to apologize. Soon after he returns the wallet.

14. SETTING Setting is the time and place of the story. Where is the setting for Al Capone Does My Shirts?

15. Simile A simile is a comparison between two things using like or as Example: She ran like the wind. Sue is as funny as a clown. Her hair is like a rat’s nest. Find one simile in Al Capone Does My Shirts.