ELA9 - CFD

Hero's Journey, Elements of a Short Story, Elements of Fiction, & Literary Analysis

What is the Ordinary World?

1. ORDINARY WORLD – The hero’s normal world. It is where the story begins. 

•  Allows us to understand and identify the story before the journey.  

• Has a problem that disrupts the “Ordinary World”.  

• Here must enter the “Special World” to solve it. 

What is the Call to Adventure?

2. CALL TO ADVENTURE – The hero is presented with a problem, challenge, or adventure to undertake. 

• Presented with a challenge or quest that puts the story in motion. 

What is the Refusal of the Call?

3. REFUSAL OF THE CALL – The hero is afraid and refuses the challenge or the journey. 

• Refuses the call due to fears or troubles. 

• Shows the risks and dangers of the journey, creating interest for the audience. 

What is the Meeting with the Mentor?

4. MEETING WITH THE MENTOR – The hero meets a mentor that helps him gain confidence. 

• Meets a mentor or teacher. 

• Guides to face/be prepared for the journey (training, potions, encouraging words) 

What is the Crossing the Threshold?

5. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD – The hero crosses into a “new” world. 

• Signifies the commitment to this journey. 

• Hero must confront a “no turning back” event to be forced to commit. 

What is the Tests, Allies, and Enemies?

 

6. TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES – The hero faces tests, allies, and enemies and gains helpers along the way. 

• First look at the New World. 

• Hero learns who to put his trust in. 

• Faced with trials and tests to become prepared. 

What is the Approach?

7. APPROACH – The hero has hit setbacks during tests and may need to reorganize his helpers or rekindle morale with mentor’s rally cry. Stakes are heightened. 

• After growth and development, the central goal can be approached. 

What is the Ordeal?

8. ORDEAL – The hero faces his greatest fear and only through “death” can the hero be “reborn”. 

• The central “life or death” crisis. 

• The journey is on the edge of failure. 

What is the Reward?

9. REWARD – The hero survives death, overcomes his greatest fear and now ears the reward he has sought. 

• He overcomes his fears, crisis, survived “death” and now seeks out his reward. 

What is the Road Back?

10. THE ROAD BACK – The hero must recommit to completing the journey and travel the road back to the Ordinary World. 

• The hero will face challenges as he crosses over back to the “Normal World” 

What is the Resurrection?

11. RESURRECTION – The hero faces the most dangerous meeting with death. The hero must apply everything he knows. 

• The final conflict or showdown where the hero is able to apply all that he has learned. 

What is the Return with Knowledge?

12. RETURN WITH KNOWLEDGE – The hero returns from the journey changed. He is able to apply the lessons learned on the journey. 

• Final reward is earned on the journey. 

• Completes the (cycle of) journey 

What is a common noun?

A common noun is a general name for any person, place, or thing, like "dog," "city," or "phone." 

What is a proper noun?

A proper noun is the specific name of a particular person, place, or thing and always starts with a capital letter, like "Buddy," "London," or "iPhone." 

What is a plural noun?

A plural noun is simply a word that tells you there is more than one thing, like having many "dogs" instead of just one "dog." 

What is a possessive form?

A possessive form is a word that shows ownership by adding an 's, and even if a singular noun already ends in s (like "class"), you usually still add the 's to show it belongs to them. 

What is an action verb?

An action verb is a word that describes something a person, animal, or object can physically or mentally do, like "run," "think," or "jump." (To know the time of the action, look at the word's ending or the helping verbs around it: past usually ends in "-ed" (walked), present happens now (walks), and future uses the word "will" (will walk).) 

What is a helping verb?

A helping verb is a word that is always paired up with another verb, and they change the meaning slightly. (should have, would have, could have, etc.) 

What is a linking verb?

A linking verb is a word that hooks the subject of the sentence up to more information about it. (is, are, and) 

What is a subject pronoun?

A subject pronoun is a small word like "I," "he," or "they" that replaces a noun and acts as the person or thing performing the main action in a sentence. (I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who) 

What is an object pronoun?

An object pronoun is a small word like "me," "him," or "them" that replaces a noun when it is the one receiving an action. (me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom) 

 

What is an adjective?

An adjective is a describing word that gives more information about a noun, such as its color, size, shape, or how it feels. 

What is an adverb?

An adverb is a word that describes a verb, adjective, or another adverb by explaining how, when, where, or to what extent an action happens. 

What is an interjection?

An interjection is a short word or phrase used to express a strong feeling or a sudden emotion, like "Ouch!", "Wow!", or "Hey!" 

What is a preposition?

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun and another part of the sentence, usually telling you where something is or when something happens. 

A simple example of a preposition is the word "on".

In the sentence, "The cat is on the table," the word "on" is the preposition because it shows the relationship (the location) between the cat and the table.

Common Examples

Prepositions usually tell you where or when something is:

• Under: The keys are under the mat.

• After: We will eat after the movie.

