Homereading classes (Gr.431-831)

Dear students,
this semester we  start  reading  short stories written by different  authors representing nearly all English-speaking countries. The main goal of our Literature studies classes is to learn to understand the plot, the characters and the imagery that the author uses in his work better.  Below you will find some material that will help you analyze the text.

HOW TO ANALYZE FICTION

 By analyzing a short story or novel, you gain a better understanding of the story. You also acquire a better appreciation of fiction and literature. And, you can learn how the writer used the elements of fiction and various literary techniques, such as simile, metaphor, and imagery to create a memorable story. Analyzing fiction will also help you learn how to write your own stories. Here is how to analyze a work of fiction:

Plot.  It refers to the main events that take place throughout the story.

What are the series of events in the story?

Does the writer use flashback? If so, how?

Does the writer use flashforward? If so, how?

How does the writer create suspense?

What types of conflict occur throughout the story?

What is the turning point of the story?

 Setting. It refers to the time, place, and social and historical context.

·           What is the setting in the story?

·           Does the setting function as an antagonist in the story? If so, how?

·           How does the setting contribute to the story?

·           How does the writer use setting to create a story that is believable?

·           How does the setting impact the protagonist in the story?

·           How does the setting impact the plot in the story?

·           What is the mood throughout the story? How does the setting impact the mood of the story

Characters. It refers to the protagonist, villain, and secondary characters in the story. The writer develop a character by what the character thinks, what the character does, what the character says, what the character looks like, and by what others say about the character. All stories include a protagonist. Many stories include an antagonist or villain. Many stories also include secondary or minor characters.

• What does the character say and do? What does their dialogue or behaviour tell you about their values, beliefs, interests, motives?
• What does the character look like? What does this suggest about the character?
• What conflicts does the character experience? How does the character deal with these conflicts?
• How does the character change as the story progresses?
• Who is the villain in the story? Why?
• Who is the protagonist in the story? Why?

 Theme. It refers to the main idea of the story. It is the truth the writer reveals. Often, the writer doesn’t explicitly reveal the theme. Some stories don’t have a theme.

What was the writer’s purpose in writing the story? What is the theme of the story? Is it implicit or explicit? Does the theme offer a new insight into the human condition or human experience? What message or lesson does the writer wish the reader to understand from the story?

 Point of View. It refers to the person who is telling the story. This is the narrator of the story. For instance, the story can be told from the first-person perspective, such as the protagonist or eye witness. Or, the story can be told from the third-person perspective, which means the narrator is not a character in the story. Remember that the author and narrator are not the same. The narrator is the person who is telling the story.

What point of view does the writer use? What does the narrator know about the characters in the story?

 How does the point of view impact the story?

Does the author use point of view to reveal or conceal?

How does the narrator impact the story? For instance, the first-person narrator only knows what he sees or hears. But  the third-person-omniscient narrator is all knowing.

Why did the author choose the particular point of view?

Imagery. It refers to the sensory images that the writer uses to develop the story. Sensory images are word pictures that appeal to one or more of the senses, such as sight, taste, smell, touch, and hearing.

 What types of imagery does the writer use? How does it make the story believable?

Identify some passages where the writer uses imagery? What types of imagery does the writer use? Why does the writer use it?

How does the imagery affect the mood of the story?

  Symbolism. The author uses a symbol to mean something other than its literal meaning. For instance, an owl can represent wisdom.

·           What sorts of symbols are used by the writer?

·           Do any characters act as symbols? Why?

·           Do elements of the story’s setting appear symbolic? Why?

·           Is  one symbol used throughout the story? Or do the symbols change as the story progresses?

·            Style and Tone. Style refers to the writer’s choice of language and the sentence types and structures. The tone refers to writer’s attitude toward the subject and readers.

• What types of diction does the writer use? Slang? Formal? Profanity? How does it impact the story? How does it impact you as the reader?
• What types of sentences does the writer use? Fragments? Simple? Complex? Rhetorical?  How does it impact the story?
• What is the writer’s attitude toward the events in the story?
• What is the writer’s attitude toward the readers? Condescending?  Ironic? Comic?
• How does the tone of the story impact your reading? For instance, do you laugh?
•  Figurative Language. The writer uses language to mean something other than its literal meaning, in order to produce a special effect or new meaning. Popular types of figurative language are simile, metaphor, and personification. Does the writer use simile? Why is it used? Does the writer use metaphor? Why is it used? Does the writer use personification? Why is it used?

