1.02 ELA Lesson - Literary Elements Interact
The Pieces of the Puzzle
Think About It:
What are literary elements?
When you put together a puzzle, what steps do you take? Easy! You complete it one piece at a time, and eventually, the big picture becomes clear. When you read a story, you do the same thing. Each "piece" of the story's puzzle is a literary element. Let's review four pieces that authors use to create meaning and purpose in a story.
A character is a person, an animal, or an object with human characteristics that is found within a story, poem, drama, or other fictional work.
Two important character types are:
Protagonist: the main character in the story who has a conflict to solve
Antagonist: the person or thing causing a conflict for the protagonist
Sometimes, our narrator is our protagonist. This allows us to see the action through their eyes. But can all narrators be trusted? Unreliable narrators lack credibility either because they are deliberately trying to trick the reader, they are mentally unstable, they are in denial, or they just lack information.
Next
Okay—we have four individual puzzle pieces. What's next? Determining how each piece fits with the others. Now you'll examine how each literary element works with another to create meaning for a reader. As you move through each piece, pay attention to each example. Then, think of something you've seen or read that combines character, conflict, mood, or setting.
A setting can reveal information about a character.
Example: A character's messy room can reveal that she is disorganized.
Characters can also provide information about setting.
Example: A character's clothes and manner of speech can help you determine when and where the story takes place.
Next
Characters in stories can change throughout the plot or stay mostly the same from beginning to end. Characters who change are called dynamic characters because they grow, learn, and develop as the story progresses. Characters who don't change or grow are called static characters. Think about your favorite story. Were the main characters dynamic or static? Did they change by the end or did they stay the same? As you read "The Tell Tale Heart," consider the characters. Are they static or dynamic?
setting.
A character's personality can determine how she deals with conflict.
Example: If she is timid, she runs from trouble. If she is bold, she tackles trouble head on.
A conflict can change a character.
Example: Failure may teach a vain man to be humble.
setting.
Characters can create mood with their actions.
Examples:
A character who makes a big mistake can make the reader feel nervous.
A character who accomplishes a goal can make the reader feel inspired.
A character who is an unreliable narrator can make the reader feel suspicious of his or her motives.
setting.
A setting can create or enhance a conflict.
Examples:
A teen traveling the Oregon Trail in 1865 or one living in modern-day Chicago would experience different types of conflicts.
A rainstorm that traps two feuding characters together can force them to confront their feelings.
setting.
A setting can help the author establish mood.
Examples:
A scene set in the spring among blooming flowers can create a feeling of hope.
The dark forest on a chilly night with an approaching storm might evoke a sense of terror.
setting.
The conflict draws you in so the author can create a mood to affect your emotions.
Example:
You read a story to find out if a family survives a hurricane, and you feel the desperation of those fighting for their lives.
Putting the Pieces Together
Think About It:
What are the elements of plot structure?
We are all capable of telling stories. Maybe you tell a friend about something incredible that happened to you today or write a narrative about an earth-shattering moment for a class Assignment. Both tales would contain the pieces of the literary element puzzle: character, conflict, mood, and setting. But what is the common thread that ties these elements together? The plot.
Imagine you're giving a friend a recap of a movie you recently watched. You'd start at the beginning, then move through the middle, and end at the end. Guess what? There's a tool for that! A plot diagram is a way to visualize the events of a story. Instead of focusing only on the beginning, middle, and end, you map out the five stages in a plot's structure. Check out the following diagram. See anything familiar? You've got it! The literary elements of character, conflict, and setting all play a significant role in the developing the
Summarizing a Plot
Text Version
Background Image: The graph starts out level during the Exposition. The Rising Action is where the graph increases vertically. The Rising Action increases to the peak, or Climax. The graph decreases in height during the Falling Action. Finally the graph is at the same level as the Exposition; this is the Resolution. The falling action marker is found in the descent to the resolution on the plot diagram.
Exposition(s)
In the beginning of the story, known as the exposition, you are introduced to the characters, including the protagonist, and the setting. The setting is the time and place in which a story's actions unfold. This is when the author gives background information about the characters. The exposition prepares you for the events that are about to take place.
Rising Action
Next up is the rising action. You become aware of the conflict the protagonist is facing and the antagonist that is causing this conflict. The conflict increases, suspense builds, and the reader begins to feel a certain mood as the story progresses. The character(s) must respond to the tension that is building.
