1. Literary Terms

2. PLOT The sequence of events in a story.
Plot is also a pattern of actions, events and situations
Plot includes
exposition
exciting force/inciting incident
rising action
climax
falling action
denouement

3. Definitions
Exposition: opening portion of a narrative or drama, it sets the scene, introduces the main characters, and discloses necessary background
Exciting force/inciting incident: sets the action in motion
Rising action: part of the narrative, including the exposition, in which events start moving toward a climax.
Climax: the turning point, moment of greatest intensity
Falling action: the events that follow the climax and bring the story to its conclusion
Denouement: resolution or conclusion of narrative

4. Think of the Parts of a Story like a Peak…
Climax
Rising Action
Falling Action
Inciting Incident or
Exciting Force
Exposition
Denouement

5. Exposition: what is established?
Plot of “A&P”
Exposition: what is established?
Setting
Time
Place
Mood
Circumstance

6. Plot of “A&P” Rising Action
Three girls in bathing suits come into the A&P.
Watched by Sammy and Stokesie, the girls wander the aisles of the store.
The girls come to Sammy’s check-out lane.
Store Manager Lengel comes in, sees the girls, and tells them they must be decently dressed to come in.
Sammy rings up the girl’s purchase.

7. Plot of “A&P”
Climax
Sammy quits his job.

8. Plot of “A&P” Falling Action Sammy tells off Lengel.
Lengel tries to reason with Sammy.
Sammy turns in his apron and tie and leaves the store.

9. Plot of “A&P” Denouement
In your groups, discuss the denouement. Consider these
questions:
What will happen to Sammy now? Consider his parents’ reactions.
Reread the last line of the story. Now consider again what will happen to Sammy.
Do you think Sammy’s decision was a good one or a stupid one? Why?

10. Close reading With your group, discuss the following:
Look at the opening line. What if Updike began with: “Three girls wearing only bathing suits walked in.” How would that change the tone?
On page 4, Sammy says “I slid right down her voice into her living room.” What is the effect of this metaphor?
Sammy says “Now here comes the sad part of the story.” Is sad the best word to use here? What does this word choice make you think about Sammy?

11. “The Bats” The four elements of setting are:
Time (When does it take place? Think era and time of day/week)
Place (Where does it take place?)
Mood (What is the overall feeling of the story?)
Circumstance (What is going on around the characters in the story? Ex: War, depression, technological era, etc.)

12. CONFLICT Struggle between opposing forces Conflict can be
Internal– person vs. self
External Conflict – person vs. person, person vs. nature, person vs. society, man/woman vs. machine, man/woman vs. supernatural.

13. Identify What is the conflict in “A&P”?
What is the conflict in “The Bats”?
How do you know?
Where in the story do you find it?

14. Symbol
An object, character, or event that suggests meanings beyond its literal sense.
A symbol adds meaning
In fact, a symbol can add multiple meanings

15. So what’s the difference?
How does a symbol differ from a metaphor?
A metaphor
is a statement that one thing is something else, which, in a literal sense, it is not
creates a close association between the two things, underscoring some important similarity between them
Examples:
Richard is a pig.
She’s a doll.
“I will speak daggers to her, but use none.” (Hamlet)

16. How can I recognize a symbol?
Symbols are
Not abstract terms (love, truth) but perceptible objects
Sometimes people and events are symbolic
Frequently given particular emphasis (repetition)
May supply the title
Lead us to the author’s theme

17. Symbolism in “The Bats”
Individually, complete the handout on symbolism.
Be prepared to discuss your findings!

18. More symbols What does the silver ring in “The Bats” symbolize?
Make sure you use details from the text to make your case!

19. Examining the climax of “The Bats”
With your group, identify the conflict and climax. Remember
the conflict will be _________ vs. _________.
the climax will be where the conflict is resolved.
Climaxes don’t always resolve the conflict in a positive way.
In your group, spend the next 5 minutes discussing why you think Divakaruni (the author) resolves the story in this negative way.
Be sure to use the text to back up your response.

20. Protagonist – main character
Antagonist – in conflict with/opposes protagonist

21. Characters static (stay the same) vs. dynamic (change)
flat (one-sided) vs. round (many-sided)
major/minor/functional

22. Static, dynamic, round, flat?
Define these characters:
Sammy in “A & P”
Lengel in “A & P”
Queenie in “A & P”
Narrator in “The Bats”
Mother in “The Bats”
Grandpa-uncle in “The Bats”

23. Characterization
The techniques a writer uses to create, reveal, or develop the characters in a narrative.
Direct: author states directly what a character is like
Indirect: reader must infer what a character is like through description, dialogue, action, and how other characters treat him/her
Most often, writers reveal/develop characters through what they say (dialogue) and what they do (action).
Characters are motivated by desires, temperament and moral character.

24. Point of view The perspective from which a story is told First person
The narrator is “I” and he/she is a participant in the action
Third person
Narrator is a nonparticipant in the action
Omniscient: narrator can move freely through the mind of any character, and has complete knowledge of all the events in the story
Limited: the narrator sees into the minds of some, but not all, of the characters; typically, one major or minor character

25. Tone Attitude the author is trying to convey about the subject
Tone is the net result of the various elements the author uses to create the work
Tone plays an important role in establishing the reader’s relationship to the characters and ideas

26. Irony
Literary device in which the actual meaning is masked by the surface language
Three main types of irony:
Verbal: say one thing but mean another
Situational: something happens that is not what we (or the character) expects
Dramatic: the audience knows or understands something that the characters on stage do not

27. What kind of irony is this?
Mrs. Farquar says to Gideon, “When are you going to show us the snake root?” Gideon replies, “But I did show you, missus, have you forgotten?”

28. Techniques
Suspense: enjoyable anxiety and/or curiosity about the outcome of an event
Foreshadowing: hints at what may happen in a story
Flashback: a scene relived in a character’s memory; gives information about something that happened before the current narrative began

29. Theme
A generally recurring subject or idea conspicuously evident in a literary work
Longer works may have multiple themes
The theme is not necessarily a moral or a lesson
The theme is the center, the moving force, the unifying vision

30. Try to articulate the theme of
“A & P”
“The Bats”
“The Bet”
“No Witchcraft”
“Contents of a Dead Man’s Pocket”