ELEMENTS OF LITERATURE Identifying the Elements of Literature in texts.

Sty le: The language the author uses to create the story. How author’s write what they write. 1.Humorous, serious, casual, formal, etc. 2.Short choppy sentences, or lengthy ones. 3.Formal language as if writing to very important people, or casual language if the audience is intended to be a friend. 4.Sensory details, figurative language, and other literary devices 5.Sound devices--alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhythm, repetition 6.Dialogue. 7.Word choice 8.Analyze the writer's unique way of communicating ideas. 9.Styles are created deliberately by the author to convey a specific mood or effect. 10.Style in writing is not what is said but how it is said.

Point of View: Who the narrator is and what information he or she provides.  1 st Person: using “ I ” or “me”  3 rd Person: using “he” or “she” - Limited: the speaker is not part of the story, but tells about the other characters. Limits information about what one character sees and feels. - Omniscient: the speaker is not part of the story, but is able to "know" and describe what all characters are thinking.

Characteri zation: The development of the characters in a story.  What does the character look like?  How does the character act?  What does the character believe?  How does the character change?  Anything in the story that shows you your character. Flat Characters: are two-dimensional in that they are relatively uncomplicated and do not change throughout the course of a work. Round Characters: are complex and undergo development, sometimes sufficiently to surprise the reader. Round Characters change.

Confl ict: Person vs. Person: a character struggles with another character. Person vs. Nature: a character struggles with a force of nature (natural disaster, desolation, animal, etc.) Person vs. Fate: a character struggles with a force, or principle believed to decide events. Person vs. Society: a character or a group of characters fight against the society in which they live. The character fights against social traditions or rules (fight for freedom, rights, for a cause, etc.) Person vs. Self: a character struggles within themselves. A struggle a character must overcome.

Pl ot: The events that occur in a story.  EVERY occurrence that the character(s) goes through.  EVERY event that happens in the book or story.

The me: The central idea or lesson about life that a story conveys. Coming of age Communication – verbal and nonverbal Companionship as salvation Convention and rebellion Dangers of ignorance Darkness and light Death – inevitable or tragedy Desire to escape Destruction of beauty Disillusionment and dreams Displacement Empowerment Everlasting love Evils of racism Facing darkness Fading beauty Facing reality Faith versus doubt Family – blessing or curse Fate and free will Fear of failure Fulfillment Good versus bad Greed as downfall Power and corruption Power of silence Power of tradition Power of wealth Power of words Pride and downfall

Mo od: The feeling a reader gets from a story. HAPPY, SAD, CONFUSED, ANGRY, EXCITED, CONFIDENT, REFRESHED, ALERT, AMUSED, ANNOYED, GLOOMY, SCARED, HOPEFUL, OPTIMISTIC, PROUD

Setti ng: When and where a story’s action takes place. Locale: country, state, region, city, town, neighborhood, street, house, or school. Other locales can include shorelines, islands, farms, rural areas, etc. Time of year: seasons, holidays, such as Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, or Halloween.) Significant dates can also be used, such as the anniversary of a death of a character, or real person, or the anniversary of a battle, such as the attack on Pearl Harbor. Time of day: times, or periods during a da,y or night, such as dawn or dusk. Readers have clear associations with different periods of the day, making an easy way to create a visual orientation in a scene. Elapsed time: The minutes, hours, days, weeks, and months.

Setting Continued… Mood/Atmosphere: weather, temperature, lighting, and other tangible factors. Geography: specific aspects of water, landforms, ecosystems, and scenery. Man-made geography: things such as: dams, bridges, ports, towns and cities, monuments, burial grounds, cemeteries, and famous buildings, deforestation, agriculture, irrigation, vineyards, cattle grazing, and coffee plantations. Eras of historical importance: wars, or historical periods linked to the plot and theme- might include the Civil war, World War II, medieval times, the Bubonic Plague, the gold rush in the 1800s, or the era of slavery in the South.