Literary devices (1)

What is Plot?• Plot is the sequence of events within a literary work.. • The plot of a literary work can be divided into five distinct sections that can even be graphed on a diagram..

Literary Devices

Melanie Goings Woodruff Middle School

Elements of Literature

• Plot

• Conflict

• Setting

• Character

• Point of View

• Theme

What is Plot?

• Plot is the sequence of events within a literary

work

• The plot of a literary work can be divided into

five distinct sections that can even be graphed on

a diagram.

A Closer Look at Plot:

What are the Five Divisions of Plot?

• Exposition

• Rising Action

• Climax

• Falling Action

• Resolution

What Drive the Plot Within a Literary Work?

• Conflict

– The struggle

between opposing

forces

• Man vs Man

• Man vs Himself

• Man vs Society

• Man vs Nature

What Type of Conflict Does

this Picture Represent?

• Man vs Society…

This picture depicts racial discrimination

It was law that African Americans use

separate facilities because of their race Therefore, this is an example of man vs a rule of society

What type of Conflict does

this picture represent?

• Man vs Man

This 1942 picture illustrates two men in a boxing match

What is Setting?

• Setting is the time and place of the action

• Setting include all details of a place and time—the year, the time of day, even the weather

• Details such as dialect, clothing, customs, and modes of transportation are often

used to establish setting within a literary work

Describe the Setting Here within the next

picture…

What is the setting

here?

What is Character?

• Character is a person or an animal that takes part

in the action of a literary work

• Characters can be classified into several groups:

• Major or Minor

• Flat or Round

• Dynamic or Static

Major Characters vs

Minor Character

Major Characters

 Most important

character in the

entire literary

work

Minor Characters

 Characters will a lesser role but whose role is necessary for the story to develop

Flat Characters vs Round

Characters

Flat Characters

 Characters who are

often one-sided

and often

stereotypical

Round Characters

 Characters that are fully developed and exhibit many traits

Dynamic Characters vs

Static Characters

Dynamic Characters

 A character that

grows and changes

as the literary

work develops

Static Characters

 A character who does not change throughout the literary work

What is Point of View?

• The perspective or

vantage point from

which a story is

told

What is Theme?

• The central message, concern, or purpose of a literary work.

• The theme can be expressed as a generalization,

or general statement, about people or life.

• The theme is often revealed indirectly and the reader may have to look carefully at what the work reveals about people or about life.

What are some themes to literary works you have

already read?