WRITING ACTIVITY!

The first person of every line must prepare crosswise sheet of paper for
the whole row.
Every person in the row will have a chance to contribute to the writing.
Pass the paper once the teacher gives the signal.
READY?
 FIRST PERSON IN THE ROW
The first person in the row must write the name of any character.
A brief description may be added if the time allows.
SECOND PERSON IN THE ROW
Write the name of another character.
Add a short description if the time allows.
THIRD PERSON IN THE ROW
Where and how did these characters meet?
 FOURTH PERSON IN THE ROW
Write something the two characters fought about.
If the time allows, describe how they got to the point of fighting.
FIFTH PERSON IN THE ROW
Did the characters resolve their conflict?
Briefly describe what happened.
FIRST PERSON IN THE ROW (AGAIN)
Tie the whole story together and share with the class.
BASIC ELEMENTS OF A
SHORT STORY
English 8
 SETTING

Involves both time and place in the story

Can be used to set the mood or atmosphere
 THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER

During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the

autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in
the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, though a
singularly dreary tract of country.

By Edgar Allan Poe

 CHARACTERS

The people (or animals, things, etc. presented as people) in

the story
Protagonist - main character
Antagonist - opposes the protagonist
 PLOT

Arrangement of events used by the author to develop the

basic idea
Sequence of events in a story or play
Planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle
and end
PLOT PYRAMID
 PLOT

1. Exposition - The start of the story

2. Rising Action - The series of conflicts and crisis in the story that
lead to the climax
3. Climax - The most intense moment the reader wonders what
will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?
4. Falling Action - The events and complications begin to resolve
themselves.
5. Resolution - The conclusion, the untangling of events in the story
Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/78039006018675407/
 CONFLICT

Dramatic struggle between two forces in a story

Without conflict it is difficult to have a plot
 TYPES OF CONFLICT

Interpersonal Conflict
Human vs. Human
Human vs. Nature
Human vs. Society
Internal Conflict
Human vs. Self
 POINT OF VIEW

Angle or perspective from which the story is told

Who is telling the story?
How do we know what is happening?
Does a character tell us?
 FIRST PERSON
POINT OF VIEW

Told from the viewpoint of one of the characters, using the

first person pronoun I.

The thousands of injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best

could, but when he ventured upon insult I vowed revenge. You,
who so well know the nature of my soul, will not suppose,
however, that I give utterance to a threat.
The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
 SECOND PERSON
POINT OF VIEW
Main character in the story is referred to using the second person
pronoun you.

Rubbing your aching head, you take in the scene around you. Nearby
you see a narrow dirt road, and beyond it a fast-running brook.You
hear the sound of hooves, and a strange clanking noiseYou watch as
they rein in their horses and dismount just a few yards away.
Choose Your Own Adventure : The Forbidden Castle
by Edward Packard
 THIRD PERSON
POINT OF VIEW

The story is told using a

narrator who is located Three different types:
outside of the action of the
Omniscient
story
Limited Omniscient
Uses third person pronouns
such as he, she, his, her, they, Objective
etc.
 THIRD PERSON OMNISCIENT

The narrator has the power to show the reader what is

happening though a number of characters eyes.
Myop carried a short knobby stick. She struck out at random
at chickens she liked, and worked out the beat of a song on the
fence around the pigpen. She felt light and good in the warm
sun. She was ten, and nothing existed for her but her song, the
stick she clutched in her dark brown hand, and the tat-de-ta-
ta-ta of accompaniment.
The Flowers by Alice Walker
 THIRD PERSON LIMITED OMNISCIENT

Third person, told from the viewpoint of a character in the story.

They all laughed, and while they were laughing, the quiet boy moved
his bare foot on the sidewalk and merely touched, brushed against a
number of red ants that were scurrying about on the sidewalk.
Secretly his eyes shining, while his parents chatted with the old man,
he saw the ants hesitate, quiver, and lie still on the cement. He sensed
they were cold now.
Fever Dream by Ray Bradbury
 THIRD PERSON OBJECTIVE

Told as if from a camera that follows the characters

Only what is said and done is recorded.
Jennifer stirred in bed. The cotton sheet clung to her body as she
rolled to face the nightstand. With eyes half open, she reached over
to switch the alarm clock off when the man in the shadows reached
out and grabbed her arm. Her scream pierced the quiet night and
died abruptly as she was forced violently back into the dark
oblivion.
Objective Point of View from writesville.com
 THEME

Central idea or central message of the story

Usually contains some insight into the human condition
Tells something about humans and life
Can be stated directly or implied by the events and actions
in the story