1. Review of Literary Elements Preparation for Writing on the NYS English Regents Exam

2. Importance Of Literary Elements Session Two concentrates on two of the four NYS English Learning Standards Be able to read and write for literary response and expression Be able to read and write for critical analysis and evaluation

3. Theme Theme is typically what is explored in a literary work or what the author wants the reader to know about how human beings behave. It can also be frequently recurring ideas or elements. The theme gives the reader a sense of purpose or lesson they can take away from the story.

4. Conflict The struggle within the plot between opposing forces. The protagonist (main character or “good character”) engages in the conflict with the antagonist (bad character or difficulty the character faces), which may take the form of a character, society, nature, or an aspect of the protagonist’s personality. The conflict makes the story more interesting and makes the reader want to read on. Man vs. Man Macbeth vs. Macduff battling for their lives. Man vs. Society Equality vs. The Council of Scholars in Anthem. The society shuns him. Man vs. Self Melinda vs. her fear of speaking about what happened to her in the novel, Speak. Man vs. Nature The boys in the novel, Lord of the Flies are faced with the difficulties of living on a deserted island with little food and no guidance from adults.

5. Point of View 1st person: is character in the story; he or she narrates the story from "inside" the world of the story. 2nd person: someone inside the story, someone who is, in effect, the reader. 3rd person: tells us about events which happen to someone else, someone who is a character in the story.

6. Point of View Cont.. Omniscient: he or she sees everything that happens in the fictional world of the story; he or she can move freely in space or time. limited-omniscient narrator also sees the action of the story from an "external" erspective--he or she is not a character in the story but simply a voice which tells us about the characters. must follow one character through the events of the story; he or she is "stuck" to that character's perspective.

7. Mood The atmosphere or emotional condition created by the piece, within the setting. Mood refers to the general sense or feeling which the reader is supposed to get from the text; it does not refer to the author’s or characters’ state of mind. That is tone Example: The mood of Edgar Allan Poe’s work is dark, murky and mysterious, creating a sense of fear and uncertainty. (Note that mood is a literary element, not a technique; the mood must therefore be described or identified.

8. Characterization Dynamic Characters: Change throughout a literary work Example: John Proctor, in The Crucible, was a dynamic character who started out doubting his faith and pride and ended up a pillar of moral strength. Static Characters: Remain the same throughout a literary work. Example:Reverend Parris, on the other hand, was a static character who remained greedy and vengeful to the Puritan community.

9. Characterization Protagonist: The hero or main character of the story who is faced with a conflict. Example: Ralph, the protagonist of the novel, Lord of the Flies, hopes for rescue and holds on to civilization as other characters are demoralizing. Antagonist: The source of conflict for the protagonist. Example: Jack, the antagonist of the story, sustains the fear in the boys, and pushes them to be more savage and cruel.

10. Setting when and where a story takes place. It also includes the atmosphere, time period, dress, language etc. Example: The setting of the play, Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose, was a hot, stuffy deliberation room where the jurors ’ decisions were effected by their desire to get out of there as quick as possible. The setting helps create meaning and can affect the rest of the story.

11. Symbol A person, object, image, word, or event that has additional meanings beyond and usually more abstract than its literal significance. Readers connect these to create more layers of meaning.

12. Foreshadowing Where future events in a story, or perhaps the outcome, are suggested by the author before they happen. It can add to suspense. Foreshadowing can take many forms and be accomplished in many ways, with varying degrees of subtlety. Foreshadowing makes the reader predict outcomes and encourages the reader to read on.

13. Imagery Language that appeals to the five senses that has an effect on the reader. Makes the reader experience what takes place in the literary work. In George Orwell’s novel, 1984, he uses imagery to allow the reader to experience the harsh, bleak, and cruel society Winston Smith is living in. He describes the housing development where Winston lives as smelling of boiled cabbage and old rag mats. “The world looked cold” and “there seemed to be no color in anything except the posters that were plastered everywhere.” The society of 1984 is unpleasant and uninviting.

14. Irony a contrast between what is expected and what happens or a contrast between what is said and what is really meant.

15. Types of Irony Verbal Irony- This occurs when a character says one thing but suggests or intends the opposite. For example, in Julius Caesar, Mark Antony says “ and Brutus is an honorable man, ” when he really means that Brutus is dishonorable because he has betrayed Caesar. Very similar to sarcasm, although sarcasm is harsh and direct while verbal irony is implied.

16. Types of Irony Dramatic Irony: This is the contrast between what the character thinks to be true and what we (the reader) know to be true. Further, the character cannot see or understand the contrast, but the audience or reader can. For example: In the play, The Crucible, the audience knows that the girls are lying about the women they accuse of witchcraft. It increases our perception of the characters who believe their lies.

17. Types of Irony Situational Irony- It is the contrast between what happens and what was expected (or what would seem appropriate). This type of irony emerges from the events and circumstances of a story. When Macbeth is told, “ No one of woman born shall harm Macbeth, ” the reader as well as Macbeth feel it is impossible for him to be harmed. The twist is that Macduff was “ from his mother ’ s womb untimely ript ” which did not count as being “ of woman born. ”

18. Personification Inanimate or inhuman objects are given human characteristics. A special kind of metaphor in which a nonhuman thing is talked about as if it were human. Examples: Justice is blind and, at times, deaf. Money is the only friend that I can count on h felt the wound; and Nature from her seat, Sighing, through all her works, gave signs of woe." -from Paradise Lost by John Milton

19. Metaphor A direct comparison of two unlike things Example: “ The teacher descended upon the exams, sank his talons into their pages, ripped the answers to shreds, and then, perching in his chair, began to digest. ” Metaphors and similes are used to compare and expose similarities between two things.

20. Simile Comparison of two unlike things, using the words “ like ” or “ as ” Example: Lennie, from Of Mice and Men, is described as “ lapping up the water like a dog. ” This comparison helps the reader to understand that Lennie is very simple, as well as animal-like. Metaphors and similes are used to compare and expose similarities between two things.