Climax
The high point of the plot is called the climax. This is the turning point of the story. The protagonist makes a choice or takes action to solve the conflict. The climax can be the most exciting part of the story, or it can be a calm, quiet life-changing moment for the protagonist.
Falling Action
Immediately following climax is the falling action. The protagonist experiences the consequences of the turning point in the climax. The conflict is being resolved and it leads towards the conclusion of the story.
Resolution
The very end of the story is called the resolution. This brings the story to a close. The conflict is resolved and the life lesson the protagonist learns becomes clear.
The Puzzle of Poe
Think About It:
How do good writers make a story meaningful?
Meet Edgar Allan Poe. Exactly what does this mustached man have to do with plot? A lot. Poe was a poet, a journalist, and an author in the 19th century. Are you asking yourself why we still read Poe today? Good question. Edgar Allan Poe had a few claims to fame. Among them are:
The Fabulous Feats of Poe
father of the "short story" (he was the first to call a short story, well, a short story)
created the first fictional literary detective (Dupin) and published the first detective story ("The Murders in the Rue Morgue") which inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes
wrote the poem "The Raven," which an NFL team is named after (the Baltimore Ravens) as well as their raven mascot (named Poe, of course)
was a harsh literary critic who started many a feud over his desire to raise the standards of writing in America
died penniless and not very famous under mysterious circumstances at the age of forty (he was buried in an unmarked grave with only seven people present at his funeral)
Those are some pretty impressive accomplishments, but one of Poe's most lasting impressions exists in his ideas about how to write an effective story. Poe believed in something called "unity of effect." Ring a bell? Think about our literary element puzzle pieces. On their own, they lack power, but unified? Stories become amazing. Poe relied on a few beliefs to make his (and others') writing revolutionary.
Begin with the end in mind. Poe believed a writer had to know their resolution before planning the rest of the plot.
Every word matters. From the first word to the last, each word chosen must contribute to the tone, setting, mood, conflict, characters, and plot.
Make it quick. Poe was a strong supporter of a story that could be read in less than two hours. Anything that took longer wouldn’t have the same effect.
Make it memorable. Poe wrote stories that dealt, for the most part, with death. His narrators were often unreliable and unstable, his syntax and diction were unique, and his plots were one of a kind.
Some other important Poe facts to know? He was a Gothic writer, who wrote about all things dark, melancholy, and mysterious. Poe lost a lot of people he loved at a very young age, so he tended to have a fixation on death, dying, and the macabre (macaw). Poe also liked to use unreliable narrators to keep his audience on their toes. Now that you know what to expect, are you ready to dive into one of his most famous tales? Before you read, consider each of the following questions.
In "The Tell-Tale Heart," the protagonist (and unreliable narrator) commits an awful deed that is haunting throughout the story.
The protagonist (and unreliable narrator) in "The Tell-Tale Heart" must hide the wrongdoings from the detectives that come to investigate.
Troubled by their actions, the protagonist in "The Tell-Tale Heart" hears a mysterious noise that reminds him what he has done.
Sometimes the thought or idea of something causes great fear and nervousness. In "The Tell-Tale Heart," the protagonist fears two things: an old man’s eye and the sound of a heartbeat. You'll have a chance to decide if those fears were real or justified!
MJ Language Arts II: Back to Basics: 01.02 Literary Elements Interact: The Tell-Tale Heart
Alright, reader! It’s time to put your literary element and plot skills into practice. Let’s read the exposition of "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe. As you read, understand that this story is almost 200 years old, so the language may seem outdated. When Poe wrote his story in 1843, American writers used British spelling rules for English words. Rest assured—we'll work through the plot and literary elements together to make sense of the narrator's madness.
Wait—what's an epigraph? Glad you asked! An epigraph is a short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or story that hints at the story's plot and theme. Think about these words (taken from a poem written by famous American poet Henry David Longfellow, one of Poe’s literary enemies). What do they have in common with the title? The excerpt compares a heart to a "muffled drum" that beats to the grave. This story is going to be interesting!
As you begin reading, it’s important to note that the story starts in media res. Say what? It sounds fancy, but it is a technique in which a writer starts their story in the middle of the action. Why might they do that? Because there is mystery in the unknown! If we don’t know the events leading up to where the story picks up, the suspense is present as soon as the story begins. Remember Poe’s writing method—he wanted to lure in his reader in from the very first word.
