What does literature do for us? - PowerPoint Presentation

What does literature do for us? Why read?

“Literature a dds to reality, it doesn’t simply describe it.” C.S. Lewis

“We are talking now of summer evenings in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the time that I lived there so successfully disguised to myself as a child.”

“We read to know we are not alone.” C.S. Lewis

“Fiction reveals truths that reality obscures.” Jessamyn West

Sometimes when a truth is put in a different sense, y ou can see it.

“Every reader finds himself. The writer’s work is merely a kind of optical instrument that makes it possible for the reader to discern what, without this book, he would perhaps have never seen in himself.” Marcel Proust

Literature is a window to the soul

How to Read Devices Literary Noticing

What are Literary Devices? And why is it important to notice them?

A Literary Device is anything an author i ntentionally uses to create his story. For example, every story has a plot, a theme, a setting, a conflict, etc. These are Literary Devices.

Literary Devices are the heart and soul of any written piece. They breathe life into it.

Once you’ve learned to see Literary Devices in one book…

you’ll notice them in other books…

Literary Devices in a book are like the blueprint of a house.

They lay out the design and beauty of the piece of literature.

Literary Devices are like a string that ties things together in a book. They’re like a magnifying glass to enlarge things. They are a key to unlock the meaning and magic in a book.

Chapter 1 1. Introduction – What is it? (Sometimes called a “Prologue”; in AWAA it’s just Ch. 1) First part of a book. An author wants to grab the reader’s attention immediately through the use of: - a memorable first line - flashback - a dramatic moment - description, or a combination of these or others. Like the first few moments of a song, the introduction gives infor - mation about what the book is about and what it will be like.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,....”

“Call me Ishmael.”

PJ uses in Ch. 1, “ Talkin ’ By A Wood Stove , ” a type of Introduction that gives the reader a “slice of life” called “In Medias Res” - Latin for WHAT? 2. In medias res or medias in res ("into the middle of affairs") is a Latin phrase denoting the literary and artistic narrative technique wherein the relation of a story begins either at the mid-point or at the conclusion, rather than at the beginning establishing setting, character, and conflict via flashback and expository conversations relating the pertinent past.

(3) EXPOSITION It introduces us to some degree to the characters, setting, plot, and conflict. It sets the stage for the story to come. It gives the reader enough information to get on board.

- characters - setting - plot - conflict Exposition Introduces: Plot Chart

(4) Point of View The vantage point from which the story is told . First person point of view Stories are typically told using “I” and “we.” The narrator writes from his/her viewpoint. Third person objective: The narrator who is totally i mpersonal tells the story with no comments on the char- a cters or events. Third person point of view The narrator uses “he,” “she,” “it,” and “they.” The narrator may be a participant or witness the action. He/she stands outside of the action. Third person limited: the narrator reveals one character’s private thoughts. Third person omniscient: The narrator can reveal the private thoughts of one or all his/her characters. Second person point of view Rarest mode; the reader is the main character. The author uses “you” when re- f erring to the main character.

5. CONFLICT the struggle between opposing forces or characters in a story Internal - the struggle between opposing forces in a character’s mind External - the struggle between two people, a person and nature or a machine, or a person and society or God

6. Simile – a comparison between two dissimilar things using “like”, “as”, or “as if”. Why do people speak and write in similes? One answer may be that people can visualize things better than just hear them (“One picture worth thousand words.”) Or it just may be man’s innate sense of the relationship between dissimilar things. Or – we’re just creative!

DISCUSS WITH TABLE PARTNER(S). WRITE ANSWERS ON OWN PAPER. 1. In Ch. 1, is PJ’s conflict internal or external? 2. How does setting reinforce the conflict that is revealed in Ch. 1? 3. What are 5 similes used in Ch. 1? Though the snow is a formidable external conflict, it is PJ’s own i nner hollowness that bothers him the most. The external setting is a whiteout. It corresponds to PJ’s internal confusion. 1 ) “… stranger was as round as the stove and as stout as an old oak.” 2) “The doc looked as if he had just de- livered quintuplets when he expected twins.” 3 ) “… grabbed my hand hard as a bear trap.” 4 ) “… his presence was like that of a king ” 5) ”…I trained as if going to war.”