• With: I am going with my friend.

What is a conjunction?

A conjunction is a connecting word that joins together individual words, phrases, or entire sentences, much like "glue" for your ideas. 

What is a coordinating conjunction?

 

A coordinating conjunction is a small word used to connect words, phrases, or independent sentences that are equally important. (FANBOYS: For And Nor But Or Yet So) 

What is a subordinating conjunction?

A subordinating conjunction is a word used to connect a main idea to a second idea that cannot stand on its own, usually explaining why, when, or under what condition something happens. (since, unless, etc.) 

What is an article?

An article is a short word that defines a noun as specific or unspecific. (There are three articles: a, an, the) 

What is a declarative sentence?

A declarative sentence is a statement, it tells us something, it gives us information. 

What is an imperative sentence?

An imperative sentence is a command; it tells us to do something. (Usually contains no subject, because the subject is always you.) 

What is an interrogative sentence?

An interrogative sentence is a question; it wants information, and they always end with a question mark. 

What is an exclamatory sentence?

An exclamatory sentence is an expression of strong emotion or surprise, always ending with an exclamation point. 

What is an independent clause?

An independent clause is a group of words that have a subject and a predicate (verb, action or description) and makes complete sense all by itself as a full sentence. 

What is a dependent clause?

A dependent clause is a group of words that have a subject and a predicate (verb, action or description) but does not make complete sense on its own, meaning it must be attached to an independent clause to form a full sentence. 

What is a simple sentence?

A simple sentence is a complete thought that contains only one independent clause, meaning it has one subject and one predicate (verb, action or description). 

What is a complex sentence?

A complex sentence is a single sentence created by joining one independent clause (a complete thought) with at least one dependent clause (a thought that cannot stand alone). 

What is a compound sentence?

A compound sentence is made by joining two independent clauses (two complete sentences) together either by replacing the comma with a semi-colon (;) or adding a coordinating conjunction after the comma (FANBOYS). 

What is a compound-complex sentence?

A compound-complex sentence is a sentence that combines at least two independent clauses (complete thoughts) and at least one dependent clause (an incomplete thought) all into one long statement. 

What are the 6 basic elements of a short story or fiction? Define each of them.

• Characters: The people (or animals) the story is about. 

• Setting: Where and when the story happens (like a dark forest in the future). 

• Plot: The action or the order of events—what happens first, next, and last. 

• Conflict: The problem the character must face (no problem = no story). 

• Point of View: is the "voice" or perspective the author chooses to tell the story through, showing the reader who is doing the talking. 

• Theme: The lesson or the main message of the story (like "honesty is the best policy"). 

What is characterization?

Characterization is the process an author uses to reveal a character's personality, appearance, and motivations through their actions, speech, and thoughts. 

What is indirect characterization?

Indirect characterization is when an author shows you a character's personality through their speech, thoughts, and actions rather than just telling you exactly who they are. 

What is direct characterization?

Direct characterization is when the author tells the reader exactly what a character is like by using specific adjectives to describe their personality or physical traits. 

What are the Methods of Indirect Characterization?

Methods of Indirect Characterization consists of S.T.E.A.L (Says, Thoughts, Effect on others, Actions, Looks) 

What is Says? (In S.T.E.A.L.)

Says: What does a character say? How do they speak? An author reveals personality through what a character says and the way they choose to speak to others. 

What is Thoughts?

Thoughts: What are the character’s private thoughts and feelings? This method lets the reader see a character’s private feelings and internal opinions that they might not share out loud. 

What is Effect on Others?

Effect on others: How do others feel or behave in reaction to the character? This shows a character’s nature by how other people react to them, such as feeling scared, happy, or annoyed in their presence. 

What is Actions?

Actions: How do they do and behave? An author shows who a character is through their behavior and the specific choices they make when facing a situation. 

What is Looks?

Looks: How do they look like and dress? This describes a character’s physical appearance, clothing, and body language to give clues about their lifestyle or personality. 

What is Says Means Matters?

Says Means Matters: When writing, use the Says-Means-Matters strategy to explain your evidence and prove you understand the topic, rather than just repeating what happened in the story. 

What is Says? (In Says Means Matters)

Says: Choose a short, relevant quote from the text and cite it to show exactly what the author wrote. Keep it short, only use the part of the sentence that proves your point. Keep it relevant; make sure it directly relates to the argument you are making. Cite it, give credit to the source (adding the author's last name and page number).

What is Means?

Means: Explain the quote’s literal meaning and the specific writing techniques (like metaphors or imagery) the author used to create that meaning. Translate, rewrite the quote in your own words to show you understand it. Technique, identify the "tools" the author used (e.g., characterization, symbolism, or word choice). Details, don't just summarize; look at specific words or phrases within the quote and explain why they were chosen. 

What is Matters?

