Analyzing Narratives

Review Session

Authors use dialogue in narratives in order to:

(Choose the best answer)

a. make the story more complexb. reveal details about

charactersc. make reading more fun

Authors use dialogue in narratives in order to:

(Choose the best answer)

a. make the story more complexb. reveal details about

charactersc. make reading more fun

Observe the image below. See if you can come up with three details about the setting portrayed. (Keep all five

elements of setting in mind.)

Geographic location

Pamplona, Spain, Europe

Specific place

street, downtown, next to buildings

Era unknown

Season/Weather

Warm, no rain or snow, July (not obvious unless you have background knowledge)

Culture, Customs, Traditions

Running of the bulls, red and white dress, apartment living, cobblestone streets

Which element of characterization usually provides

the least amount about a character in a narrative? Why?

(Choose the best answer)

a. physical descriptionb. thoughts/feelings/words

c. actions/motivesd. comments/reactions of others

Which element of characterization usually provides the least amount about a character in a narrative?

(Choose the best answer)

a. physical description-least about personality, motives, etc. easily

changes, usually not as importantb. thoughts/feelings/words

c. actions/motivesd. comments/reactions of others

What should all readers be careful not to do when noting dialect in a

narrative?a. use context clues to infer meaning of

unfamiliar words b. make judgments about characters

based solely on dialectc. use evidence from the text, along with

dialect, to analyze characterization

What should all readers be careful not to do when noting dialect in a

narrative?a. use context clues to infer meaning

of unfamiliar words b. make judgments about characters based solely on the way they speakc. use evidence from the text, along

with dialect, to analyze characterization

James was the top scorer on his soccer team last year, but he didn’t sign up to try out this

year. What could his motive be?

James was the top scorer on his soccer team last year, but he didn’t sign up to try out this year. What

could his motive be?Answers may vary:

injury, likes another sport more, struggling with homework

load/grades low, family issues going on, no money for

equipment/fees

T/F The protagonist is the “good character” and the

antagonist is the “bad character”

T/F The protagonist is the “good character” and the antagonist is the

“bad character”The protagonist is the character

who the reader is rooting for. Sometimes the protagonist is not necessarily moral or “good”. The

antagonist is causing some kind of conflict or challenge for the

protagonist, but is not by nature necessarily evil.

Read the following excerpt. How might setting affect the

character?Jack grew up in New York City. He loves taking the

subway to school. His favorite thing to do is to sit on a bench and people watch. He loves all of the different kinds of people who lived all around him. His favorite restaurant is famous for sushi, and Jack loves the independence of jumping in a cab with his friends when they want to go

somewhere. Jack didn’t know that the news he was about to hear would devastate him. His mom’s job would relocate

their family to a small farming town in Ohio.

Read the following excerpt. How might setting affect the character?Jack grew up in New York City. He loves taking the subway to school. His favorite thing to do is to sit on a bench and people watch. He loves all of the different kinds of people who lived all around him. His favorite restaurant is famous for sushi, and Jack loves the independence of jumping in a cab with his friends when they want to go somewhere. Jack didn’t know that the news he was about to hear would devastate him. His mom’s job would relocate their family to a small farming town in Ohio.

Possible answers: *He may have trouble adjusting to a small town*He may learn to love it in Ohio*He may become depressed*His family might be on conflict over the move*Who he is as a person may change due to the change in his environment

Is the following conflict internal or external? How do you know?

Jimmy goes to see the guidance counselor because for the third day

in a row, someone wrote on his locker. He’s too embarrassed to

tell his mom or dad, but he wants it to stop.

Is the following conflict internal or external? How do you know?

Jimmy goes to see the guidance counselor because for the third day

in a row, someone wrote on his locker. He’s too embarrassed to

tell his mom or dad, but he wants it to stop.

Answer: external (character vs. society)

Read the final paragraph of a narrative. Can you infer that the character is dynamic or static?

When he walked through the terminal and into the crowd of people waiting, Megan barely recognized

her father. She never would have guessed that there would be a day when he actually came to visit her. As she embraced him with a hug, she

knew right away there was a change. She did not smell alcohol on his breath, and the empty look in

his eyes was gone. She closed her eyes for a

moment, hoping that she wasn’t dreaming.

Read the final paragraph of a narrative. Can you infer that the character is

dynamic or static?When he walked through the terminal and into the crowd of people waiting, Megan barely recognized her father. She

never would have guessed that there would be a day when he actually came to visit her. As she embraced him with a hug, she knew right away there was a change. She did not smell alcohol on his breath, and the empty look in his eyes was gone. She closed her eyes for a moment, hoping that

she wasn’t dreaming.

dynamic

Read the following poem with the purpose of looking for the motive of the author. What can we infer is the motive of the author? How does that relate to a possible theme?