 

 

SAMPLE OF THE TEXT ANALYSIS

 

Story 1. The Cheat's Remorse  by  Morley Callaghan

Character 

- Phil
Phil is a major, dynamic, and round character, as well as the protagonist.
He wears a battered felt hat, along with an old belted coat and mussy shirt. He seems like a man who has gone down "the wrong path" in life and fallen in with the wrong crowd. In the end, his conscience breaks through, suggesting a gradual reformation.

- Young Lady
The young lady is a major, round character.
She wears a beige coat spotted with raindrops and snow. Her hair is untidy and in need of curling and under her eye is a somewhat noticeable bruise. Despite this, she is rather positive, though she seems annoyed when Phil tries to catch up with her outside "Stewart's".

- Rich Man
The rich man is a minor, flat, stock, static character.
A prosperous-looking, hairy, blue-jowled man with thick fingers and a roll of bills, he is seen as a stereotypical rich miser, looking down on those less fortunate than himself. He is quite drunk, yet he still tries to look dignified and "keep himself together".

Theme
When you cheat, what you gain can never outbalance what you lose, your conscience and integrity.

Mood
The mood of "The Cheat's Remorse" is quite cold and gloomy, being casual yet formal at the same time.

 Ending
The ending is an indefinite ending. Phil is left with a dollar in his hand and mixed thoughts as the young lady walks away.

Symbolism
The dollar bill represents Phil's guilt because after he won the money, he anticipated giving the money away. He wanted to make himself feel better by giving the bill back to the young lady.
Phil's nickel symbolizes Phil's personality because he is two-faced. He pretended that nothing was wrong with the coin during the coin toss, but he knew that he was cheating.

The story takes place in Stewart's restaurant during night time. The author uses a mysterious and inexplicable beginning as well as dark and gloomy weather to create a depressing atmosphere.

Irony - Situational - where the character does something the reader does not expect
In "The Cheat's Remorse", Phil cheats the young lady with his phoney coin. After he wins the dollar, he thought he would be happy; instead, he feels remorse and tries to return the dollar.

- Dramatic - when the reader knows something the character is not aware of, until later in the story.
An example of this is shown when the drunken rich man saw Phil and pretended to speak as if he wasn’t under influence, when the readers have been made well aware of his situation.

Tone
The author believes that cheating is a serious issue shown by the lack of comedy involved in this story. The author feels cheating is like karma, because something will always come back to haunt the cheater. In this story, Phil was haunted with a burden of guilt.

Allegory
The allegory of the story is that cheating may result in horrible consequences. The author wants reader that cheating results in the utmost regret. Cheating can also hurt other people emotionally.

Plot Line
- Introduction
Phil was eating at Stewart

Ў¦s, but he needed a dollar to pay for his laundry.

- Phil watched as a drunken man carelessly dropped a dollar bill.

- A young lady also noticed and wanted the bill, too.

- Phil and the young lady reached for the bill, but neither gave way to the other.

- Phil challenged the young lady to a coin toss to determine the owner of the bill.

- Climax
Phil tossed the coin and ended up winning the bill.

- The young lady left the restaurant in tears, while Phil was left feeling remorse.

- Phil chases after the young lady and wanted her to take the money after confessing that the coin had heads on both sides.

- Denouement
The young lady decided not to accept the bill, leaving Phil deep in guilt.

Conflict
- External Conflict (man vs. man)
There is external conflict between Phil and the young lady. Phil and the young lady were fighting for the dollar, which they both wanted. After PhilЎ¦s coin is tossed, the conflict between Phil and the young lady is resolved.

- Internal Conflcit (man vs. himself)
There is internal conflict between Phil and himself. After he cheated, Phil felt guilty and could not decide whether to keep or to give away the dollar bill, but the conflict is not resolved by the end of the story.

Point Of View
- Omniscient
The story is mostly told through PhilЎ¦s thoughts and emotions, but at one point in the story, the drunk manЎ¦s feelings and disgust towards PhilЎ¦s dreamy expression is revealed.

Presentation
- Direct
The author describes the drunk as a rich, but ignorant man by using words such as prosperous-looking, hairy, and blue-jowled.
Phil is described as an unfortunate man who is willing to cheat just to gain a dollar. The author describes Phil as a man with a battered felt hat, old belted coat, and mussy shirt.
On the other hand, the young lady is described with the qualities of perseverance and determination. In the story, the young lady is wearing a beige-coloured coat spotted with raindrops and snow. She has untidy fair hair that needed curling at the ends and a pale face with blue and unwavering eyes. She has good legs and stockings that ran halfway up the calf of her legs.

Suspense
Suspense occurs when Phil lurches at the bill at the same time as the young lady who swung out her foot. This is suspenseful because the reader wants to know who reaches and claims the bill.
Suspense also occurs as Phil tosses the coin to determine the winner. This is suspenseful because the reader wants to know the results of the toss.