Q1. The plot structure in the short story the story of the magic magic horse" follows a linear pattern. How far do you agree with this statement? Discuss. The story of the magic horse is based on fiction and fantasy. As it is a Persian story, we can find many references of Persian and Arabian culture. The whole story is a tussle between a magic horse and a prince of Persia. The author of this story had made a complex plot to demonstrate the science-fiction elements in the story. The story of the magic horse does not follow a linear plot because it has many crises and ups and downs. While reading, readers at some points in the story think that here story may ends but again it started with another conflict.According to Aristotle plot is the arrangement of the incidents, in which the writer narrates that how incidents were happening in the story. Aristotle also argued that a plot has three unified units, beginning, middle and end. A well constructed plot, therefore, must neither begin norend at haphazard, but conform to these principles.These three elements in the story work toward the solution of the story. After sometime modification occurred and some other elements were added in plot structure including them are exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement. One of the most important things in the plot structure is conflict (crisis), which determines the tension around which story revolves. Now further this paper will elaborate how these elements function in the story.

In the story plot begins with the exposition, which explains the setting and a brief introduction of characters. Exposition also discusses the scenario before conflict arises. Story of the magic horse presents a lengthy exposition in which the omniscient narrator narrates the setting of a Persian country. In Persian country a mighty king with his three daughters and a son lived happily. In an annual festival he received three magical gifts from three sages, with one of them was a peacock of gold; and with the second, a trumpet of brass; and with the third, a horse of ivory and ebony. The king tried first two gifts and rewarded sages by marrying two of his daughters with them. He was curious about the third one, as he was going to try that, the prince interrupted him and asked king to allow him to mount on the horse. When prince sat on the horse and the sage turned on the pins, the horse started flying in the sky.

. Here comes the rising action of the story. He rose towards the sky. The Prince amid his trip watched all the highlights of the horse and he took in the best approach to work all its capacities. During his excursion he plummeted on a certain top of some castle where he sat for quite a while and afterward went down looking for sustenance as he was hungry. When he went down, he saw that a gathering of female slaves was going on and among them was a wonderful maid whose stature was much the same as letter Alif. The prince went inside and said them that he was sent by the lord of this nation to wed his girl. This all comes in rising action of the story when the Prince was caught in the adoration for the maiden and needed to wed her at any expense. The story achieves its peak when the third sage who was the genuine owner of the horse went to that private chamber to gather a few herbs. There he saw his horse as well as noticed the smell of musk. So he went inside the chamber and misled the Damsel that he was the delegate of the prince and he came there to take her to the royal residence. Indeed, he was not the courier sent by the sovereign; the sage was simply attempting to take revenge from the King because he refused to marry his daughter with him. Damsel accepted whatever he said and sat with him on the magic horse. After sooner or later he told everything to her that he is taking requital from the King of Persia. The falling action of the story comes when the Prince while sitting in a gathering of vendors, got to know about that sage and the Damsel. The following day he went to the nation of Greeks as a specialist in light of the fact that the Damsel was sick and truly stressed over all what has she gone through. In outcome, the Prince asked about the horse, utilizing a trap, and took the damsel with her to his own land. And the denouement comes at the point when King destroyed that magic horse which brought sufferings and difficulties in their lives. Plot is incomplete without discussing conflict. Ron Fisher argued, Conflict is defined as an incompatibility of goals or values between two or more parties in a relationship, combined with attempts to control each other and antagonistic feelings toward each other. Conflict is of four types, man with man, man with nature, man with society and man with himself. In the story the conflict arises between man and nature. The magic horse is the main problem of King of Persia. As due to horse, King is separated from his son for number of times in the story. As Ron Fisher said that both parties try to control each other, same thing happens in the story king tries to control horse. At the end conflict resolves when King destroyed the magic horse.