7. DIALOGUE - a conversation between two or more characters. QUICK REVIEW: What does the Exposition so far reveal? characters (PJ; older men in the store; young Vietnam veteran and his son; Cooper) setting (winter; somewhere early in PJ’s walk; Vietnam era) conflict (PJ is not sure at this point why he’s walking ; Greenwich, Ct., “hollowness” he feels inside) plot (Peter is walking across America to discover it)

EXPOSITION Introduces: character(s) setting plot conflict

8 . Dialect form of language spoken by people of a particular region

Ch. 2, Mount California, uses what literary device to further enhance the reader’s understanding of the plot and conflict of the story? PJ connects Ch. 1’s questions of why he’s walking to a flashback of previous events that led to the walk.

9 . FLASHBACK - A flashback is an interruption in a story to tell about events that happened before the current action of the story.

Changes (developments) in PJ: INDEPENDENCE VOCATION SOCIAL LIFE

PJ’s inner conflict early marriage emotional immaturity PJ’s character trait in resolving his conflict – denial, escape fierce individualism divorce

PJ’s external conflict(s) Vietnam War Racism M aterialism the Environment A tomic W ar DOOMSDAY!!!!!!

A NEW PERSPECTIVE STU WIGENT This is nothing new! The media exaggerates! America’s a great country! Test it and see for yourself!

(10) INCITING INCIDENT The event that propels the exposition forward, both exposing the conflict and ultimately moving the conflict in the direction of resolution.

(11) EPIPHANY A SUDDEN MOMENT OF UNDERSTANDING THAT CAUSES A CHARACTER TO CHANGE OR TO ACT IN A CERTAIN WAY “I called Cooper and we went for a long meditative walk. Stu’s words were like a neon sign flashing on and off. After five or six miles, they finally broke through…. I made a decision about what we would do. Cooper and I were going to walk across the U.S.A.”

- characters - setting - plot - conflict Exposition Introduces: Plot Chart Inciting Incident

(12) Motif – a repeated idea, word or image an author uses to support the theme of a piece of writing. What do you notice about this motif? The author didn’t write it as such; the interpreter did. Motif #1: Wisdom can be found in unexpected places. Peter learns from Stu.

Chapter 3 “Walking into the Country” Describe Peter’s send-off on the day he left Alfred. A bunch of Peter’s friends and his brother gathered around him to see him off. 2. What did PJ mean by calling his first week his “shakedown cruise”? It was a test of whether he could do it or not.

“Each day’s training was like honing the edge of a knife sharper and sharper.” AWAA , p. 25 SIMILE a comparison between two dissimilar things using “like” or “as” or “as if.”

“The trees were lit moon-blue by the clear skies of October 14, our last night in the secure arms of civilization.” AWAA , p. 26 (13) PERSONIFICATION Referring to inanimate objects in human terms

“My new alarm clock, the sun, woke us up the next morning….” (14) METAPHOR comparing two dissimilar things without using “like,” “as,” or “as if.”

“With all beings and all things we shall be as relatives.” AWAA , p.27 (15) MAXIM a principle or rule of conduct

MOTIF #2: There is a kindness and goodness in Americans that is often overlooked. What happens to Cooper? MOTIF #3: Help arrives out of nowhere. i n the nick of time.

What was PJ’s destination in Washington DC? Chapter 4

“…a professor had suggested that I get in touch with them since I might someday share w hat I found out about America, if I ever made it. I did not know how to use a camera and I was not a writer. I could barely spell my name.” AWAA, p.40 (16) HYPERBOLE Hyperbole is a figure of speech which is an exaggeration. Examples are expressions such as "I nearly died laughing,“ and "I was hopping mad."

Such statements are not literally true, but people make them to sound impressive or to emphasize something, such as a feeling, effort, or reaction. Why use hyperbole?

PJ decides to hike on the Appalachian Trail. What major decision does he make? Why? Ch . 5 To leave the AT so he could “experience the rooted people of America.” If he stays on the AT, he’ll only meet hikers! 2. Why do you think PJ celebrates Thanksgiving – despite his fears of being in the woods during hunting season? Was it a success? Why – do you think? He doesn’t say directly, but it was a holiday his family celebrated so he wanted to. He writes, “For the first time, I appreciated Thanksgiving” – perhaps because “it didn’t seem possible” everything could be so good.

3. What lifted PJ’s spirits climbing “Man-eater Mountain?” A “priceless gift” of five apples from an unknown man “totally renewed (his) tired body and desolate spirit.” Motif #3: Help sometimes arrives out of no- where in the nick of time. Motif #2: There is a goodness and k indness in Americans.