Jimmy Jet and His TV Set

I'll tell you the story of Jimmy Jet,And you know what I tell you is true,He loved to watch his TV setAlmost as much as you.

He watched all day, he watched all nightTill he grew pale and lean,From "The Early show" to "The late late show"And all the shows between.

He watched till his eyes were frozen wide,And bottem grew into his chair.And his chin turned into a tuning dial,And antennae grew out of his hair.

And his brains turned into TV tubes,And his face turned into a TV screen.And two knobs saying "VERT" and "HORIZ."Grew where his ears have been.

And grew a plug that looked like a tailSo we pluged in little Jim.And now instead of him watching TVWe all sit around and watch him.

Read the following poem with the purpose of looking for the motive of the author. What can we infer is the motive of the author? How does that relate to a possible theme?

Jimmy Jet and His TV Set

I'll tell you the story of Jimmy Jet,And you know what I tell you is true,He loved to watch his TV setAlmost as much as you.

He watched all day, he watched all nightTill he grew pale and lean,From "The Early show" to "The late late show"And all the shows between.

He watched till his eyes were frozen wide,And bottem grew into his chair.And his chin turned into a tuning dial,And antennae grew out of his hair.

And his brains turned into TV tubes,And his face turned into a TV screen.And two knobs saying "VERT" and "HORIZ."Grew where his ears have been.

And grew a plug that looked like a tailSo we pluged in little Jim.And now instead of him watching TVWe all sit around and watch him.

Motive:Teach young people not to watch a lot of TV (We know this because of the exaggeration and the metaphor of Jimmy turning into a TV).

Theme

Watching too much television can have negative affects on your, your mind, and your body.

Describe what the exposition of a narrative is by listing:

-When it occurs in a narrative

-Which details the author reveals in the exposition

Describe what the exposition of a narrative is by listing:

-When it occurs in a narrativefirst (or beginning of a story)

-Which details the author reveals in the exposition

setting, characters, tone, and mood

Analyzing the same narrative poem, why did the

author use 2nd person to tell his story?

Jimmy Jet and His TV Set

I'll tell you the story of Jimmy Jet,And you know what I tell you is true,He loved to watch his TV setAlmost as much as you.

He watched all day, he watched all nightTill he grew pale and lean,From "The Early show" to "The late late show"And all the shows between.

He watched till his eyes were frozen wide,And bottem grew into his chair.And his chin turned into a tuning dial,And antennae grew out of his hair.

And his brains turned into TV tubes,And his face turned into a TV screen.And two knobs saying "VERT" and "HORIZ."Grew where his ears have been.

And grew a plug that looked like a tailSo we pluged in little Jim.And now instead of him watching TVWe all sit around and watch him.

Answer: Authors often use 2nd person to connect to the reader and establish a close relationship. 2nd person can serve as a method for making the reader feel comfortable with or trust the author.

Analyzing the same narrative poem, why did the

author use 2nd person to tell his story?

Make a list of ways in which 1st person may be more beneficial

than a 3rd person omniscient account of historical events?

Make a list of ways in which 1st person may be more beneficial

than a 3rd person omniscient account of historical events?

Answers:*personal experiences

*specific details add meaning*opinions of people involved vs

opinions of outsiders

Why is second person point of view more common in

conversation than writing?

Why is second person point of view more common in

conversation than writing?

While speaking, other people can respond. In writing, the reader cannot often respond

directly to the author.

Which point of view is used in the excerpt from the narrative

below? Which clues led you to your answer?

I could not believe that we are stuck in Montana for the entire month of July! I mean, I know that we should not have been hanging out with Jeremy

and the rest of those guys. I knew that they would get us into trouble. But shipping us off to Montana

for a month isn’t going to help the situation.

Which point of view is used in the excerpt from the narrative below?

Which clues led you to your answer?

I could not believe that we are stuck in Montana for the entire month of July! I mean, I know that we should not have been hanging out with

Jeremy and the rest of those guys. I knew that they would get us into trouble. But shipping us off to Montana for a month isn’t going to help

the situation.

First person b/c I, we (first person pronouns, limited point of view, narrator

is a character in the story)

T/F Only important events in a narrative belong on a plot

line.

Explain your choice

T/F Only important events in a narrative belong on a plot line.

By selecting events to include on a plot map, you are deciding which events are not as significant as

others. You are also summarizing other events to capture the main

idea.

In analyzing a narrative, events on a plot line should be arranged in time order,

otherwise known as _______________________

order.

In analyzing a narrative, events on a plot line should be arranged in time order,

otherwise known as

chronologicalorder.

Can you identify all six elements that readers use to analyze

narratives? (hint, one of them is setting)

Can you identify all six elements that readers use to analyze

narratives? (hint, one of them is setting)

conflict, point of view, characters, theme, plot,

Congrats on completing the review session!

Be sure to spend time on your own preparing for the test on

Friday!