1. “And of Clay are We Created”
Literary Terms Analysis

2. Plot The plot of a story is the sequence of events which unfold.
Plot Graph of “And of Clay are We Created”
Exposition

3. Plot The plot of a story is the sequence of events which unfold.
Plot Graph of “And of Clay are We Created”
Exposition
A volcano erupts in South America.

4. Plot The plot of a story is the sequence of events which unfold.
Plot Graph of “And of Clay are We Created”
Exposition
Conflict
A volcano erupts in South America.

5. Plot The plot of a story is the sequence of events which unfold.
Plot Graph of “And of Clay are We Created”
Exposition
Conflict
A volcano erupts in South America.
A little girl is stuck in the rubble.

6. Plot The plot of a story is the sequence of events which unfold.
Plot Graph of “And of Clay are We Created”
Rising Action
The water is cold, and the girl risks freezing.
Exposition
Conflict
A volcano erupts in South America.

7. Plot The plot of a story is the sequence of events which unfold.
Plot Graph of “And of Clay are We Created”
A newspaper reporter tries to free the girl, Azucena.
Rising Action
The water is cold, and the girl risks freezing.
Exposition
Conflict
A volcano erupts in South America.
A little girl is stuck in the rubble.

8. Plot The plot of a story is the sequence of events which unfold.
Plot Graph of “And of Clay are We Created”
They are missing essential tools, and can’t get a pump.
A newspaper reporter tries to free the girl, Azucena.
Rising Action
The water is cold, and the girl risks freezing.
Exposition
Conflict
A volcano erupts in South America.
A little girl is stuck in the rubble.

9. Plot The plot of a story is the sequence of events which unfold.
Plot Graph of “And of Clay are We Created”
Climax
They are missing essential tools, and can’t get a pump.
A newspaper reporter tries to free the girl, Azucena.
Rising Action
The water is cold, and the girl risks freezing.
Exposition
Conflict
A volcano erupts in South America.
A little girl is stuck in the rubble.

10. Plot The plot of a story is the sequence of events which unfold.
Plot Graph of “And of Clay are We Created”
Climax
They are missing essential tools, and can’t get a pump.
Rolf and the Azucena both give in to their fates.
A newspaper reporter tries to free the girl, Azucena.
Rising Action
The water is cold, and the girl risks freezing.
Exposition
Conflict
A volcano erupts in South America.
A little girl is stuck in the rubble.

11. Plot The plot of a story is the sequence of events which unfold.
Plot Graph of “And of Clay are We Created”
Climax
They are missing essential tools, and can’t get a pump.
Rolf and Azucena both give in to their fates.
A newspaper reporter tries to free the girl, Azucena.
Rising Action
Resolution
The water is cold, and the girl risks freezing.
Exposition
Conflict
A volcano erupts in South America.
A little girl is stuck in the rubble.

12. Plot The plot of a story is the sequence of events which unfold.
Plot Graph of “And of Clay are We Created”
Climax
They are missing essential tools, and can’t get a pump.
Rolf and Azucena both give in to their fates.
A newspaper reporter tries to free the girl, Azucena.
Rising Action
Resolution
The water is cold, and the girl risks freezing.
Exposition
Azucena dies, and Rolf is overcome with grief and regret.
Conflict
A volcano erupts in South America.
A little girl is stuck in the rubble.

13. Plot The plot of a story is the sequence of events which unfold.
Plot Graph of “And of Clay are We Created”
They are missing essential tools, and can’t get a pump.
Rolf and Azucena both give in to their fates.
A newspaper reporter tries to free the girl, Azucena.
The water is cold, and the girl risks freezing.
Azucena dies, and Rolf is overcome with grief and regret.
A volcano erupts in South America.
A little girl is stuck in the rubble.

14. Conflict The conflict is the major “problem” that arises in the story.
Conflicts are either internal (occur within the character’s own mind), or external (occur between the protagonist and an outside force).
“And of Clay are We Created”
Internal Conflicts
External Conflicts
Rolf wants to help Azucena.
Rolf feels frustrated at his inability to get help.
Rolf can’t let go of his memories of a war-torn childhood.
The narrator wants Rolf to be able to love her enough to open his emotions.
Azucena is buried in rubble from the volcano.
Rolf is unable to get Azucena free.
Help and equipment are scarce at the disaster site.
The cold and exposure kill Azucena.

15. Major Conflict and Theme
Major Conflict: The volcano trapping Azucena and eventually causing her death +
Protagonist’s actions: Rolf ultimately failing to save Azucena and watching her sink to the bottom of the mudhole =
Theme: Humanity is incapable of overcoming many catastrophes despite noble efforts.

16. Point-of-View
The point-of-view is the vantage point from which a story is told.
First-person narrators tell the story as though they are a character in the action
“And of Clay are We Created”
“Nothing could stop him, and I was always amazed at his equanimity in the face of danger and suffering; it seemed as if nothing could shake his fortitude or deter his curiosity.”
Eva Luna acts as the narrator

17. Protagonist
Rolf Carle is the protagonist, or main character, in the story “And of Clay Are We Created.”
Why isn’t Azucena considered the protagonist? Isn’t she the one that most of the action centered around?
While it is true that most of the action centered around Azucena, Rolf Carle is the one who faces the internal conflict and the agony of attempting, and failing, to save Azucena’s life. He is the character who is forced to face his past and the demons he tried to bury as a result of that traumatic childhood. The internal conflict that centers around Rolf Carle makes him the protagonist of this story.

18. Antagonist
The antagonist in “And of Clay Are We Created” is nature: both the nature of the world,
and the nature of human beings to sometimes focus more on the publicity of human suffering than on the victims themselves.

19. “Katharina materialized
Mood
The emotional atmosphere, or mood, of the story “And of Clay Are We Created” is very somber.
The author’s style used vivid figurative language to convey the terror of Azucena’s and Rolf’s situations.
“…the odor of death
was already
attracting vultures.”
“Katharina materialized
before him, floating
on the air like a flag”
“Ancient fears”

20. Tone
The author’s tone, or attitude, towards human ability to contain the effects of catastrophes is bleak.
The volcano erupted with no regard for the village or the people who suffered.
Rolf was unable to help Azucena despite all of his efforts.
The reporters were more interested in capturing the story than helping the victims.

21. Author’s Purpose
The author’s purpose, or the reason she wrote this story, is to illustrate the indifference of nature, and sometimes even humans, to suffering.

22. Author’s Purpose The author’s purpose supports the theme.
to illustrate the indifference of nature, and sometimes even humans, to suffering.
Humanity is incapable of overcoming many catastrophes despite noble efforts.
Rolf’s inability to save Azucena, even though he tried everything in his power, illustrates this theme.