(17) RISING ACTION the conflict develops to a higher point of intensity CHAPTER 6

- characters - setting - plot - conflict A related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the point of greatest interest. Exposition Rising Action Introduces: Plot Chart Inciting Incident

TONE - Tone is the author’s attitude toward the characters or the story. The author may like, dislike or make f un of the characters in a subtle way. MOOD - Mood is how the reader feels while reading the story. 18. 19.

(14) CHARACTERS - Individuals in a story (20) Characters – The individuals in a story.

DYNAMIC CHARACTERS Characters who change in an important way STATIC CHARACTERS Characters who do not change much DYNAMIC CHARACTERS are characters who change STATIC CHARACTERS a re characters who do not c hange. Peter Homer, Cooper

ROUND CHARACTER A CHARACTER WITH MANY DIMENSIONS FLAT CHARACTER A CHARACTER WITH 1 OR 2 PERSONALITY TRAITS Peter Stu Wigent

(21) CHARACTERIZATION The process by which a writer reveals the personality of a character. Direct Characterization When a writer tells us directly about a character through the char- acter’s own words or description “Slowly I lifted my head. Fifty feet away stood an ageless old man whose flowing white hair and beard glowed with life. As still as the deer that sees all from the forest, this man looked at me with laserlike blue eyes.” AWAA, p. 62

Indirect Characterization When the writer describes a character indirectly through his actions rather than telling the audience, or without great detail but alluding to the nature of the character. “Homer was as quiet as an unread poem…. There was a shell around Homer and reaching his heart was like breaking a granite boulder with your bare hands.” AWAA, p. 72-3

(22) SYMBOLISM A PERSON, PLACE, THING, OR EVENT IN A STORY THAT HAS MEANING IN ITSELF AND THAT STANDS FOR MORE THAN ITSELF. “THE BULLET-HOLED FEDERAL SIGN AND THE LAND IT PROTECTED WERE PART OF MY COUNTRY , AND THE ORIGINAL IDEA THAT LED ME TO TAKE THIS WALK BLASTED BACK THROUGH MY HEAD.” AWAA, P. 73

CH. 8 What motif(s) are found in Ch.8? Motif #2 : The goodness of Americans in the waitress helping PJ find shelter. Motif #1: The Vietnam vet/cop whom PJ listens to and - despite his earlier misgivings - respects.

Ch. 9 Where do you find another e xample of Motif #2? The waitress who gives Peter a free meal.

Motif #4: Prejudice is sometimes a fact of life in America. CH. 12

Motif 5 : PJ t rusts h is intuitions.

(23) APHORISM A short saying that makes a point. It usually is passed down from generation to gener - ation . “Dogs don’t lie.” Chapter 13

24. STYLE The manner in which writers say what they wish to say.

(25) ANECDOTE A brief narrative or story often serving to make a point. “True story has it that Pau Pau was shouting for joy one Sunday and… fell up against a stove…. Somehow Pau Pau’s body wasn’t burned….” AWAA, p. 131

26. Description (Ch. 14) The use of words that appeal to our senses to create a m ood or emotion.

Ch. 15

Ch. 16 There is a new motif seen. Ithas to do with PJ and is demon- s trated t wice in this chapter. PJ buys nutritious food for “his family.”

MOTIF #6 PJ does charitable acts for others.

PJ helps out after the tornado.

Motif #7: People can put aside their d ifferences. This is a little like Motif #2, except this has to do with race.

EPIPHANY A SUDDEN MOMENT OF UNDERSTANDING THAT CAUSES A CHARACTER TO CHANGE OR TO ACT IN A CERTAIN WAY “… I looked in the still-murky mirror. After living in Smokey Hollow these three months my bearded face was darkened to a tan, and for more than a moment, I couldn’t tell what color I was. Black was what I expected to see…. For weeks after… I remember the morning I forgot my skin color.” (p. 165) CHAPTER 18

The Matrix When Neo realizes h e is The One.