If you'd like to listen to the story, select the play button. You may want to pause the audio when transitioning to a new page of the story.
"The Tell–Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
TRUE!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses—not destroyed—not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute (sharp). I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken (listen)! and observe how healthily—how calmly I can tell you the whole story.
It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye! yes, it was this! He had the eye of a vulture—a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.
Character and Mood
Here’s what we know so far: they are narrating their own story and claiming they are not crazy but inform the reader that they have a plan to kill an old man because his eye is bothersome. What don’t we know? There is no gender assigned by Poe. As you read, what image do you get of the protagonist?
Can you trust the protagonist? Which lines from the text suggest they may not be reliable?
The diction (word choice) and syntax (sentence structure) tell us a lot about the mood in these first two paragraphs. The narrator tries repeatedly to convince us they are healthy and calm, but the short bursts of sentences tell us otherwise. Their thoughts seem a bit all over the place. They are clearly nervous about something and unsettled about the vulture eye of the old man.
Continue to the next page …
Next
Yikes! The protagonist is staring right into the old man’s vulture eye, and for the first time in the story, he hears the beating of the old man’s heart!
The main character, or protagonist, is standing in a dark setting as the mood of terror increases, forcing him to confront the conflict. Do you see how our literary elements fit together so far?
The elements are interacting to create the story’s big picture. How do you think the tale will resolve to reveal the final few pieces? Let’s put what we know about the plot so far into our plot diagram. Then, make a prediction about what will happen next!
Summarizing a Plot
Text Version
Background Image: The graph starts out level during the Exposition. The Rising Action is where the graph increases vertically. The Rising Action increases to the peak, or Climax. The graph decreases in height during the Falling Action. Finally the graph is at the same level as the Exposition; this is the Resolution. The rising action marker is leading vertically to the climax on the plot diagram.
Exposition(s)
Our protagonist tells us that they are perfectly fine (which is doubtful) but that they must do something about the old man who is living in their house. His “vulture eye” haunts and deranges the protagonist, which leads to the plan to kill the old man.
Character
The protagonist (our unreliable narrator) and an old man.
Setting
Late at night in a dark house, sometime in the past (no electricity). The mood is dark and filled with terror and suspense.
Conflict
Character versus self. Will the protagonist be able to overcome these emotions?
Rising Action
The protagonist (and our unreliable narrator) visits the old man’s room every night for eight nights to “check in” on him. On the eighth night, the suspense increases when the narrator makes a sound at the door and awakes the old man. The protagonist waits outside the door for quite some time, and when they believe it safe to enter, they see the old man’s eye staring at them. Now, our protagonist must decide to resolve the conflict. Next up? The climax.
And Then What Happened?
We left off with the climax just moments away. So far, we have a horror story with an unreliable narrator whose conflict involves finding a way to rid himself of an old man and his vulture eye—which choice will the protagonist of "The Tell–Tell Heart" make? Let’s find out.
"The Tell–Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe, continued
It grew louder, I say, louder every moment!—do you mark me well? I have told you that I am nervous: so I am. And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror. Yet, for some minutes longer I refrained and stood still. But the beating grew louder, louder! I thought the heart must burst. And now a new anxiety seized me—the sound would be heard by a neighbor! The old man's hour had come! With a loud yell, I threw open the lantern and leaped into the room. He shrieked once—once only. In an instant I dragged him to the floor, and pulled the heavy bed over him. I then smiled gaily, to find the deed so far done. But, for many minutes, the heart beat on with a muffled sound. This, however, did not vex me; it would not be heard through the wall. At length it ceased. The old man was dead. I removed the bed and examined the corpse. Yes, he was stone, stone dead.
Character, Conflict, and Mood
This is climax of the story! The protagonist has made their choice and murdered the old man. There is no turning back.
Words like "louder," "nervous," "dreadful," "dead hour of the night," "strange," "uncontrollable," "anxiety," and "smiled" reflect the madness of the protagonist and reinforce them as an unreliable narrator.
Point to Ponder:
The narrator tells the reader the decision to take action came because the old man's heart was beating so loudly. Is it possible that the narrator was actually hearing something other than the old man's heart?