Matters: Explain how your evidence proves your main argument and why it answers the prompt, rather than just summarizing the story. Connect to the Claim, don't just explain the story; explain how this quote "wins" your argument. Answer the "So What?", why did you pick this quote? Show the reader exactly how it supports your point. Use Analytical Verbs, use strong "action" words to describe what the text is doing. 

What are the elements of a plot diagram? Define each of them.

1. Exposition (The Start): You meet the characters and see where they live. 

2. Rising Action (The Climb): The problem starts, and things get more exciting or difficult. 

3. Climax (The Top): The most intense part or the big "turning point" of the story. 

4. Falling Action (The Way Down): The excitement slows down, and the characters deal with the results of the climax. 

5. Resolution (The Finish): The problem is solved, and the story ends. 

What is conflict?

In a story, conflict is a struggle or problem that the main character must face. It is the cause of the story—without a problem to solve; the characters wouldn't have anything to do! 

What are the two main catergories of conflict?

Internal and External.

What are the four common types of conflict?

• Character vs. Self

• Character vs. Character

• Character vs, Nature

• Character vs. Society

What is the difference between Internal Conflict and External Conflict?

The internal conflict is going on inside of the character. Meanwhile, the external conflict is going on outside of the character.

What is Character vs. Self?

• Character vs. Self: This happens inside a character's mind. They might be struggling with a difficult decision, trying to overcome fear, or dealing with mixed emotions. 

• Example: A character wants to tell the truth but is afraid of getting in trouble. 

What is Character vs. Character?

• Character vs. Character: This is a struggle between two characters. It could be a physical fight, an argument, or a hero trying to stop a villain. 

• Example: A protagonist is trying to win a race against their rival. 

What is Character vs. Nature?

• Character vs. Nature: This happens when a character is struggling against the elements of the natural world, like weather, animals, or survival in the wilderness. 

• Example: A hiker trying to survive a massive blizzard in the mountains. 

What is Character vs. Society?

• Character vs. Society: This occurs when a character stands up against a law, a tradition, or the way a whole group of people think. 

• Example: A character fighting for their rights in a town where the laws are unfair. 

What are the main three point of views? (Mention as well the two types of Third Person views)

First Person, Second Person, Third Person. (Third Person Limited, Third Person Omniscient)

What is First Person?

1. First Person 

The narrator is a character in the story telling you about their own personal experience. 

• Key Words: I, me, my, we, us. 

• Easy Example: "I walked to the park and felt the sun on my face." 

What is Second Person?

2. Second Person 

The narrator talks directly to you, the reader. This is common in "Choose Your Own Adventure" books or instruction manuals. 

• Key Word: You. 

• Easy Example: "You walk to the park and feel the sun on your face." 

What is the Third Person?

3. Third Person 

The narrator is outside the story looking in, like a ghost or a news reporter watching the characters. 

• Key Words: He, she, they, or the character's name. 

• Easy Example: "He walked to the park and felt the sun on his face." 

What is Third Person Limited?

Third Person Limited: The narrator is outside the story but only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character. 

What is Third Person Omniscient?

Third Person Omniscient: The narrator is outside the story and knows everything about every character (like an "all-seeing" narrator). 

What is Theme? What must a theme have?

Theme is the big message about life that the author wants to share with everyone. 

• It’s a complete sentence: A theme is never just one word like "love" or "war." It must be a full thought, like "Love can give a person great strength." 

• It’s universal: Themes are about "people" or "the world" in general. They should apply to anyone, anywhere. 

• No character names: A theme doesn't talk about what happened in the story (the plot); it talks about the lesson behind the story. 

How do you determine a theme?

• Check the Clues: Look at how the characters changed, how the conflict was solved, and how the story ended. 

• Pick Big Ideas: Identify 2 or 3 main topics the story is about (like "Fear," "Family," or "Growing up"). 

• Write the Message: Combine those big ideas into one full sentence that explains the author's lesson to all people. (e.g. “Forgiveness can save friendships.”) 

What is a Literary Analysis?

Literary analysis is where you explain how and why an author wrote a story in a certain way. Instead of just summarizing the plot, you look at how the characters and setting work together to share a hidden message. To do this well, you must create a clear argument (your own "take" on the story) and use quotes from the text to prove you are right. 

In a Literary Analysis you must do what?

Write in a formal, professional style by using full words instead of contractions and avoiding personal words like "I" or "me." You should also describe the story's events in the present tense to show that the author's ideas are still alive as you read them. 

What makes a strong claim?

 A strong claim is a specific argument that shows your unique point of view, not just a simple fact from the story. It must be debatable, meaning someone else could disagree with your idea until you prove it with evidence. Finally, it should be clear and focused, so the reader knows exactly what you plan to explain in your writing. 

How do you Paraphrase and what is Meaning?

• Paraphrasing: To paraphrase a stanza, rewrite it in your own simple words while keeping the original meaning the same. 

• Meaning: The "hidden message" or the deeper point the author wants you to understand beyond just the basic facts.