(27) IRONY A discrepancy between appearance and reality CH.18

VERBAL IRONY When someone says one thing but really means something else “Eric,” I commanded, “go back inside! Me and Red, we’re just talking. No problem, man.” AWAA , p. 167

(28) SUSPENSE Ch.20 a feeling of growing tension and excitement.  Writers create suspense by raising questions in readers’ minds about what might happen. “When I finally sifted through all their do-good, luring-love, overworked, simple living, I realized I would have to submit myself, mind, body, and spirit, to Stephen…. Those long spidery arms of Stephen’s… weren’t the ones I wanted to come running home to, now or ever.” AWAA , p. 197 Com- mune : A place w here like- minded p eople l ive and s hare a ll things

What other EPIPHANY does Peter have at the end of Ch. 20? a sudden moment of understanding that causes a character to change or to act in a certain way “Walking back from my all-night research, I realized for the first time that maybe I was looking for my God. Maybe all those months alone walking in the woods, Homer and his mountain, Mary Elizabeth and Texana , and now the Farm – all this seemed to be shaping into something. I didn’t know what….” AWAA , p. 198

Motif # 8: God is a big part of the American experience.

(29) SUBPLOT Ch. 22 The secondary action of a story, complete and interesting in its own right, that reinforces or contrasts with the main plot. “After the grave was dug, I laid his beautiful, unbroken body into the hole…. Nine days after Cooper was crushed to death, I walked down the dusty road that led the two of us here. Now I walked alone, really alone.” AWAA , p. 207 Peter and Cooper

How does the chapter “Down a Deer Trail” reinforce the main action of “The Water Truck”? What is the purpose of the profane language of Chapter 24? What is appropriate profane language called? Inappropriate? The entire chapter focuses on Cooper and Peter’s love of him and his free nature – which contrasts the Farm. It sets us up to realize how important a character he is when he dies in Ch. 22 Peter records the man’s words to help us see how evil the man was (direct characterization.) Non-gratuitous when it advances characterization; gratuitous for shock value

(30) PROTAGONIST Ch. 24 The main character of a narrative; its central character who engages the reader’s interest and empathy (31) ANTAGONIST The character, force, or collection of forces in fiction or drama that opposes the protagonist and gives rise to the conflict of the story; an opponent of the protagonist. “Hear that boys? This liar wants us ta believe he’s a walkin ’ ‘cross America…. I’m gonna break ever’ bone in yer body, you freak! AWAA , p. 222

SITUATIONAL IRONY Takes place when there is a discrepancy between what is expected and what really does happen “I aimed ta whip you good ‘cause I figured ya were one a’ them drug pushers…. Come on over to tha truck, boy. We gotta have a beer together.” AWAA , p. 223

(32) CLICHE a type of figurative language containing an overused expression or a saying that is no longer considered original. “Let’s move on, boys…Let the hippie fella do his thang .” AWAA , p 224

(33) CRISIS T he point in the plot where something decisive happens to determine the future course of events and the eventual working out of the conflict. or turning point An example is the Revival Peter attended because it changed the d irection of PJ’s life. Ch. 28

“…I decided for the first time to admit I needed God. This must be the God I had been searching for….” p.256 “I stood humbled before God, before man and before myself.” p. 257

(34) CLIMAX That part of the story where the protagonist actually resolves his conflict; the part of the story where the reader’s interest peaks. “…I felt clearer, cleaner, and different from ever before in my life.” p. 257

To identify a climax: 1. It will be connected to the conflict. 2. It will be a turning point for the main character. 3. It is a dramatic or significant moment . 4. It will lead to the resolution.

(35) FALLING ACTION The falling action is the moment of reversal after the climax. The conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist unravels, with the protagonist winning or losing against the antagonist. Ch.29

- characters - setting - plot - conflict A related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the point of greatest interest. Reversal of conflict; conflict unravels. Exposition Rising Action Falling Action Climax Conflict resolved; interest in story peaks. Introduces: Plot Chart Crisis Turning Point Inciting Incident

The falling action might contain a moment of final suspense, during which the final outcome of the conflict is in doubt .

(36) RESOLUTION (OR DENOUEMENT “the untying of the knot”) The part between the falling action and actual ending of the story. Conflicts are resolved, creating normalcy for the characters and a release of tension and anxiety. Ch. 30

- characters - setting - plot - conflict A related series of incidents in a literary plot that build toward the point of greatest interest. Reversal of conflict; conflict unravels. Final outcome of the conflict in doubt. Exposition Rising Action Falling Action Climax Resolution (Denouement) Moment of Final Suspens e Conflict resolved, creating normalcy and release of tension and anxiety. Conflict resolved; interest in story peaks. Introduces: Plot Chart Crisis Turning Point Inciting Incident

(37) THEME The central idea in a literary work The message about life the author wants to communicate Be open-minded . By being open-minded, you can grow out of your prejudices, learn more about yourself, others, America, and God.