Continue to the next page …
Next
So, puzzle master—did you put the pieces together correctly? Were you accurate in predicting the resolution? Edgar Allan Poe was the first “whodunit” writer. His lasting impact as a mystery, crime, and horror writer is a direct result of knowing how to give the reader just enough information from the beginning to keep them around until the end. Let’s go over how the rest of "The Tell–Tale Heart" maps out on our plot diagram.
Summarizing a Plot
Text Version
Background Image: The graph starts out level during the Exposition. The Rising Action is where the graph increases vertically. The Rising Action increases to the peak, or Climax. The graph decreases in height during the Falling Action. Finally the graph is at the same level as the Exposition; this is the Resolution. The rising action marker is leading vertically to the climax on the plot diagram.
Exposition(s)
Our protagonist tells us that they are perfectly fine (which is doubtful) but that they must do something about the old man who is living in their house. The old man’s “vulture eye” haunts the narrator and drives him insane. He plans to kill the old man.
Character
The protagonist (our unreliable narrator) and an old man.
Setting
Late at night in a dark house, sometime in the past (no electricity). The mood is dark and filled with terror and suspense.
Conflict
Character versus self. Will the protagonist be able to overcome these emotions?
Rising Action
The protagonist (and our unreliable narrator) visits the old man’s room every night for eight nights to “check in” on him. On the eighth night, the suspense increases when the narrator makes a sound at the door and awakes the old man. The protagonist waits outside the door for quite some time, and when they believe it safe to enter, they see the old man’s eye staring at them. Now, our protagonist must make a decision to resolve the conflict.
Climax
The narrator decides to take action and murder the old man. This seems to be a step toward resolving the protagonist’s internal conflict.
Falling Action
The protagonist hides the man’s body beneath the floor of the old man’s room. The police come to the house after the neighbor reports hearing a scream. The narrator allows them inside and seems to keep their cool.
Resolution
The protagonist’s internal conflict is victorious. Guilt is reflected in hearing the old man’s heartbeat, and it is this guilt that pushes the protagonist over the edge. This leads to a confession of murder on the spot.
The Big Picture
In "The Tell-Tale Heart," Poe's "unity" of literary elements combined character, conflict, mood, and setting to create a disturbing tale about madness and guilt. Let's test your knowledge of how each element was used to establish the big picture.
Practice with Poe — Text Version
Read each example of a literary element from “The Tell-Tale Heart." Then, decide if the example defines character, conflict, mood, or setting. Each example will be used once.
Slide 1
The story takes place in a house between midnight and morning.
The protagonist is an unreliable narrator who begins the story by trying to convince the reader that they are sane.
The story displays nervousness, guilt, and anxiety shown in short, choppy sentences.
The protagonist decides to resolve their internal struggle by killing the old man.
Conflict
Character
Setting
Mood
Show Answer for Slide
Conflict
The protagonist decides to resolve their internal struggle by killing the old man.
Character
The protagonist is an unreliable narrator who begins the story by trying to convince the reader that they are sane.
Setting
The story takes place in a house between midnight and morning.
Mood
The story displays nervousness, guilt, and anxiety shown in short, choppy sentences.
Slide 2
Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! — no, no! They heard!— they suspected!—they knew!—they were making a mockery of my horror!—this I thought, and this I think…I felt that I must scream or die! and now—again!—hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!
TRUE!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?
Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.
And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it —oh so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head.
Conflict
Character
Setting
Mood
Show Answer for Slide
Conflict
Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees—very gradually—I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.
Character
TRUE!—nervous—very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?
Setting
And every night, about midnight, I turned the latch of his door and opened it —oh so gently! And then, when I had made an opening sufficient for my head, I put in a dark lantern, all closed, closed, so that no light shone out, and then I thrust in my head.
Mood
Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! — no, no! They heard! — they suspected! —they knew! —they were making a mockery of my horror! —this I thought, and this I think…I felt that I must scream or die! and now—again! —hark! louder! louder! louder! louder!
It's Assessment Time!
After completing this Lesson, you will be able to:
identify literary elements such as character, conflict, setting, and mood
analyze how literary elements interact with one another to develop the plot
identify the plot elements of a text
identify characteristics of an unreliable narrator
Assessment
Complete the reading and activities in this Lesson.
Check your understanding of important concepts.
Take the 01.02 Literary Elements Interact quiz.