2. Literature reflects our humanity  Literature is ◦ A poem, novel, etc. that tells a story, dramatizes a situation, expresses emotions, analyzes and advocates ideas ◦ Helps us grow personally and intellectually ◦ Provides an objective base for knowledge and understanding ◦ Shapes our goals and values by clarifying our own identities, both positively and negatively

3.  First reading ◦ Determine what is happening, where, what, who is involved, major characters ◦ Make a record of your reactions and responses ◦ Describe characterizations, events, techniques and ideas  Second reading ◦ Trace developing patterns ◦ Write expanded notes about characters, situations, actions ◦ Look for author’s use of literary devices

4.  This is the ultimate goal of the author’s poem/story/novel.  Essentially, you are deciding WHY he/she wrote this story.  When you ask me why we are reading something, you are really asking me what the author’s purpose was!  And… The author’s purpose was to teach us something about what it means to be human.

5. What does it all mean to you?

6.  The literary text possesses no fixed and final meaning or value; there is no one "correct" meaning. Literary meaning and value are "transactional," "dialogic," created by the interaction of the reader and the text.

7.  Typical questions:  How does the interaction of text and reader create meaning?  What does a phrase-by-phrase analysis of a short literary text, reading experience pre- structured by (built into) that text?  What does the body of criticism published about a literary text suggest about the critics who interpreted that text and/or about the reading experience produced by that text?

8.  There are no right or wrong answers; however, there are strong and weak answers depending on support.  Support is the key to reader’s response criticism.  Support is the key to critical thinking.

9.  How will I get through Lit and Comp if there are no Right or Wrong answers? ◦ Listen to lecture ◦ Use textual support ◦ Abide by teacher’s definition (for example: in this class, setting is always more than just time and place).

10. The Text

11.  The study or examination of a literary work or author ◦ This study can be LIMITED because it is: “Your Individual Thoughtful Interpretation” ◦ Your interpretation is colored by:  Reader’s life experiences, expectations, reading ability  Your reading environment includes:  Our World  Our Society  Our Family

12. The Text Plot: it is the “what” of the story; what happened or the action. The plot traditionally contains five elements: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, (denouement) resolution.

13. The Text Setting: the Where/Geography, When/Time, Weather, and Season And then… how all of that affects plot and character.

14. The Text Character Development Terms to know: flat, round, static, dynamic point-of-view dialogue character interaction POV Terms to know: 1 st person 3 rd person limited Omniscient Objective

15. The Text The purpose of the central conflict is to drive the action forward. - internal conflict (man vs. himself) - external conflict (man vs. man or man vs. environment)

16. The Text mood: the feeling a text arouses in its reader tone: the author’s stance toward the subject

17. The Text Figurative Language — Contributes to the author’s tone, mood and “What does it all mean?” Allusions Metaphors Similes Imagery Foreshadowing

18. The Text This is the deep structure consisting of the text’s ideas and truths which the author tries to convey

19.  The insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work.  Themes are rarely stated directly in literature.  Most often, a reader has to infer the theme of a work after considerable thought.

20.  Theme is different from subject.  A story’s subject might be stated as “growing up,” “love,” “heroism,” or “fear.”

21.  The theme is the statement the writer wants to make about that subject:  “For most young people, growing up is a process that involves the pain of achieving self-knowledge.”

22.  Theme must be stated in at least one sentence.  Most themes are complex enough to require several sentences, or even an essay.

23.  Theme must be stated in at least one sentence.  Most themes are complex enough to require several sentences, or even an essay.

24. The Text

25. Literature and Composition IH

27.  Character development in life is a continual evolutionary and vital process in which we are all participants--some more actively, directly, and dynamically than others.

28.  Because we bring to the reading of stories our own sense of character development, we have a ready pool of experience with which to explore the character development in the short story.

