English 7 Accelerated- Winter 2014Short Story Unit Study Guide Name______

Literary Elements Definitions to know and study:

Term / Definition
foreshadowing / hint or clue about what will happen in the story
flashback / interrupts the normal sequence of events to tell something that happened in the past
direct characterization / tells what a character is like
indirect characterization / shows what a character is like
setting / describes the time and place of a story
plot / is what happens and how it happens in a narrative
exposition / provides backgroundinformation and lays out the event that gives rise to conflict
rising action / events that occur as result of central conflict that build up to climax
climax / highest point of interest or suspense in the story
falling action / the climax has occurred but the final outcome may still be in doubt
denouement/resolution / when conflict ends and characters go back to their lives
conflict / a struggle between opposing forces
external conflict / outside force may be a person, group, animal, nature, or nonhuman obstacle
theme / a central message, concern, or insight into life expressed through a literary work
surprise ending / conclusion that the reader does not expect

Vocabulary Terms to Know and Study

Vocabulary Term / Definition
beckoned / called with a silent motion
brittle / having a hard, sharp quality; easily broken
ominous / threatening, like an evil sign
impromptu / unscheduled, unplanned
ajar / slightly open
gnarled / bent, twisted; rough
tenement / An old run down apartment building
slackening / Easing; becoming less active
vital / Extremely important or necessary
tumultuously / Noisily and violently
resilient / Springing back into shape; able to recoverfrom difficulty
surged / Moved in a violent, swelling motion
apparatus / An appliance or device used for a particular purpose
solemn / Formal, dignified, serious, or sober

Direct vs. Indirect Characterization

Remember, direct characterization tells what a character is like, whereas indirect characterization shows what a character is like.

Ex. 1: Lemon Brown was an old man. (Direct characterization because it tells us that he is old)

Ex. 2:Lemon Brown’s black, heavily wrinkled face was surrounded by a halo of crinkly white hair and whiskers (Indirect characterization because ituses sensory details to show us that he is old)

Ex 3: Lemon Brown cares about Greg. (Direct characterization because it tells us that Lemon Brown cares about Greg)

Ex 4: “I’ll be watching from the window so you’ll be all right.” (Indirect characterization because it uses dialogue to show us that Lemon Brown cares about Greg).

What are the four types of conflict?

  1. Man/woman vs. man/woman (problem with another character)
  2. Man/woman vs. society (problem with the laws or beliefs of a group)
  3. Man/woman vs. nature (problem with a force of nature)
  4. Man/woman vs. himself/herself (problem with deciding what to do or think)

Theme

Theme is: The main point or life lesson of a story. It provides a messageabout life, from the author’s point of view.

Themes cannot be expressed in a single word. Themes must contain a point of view.

Example: “Power” is not a theme but “Underestimating the power of nature can ruin your chances of survival” is a theme.

Guiding Questions:

  1. What is a short story? Give at least five characteristics.

--It is fiction. It is shorter than a novel. It has a plot, setting, conflict, theme, and characters. It uses dialogue and sensory details.

  1. How do authors create short stories? Think about what we learned through the Walter Dean Myers video interview and the process you went through before writing your own short stories.

---Walter Dean Myers puts his own experiences into his stories. He creates a collage for every story before writing. He uses a collage to visualize and develop his characters. He uses foreshadows, flashbacks, and language to add meaning to stories.

  1. Choose a story (“The Treasure of Lemon Brown,”“All Summer in a Day,”“A Game of Catch,” or“The White Umbrella”). Choose one of the following elements (setting, character, theme, plot or conflict) and describe how this element is used in the story.

Setting-Describe how weather is used in “The White Umbrella,”“All Summer in a Day,” or “The Treasure of Lemon Brown”

Theme-Discuss the theme of “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” (e.g. A treasure isn’t always worth money), “The White Umbrella” (e.g. You should always be yourself or lying doesn’t make things better, it makes them worse)

Plot-Discuss what happens and how it happens in “A Game of Catch” or any of the stories

Characters- Choose a main character,such as Greg or Margot, and discuss how the character adds meaning to the story

Conflict-Discuss the problem inone of the short stories

***Be sure to review your quizzes on “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” and “All Summer in a Day”