29.  We come to know the characters in the text through the indirect method of: 1. Physical description 2. The character’s thoughts, feelings, and words 3. The comments and reactions of others 4. The actions of the character and… 5. the direct method of the author’s stated opinion about the character

30.  A person in a text is called a character, not the person.  The person around whom the conflict revolves is called the main character, also known as the protagonist.  The most prominent of the characters who oppose the protagonist is the antagonist.  Word Origens  Pro--for, in front of  Anti--against  Agonistes-- actor  Agonia-- contest

31.  A protagonist can be virtuous or a villain.  An antagonist can be virtuous or a villain, depending upon the protagonist, and is typically the opposite.

32.  A foil is a character whose qualities or actions serve to emphasize those of the protagonist by providing a strong contrast with them.

33.  A static character is one who does not change much in the course of the story.

34.  A dynamic character changes in some important way as a result of the story’s events.

35.  Flat characters have few personality traits. They can be summed up by a single phrase: the loyal sidekick, the buffoon, the nosy neighbor.

36.  Round characters have more dimensions to their personalities--they are more complex, just as real people are.

37.  A motive is the reason behind an individual’s actions.  It’s not what happens, it’s WHY it’s all happened.  THEME ◦ Second chances allow us to right the wrongs of the past.

39. ◦ Who is our PROTAGONIST? ◦ Is she a ROUND or a FLAT character? ◦ How does she illustrate the complexities found in real people?  She is confused, she acts before thinking ◦ How old is Lizabeth? Why is her age significant in the story?  14-going-on-15 ◦ How old is Lizabeth as she narrates her story?  How does this affect the point-of-view, tone and mood of the story?

40.  Who is the ANTAGONIST? ◦ Setting, Lizbeth herself  Who is Miss Lottie? ◦ She is a big frame woman; she has smooth, reddish-brown skin. She has Indian-like features. She is very unemotional in her facial expression. She didn’t like intruders and she never left her yard nor did she have any visitors. ◦ Is this direct or indirect characterization?

41.  Describe Miss Lottie’s son, John Burke. ◦ “ageless…in a mindless stupor…but he would become enraged.”  Is he ROUND or FLAT?  How is he important to the story? ◦ He adds to the setting of decay and limits Miss Lottie’s freedom to break away and find a better life. ◦ John Burke is NOT character. He functions to add the setting and thus develops Miss Lottie’s character.

43.  Setting--or the time and place of the action in a short story--has a definite impact on the character development and plot.  The setting is often found in the exposition of the plot and readily establish time and place.

44. ◦ What is the setting of the story?  a poor section of rural Maryland ◦ What is the social setting/time period of the story?  the United States in the midst of the Depression ◦ More?  Dust everywhere, dirt roads, shanty/ramshackle homes colored dull gray ◦ Describe the weather/season.  Late summer ◦ Consider the hour  it’s just after 4 A.M.  What are some characteristics of time just before dawn?  Four o’clock in the morning is a time when few people are awake and it is still mostly dark. It is a time when a person who is awake can easily feel “alone in the world.” The early hour tends to isolate Lizabeth and make the reader wonder what she plans to do. ◦ How does all of this affect our character(s)?  “smoldering emotions of that summer swelled.”

45. ◦ Describe Miss Lottie’s house?  the most wretched, and her “queer headed” son on the porch adds to the impression of lowliness ◦ What does this tell us about her character?  house is a reflection of her social standing, which is probably lower than Lizabeth’s ◦ How does all of this affect plot?  The setting acts as an intrinsic part of the characters motivations for behaving in the manner in which they do.

47.  The term plot refers to the chain of events which make up the story. Each link in this chain helps to build suspense and to solve a problem.

48.  The main character is presented with a conflict--a situation or a problem which he or she will be called upon to resolve.

49.  Sometimes the problem lies within the main character and is said to be internal.  Other times, outside forces act upon the main character, which is said to be an external conflict.

50.  There is a constant, ongoing struggle in which the main character attempts to resolve his or her problem; hence, he or she seeks a solution.

51.  Identify the conflict Lizabeth struggles with following the attack on Miss Lottie. ◦ She is torn between feeling sorry for attacking Miss Lottie and feeling that she somehow had a right to attack her. ◦ Do you agree with this?  What feelings are at the root of her conflict? ◦ Deep down, Lizabeth knows she behaved childishly and she is angry at herself for doing so.  Summarize the conversation that Lizabeth overhears. ◦ She overhears her father crying and her perception of her father changes drastically.  How does the sound of her father’s crying affect her? ◦ It makes her feel confused, helpless, and angry. Internal Conflict/Person vs. Self

52.  What of setting and conflict? External Conflict/Person vs. Environment

53.  Throughout this struggle a growing excitement or suspense is felt as the climax approaches.

54. Plot Development Exposition Rising Action Climax Falling Action Resolution/ Denouement Climax: At what point does the Exposition end and the Rising Action begin? The climax occurs when Lizabeth returns to Miss Lottie’s garden and destroys it. Here is where Lizabeth loses control and strike out as a result of the conflicts she has been struggling with. Do you agree? How does Lizabeth change in the moment she comes face to face with Miss Lottie? What does she recognize in Miss Lottie’s face? – Lizabeth realizes that as hard as her life is, Miss Lottie’s life is much more difficult and without hope – she is able to feel compassion for Miss Lottie.

55.  The author often uses certain techniques to creatively unfold the plot:  Flashback: a move back in time to an earlier incident.  Foreshadowing: a hint of events which will occur later in the story. Does Collier use flashback and/or foreshadowing in Marigolds?

57.  The vantage point from which the writer tells a story.  In broad terms, there are four main points of view.

58.  First-person point of view.  One of the characters in the story tells the story.  The narrator uses first person pronouns such as I and we.  Readers can know only what the narrator knows.  Examples: Speak, Catcher in the Rye, The Adventures of Huck Finn, The House on Mango Street

59.  Third-person limited point of view.  An unknown narrator (usually thought of as the author) tells the story.  The narrator zooms in to focus on the thoughts and feelings of only one character.  In the case of third-person limited point of view, the narrator can tell us many things about the character, things that the character himself (or herself) might be unaware of.  Examples: Harry Potter--with very few exceptions (such as the opening chapters of Philosopher's Stone and Deathly Hallows and the first two chapters of Half-Blood Prince)

60.  The omniscient point of view.  An “all-knowing” narrator tells the story.  This narrator often tells us everything about many characters:  Their motives, weaknesses, hopes, childhoods, and sometimes, their futures.  Examples: Lord of the Rings

61.  The objective point of view.  An impersonal and objective narrator.  No opinionated comment on any characters or events.  Like the point of view of a movie camera.  Readers can know only what the camera might see.  The narrator does not reveal the unspoken thoughts of the character.  Examples: Detective books, some of the short stories we will read

62.  Go back to your Onion notes.

63.  The distinctive way in which a writer uses language.  Styles can be plain, ornate, metaphorical, spare, descriptive, and so on.  Style is determined by such factors as sentence length and complexity, syntax, use of figurative language and imagery, and diction.

64. Tropes and Rhetorical Figures

65.  The special language of science uses words and expressions that communicate one thing at a time without the danger of confusion or of multiple interpretations. Polytetrafluoroethylene probably means the same thing every sentence in which it appears. It is hard to imagine a circumstance where it could be used ironically and it is unlikely to find its way into a simile or metaphor.  The language of literature and common life, however, is filled with words and expressions used figuratively, words that mean in a particular context something more than any dictionary definition would lead us to expect. The figures of speech that create these extra meanings are traditionally divided into TROPES (figures that change the meaning of a word) and RHETORICAL FIGURES (those that change the tone or emphasis of a statement without changing the meaning of individual words).

66.  METAPHOR—A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without the use of such specific words of comparison as like, as, than, or resembles.

67. 1. Directly Stated Metaphor 2. Implied Metaphor 3. Extended Metaphor 4. Dead Metaphor 5. Mixed Metaphor 1. “Fame is a bee” 2. “I like to see it lap the Miles” ◦ Does not state explicitly the two terms of comparison. The example is an implied metaphor in which the verb lap implies a comparison between “it” (which is a train) and some animal that “laps” up water. 3. Fame is a bee / It has a song— / It has a sting— / Ah, too, it has a wing ◦ A metaphor that is extended or developed over a number of lines or with several examples 4. “The head of the house” ◦ Used so often the comparison is no longer vivid. 5. A metaphor that fails to make a logical comparison because its mixed terms are visually or imaginatively incompatible. If you say “The President is a lame duck who is running out of gas,” you’ve lost control of your metaphor and have produced a statement that is ridiculous (ducks do not run out of gas).

68.  We can distinguish between two types of symbols: 1. Public 2. Personal

69.  The dove, for example, is a public symbol of peace—that is, it is widely accepted the world over as such a symbol.  Uncle Sam is a public symbol that stands for the United States.  A picture of a skull and crossbones is a public symbol of of ◦ __death or warning or pirates____  Two snakes coiled around a staff is a widely accepted symbol of ◦ __medicine____  Waving a white flag is a public symbol of ◦ __surrender____

70.  Most symbols used in literature are personal symbols; even though a symbol may be widely used, a writer will usually adapt it in some imaginative, personal way so that it can suggest not just one, but a myriad of meanings.  One of the most commonly used symbols in literature, for example, is the journey, which can stand for a search for truth, for redemption from evil, or for discovery of the self and freedom. The journey of Huck Finn and Jim down the Mississippi River has been interpreted to symbolize all of these concepts, and more.  The marigolds in “Marigolds” symbolize __beauty and possibly guilt____

71.  What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?  The simile compares __postponed dreams____to __A Raisin in the Sun____

72.  The cruel wind tore off the roof of the house.  What is the object or animal being personified? ◦ __wind____  What is the human trait given to the object? ◦ __cruelty____  What effect does this give to the object? Meaning, how does this example of personification help readers to visualize/interpret the thing being described? ◦ __nastiness and harsh wind___

73. allusion—an implied or indirect reference especially in literature and film; references are often made to Greek gods or goddesses, Shakespeare, the bible, specific historical events or figures, and widely known aspects of popular culture

74. Literary Terms Review

75.  Literary Analysis: ◦ the study or examination of a literary work or author.  Literary Devices: ◦ figures of speech or tools a writer uses to add layers of meaning to the text

76.  simile—a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things, using a word such as like, as, than, or resembles

77. metaphor—a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without the use of specific words of comparison

78. personification—a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

79. foreshadowing—a literary device in which an author drops subtle hints about plot developments to come later in the story

80.  The simile compares the chaotic emotions of adolescence to smoke and the realness of a potted geranium.  The comparison suggests that the first object in the comparison is both hard to grasp and solid as an everyday object  and it develops…

81.  The metaphor compares ◦ The emotions of teen years: joy, rage, wild happiness, and shame to ◦ A piece of multicolored yarn  The comparison suggests that the first object/person in the comparison is ◦ The emotions are so woven together that no matter how much one might try to separate them she can’t  and it develops…

82.  The metaphor compares ◦ Poverty to ◦ A cage  The comparison suggests that the first object/person in the comparison is ◦ Poverty is something that we can not escape  and it develops…

83.  The simile compares ◦ The ill-defined days to ◦ a water-color painting left out in the rain  The comparison suggests that the first object/person in the comparison is ◦ the days blended together so much that she could not tell one from another  and it develops…

84.  The personification compares ◦ Dying crops due to the heat of the to ◦ Parched sun  The comparison suggests that the first object/person in the comparison is ◦ The sun was intense  and it develops…

85.  The simile compares ◦ The sick-sweet smell of bay flowers to ◦ A mournful song  The comparison suggests that the first object/person in the comparison is ◦ The scent of the flowers was heavy and sad  and it develops…