CLASS DEMONSTRATION GUIDE

I. Greetings
II. Introduction
III. Prayer
IV. Start of Class
a. Introduction to Lesson
b. Recalling of Past Lesson: Denotation and Connotation
c. Proceeding to Main Topic: Plot, Setting, and Characterization
d. Dissecting “Plot” and discussing its 5 main parts: Exposition, Rising Action, Climax,
Falling Action, and Resolution / Denouement
e. Discussing of “Setting” and its components: When, Where, and What
f. Discussing “Characterization” and its components: Direct and Indirect Presentation, and
Types of Characters; Protagonist and Antagonist.
V. Closing

Denotation Connotation

- Dictionary - Symbolic
Principal methods of
- Definition - Emotional describing the meaning of
meanings of a words.
- Literal word with
meaning of the cultural
word implications.

“PLOT”
In a narrative or creative writing, a plot is the sequence of events that make up a story,
whether it’s told, written, filmed, or sung. The plot is the story, and more specifically, how the story
develops, unfolds, and moves in time. Plots are typically made up of five main elements:

1. Exposition - Beginning of story when the characters and setting are introduced.
2. Rising Action - The events in a story that create tension, interest and conflict.
 3. Climax - The most exciting part of the story, when the reader learns the outcome; the turning
point of the story.
4. Falling Action - the point in the plot following the story’s climax, where the conflict reaches the
height of its action. At this point, the story’s tension is relieved as solutions are reached.
5. Denouement / Resolution - The final resolution of the intricacies of a plot. The ending or
closing of the story.

“SETTING”
The setting of a story is the context in a scene or story that describes the elements in which a
story is taking place, including time, place, and environment. Each component in story setting helps to
build the narrative's mood, plot, and character development.
Where does it take place? What’s the social climate? What time period is it? These are the
questions that serve a purpose in the story’s setting.
The setting of a story is important because it provides the reader with context on the time,
place, and environment that the story takes place in. It is also important because it improves the
reader’s experience and adds to the story’s development with plot, mood, and characters.
Example: “It was 07:30 PM and the air was tense in the ramshackled trailer, where James
and Lisa faced each other. Lisa noticed the gaping hole behind James’ head, and she flashbacked to
the last argument they had, when he violently punched his fist through the window. Outside, a storm
was brewing, and the wind’s angry howl came through the cracked window.”

“CHARACTERIZATION”
Characters in a story may be like people we know or different from any one we know. One of
the writer's job is to make the personalities of the characters clear and believable to the reader. The
process by which he does this is called characterization. Therefore, characterization is the process by
which a writer presents the personal traits of characters in a story. Everything that a writer does to
portray characters is part of characterization.
Writers have two ways that they may portray their characters in a story: direct presentation
and indirect presentation. Sometimes the writer lets his narrator tells us directly what a character is
like. For example, he tells us that Jim is "naturally bossy and vain." In this instance, we do not have to
'interpret' about his bossiness or vanity (it is part of his character). Sometimes, the writer reveals
character indirectly by showing the person in action interacting with other characters and then letting
us draw (infer) our own conclusions about what the character is like -that is, we are forced to interpret
the main qualities of that character. For example, in a short story the main character has changed his
to name from the Nerd to Zeus; from his name we can infer that Zeus sees himself as godlike and
powerful (Zeus was the head of the Greek gods famous for his power and rage).
 METHODS OF CHARACTERIZATION
Direct characterization is told through direct Indirect characterization is shown through
statements made by the author-narrator. actions, dialogue, and other characters.

- From the narrator's statement about a - From what a character says or thinks.
character (Zeus was both clever and - From what a character says or thinks
powerful.) about another character.
- First person is never considered to be - From what a character thinks about
direct characterization. himself, others, or the world.
- From what a character does.
- From a character's reactions to people or
things.
*Direct presentation does not occur in first person narration (since the narrator is a character in the
story, the reader can not assume what the character is saying is true or not).

The following are terms important in understanding further what characterization is.
How a character is described by… What to look for…
Himself / Herself The use of first person point of
View “I”, “My”, “Mine”, and “Myself”
The Author The use of third person point of
view. Usually the words of
the narrator.
Other Characters Use of description by other
characters in the story.
You as a Reader Use of your own understanding and feelings
about the character.

Type of Characters:
1. Dramatis Personae - all characters in a play or story; the characters may be human or non-
human.

2. Main Characters and Supporting Characters - characters by function

 In most short stories, if the conflict is external, the main characters are the protagonist
and antagonist; if internal, then there is at least one main character.
 Main characters help move the action forward.
 All other characters that support the development of the plot are called minor or
supporting characters.
 In more complex stories there may be several main characters.

3. Specific Types of Characters

a. Archetype - an original character type that occurs frequently in literature, myth, and
religion believed to evoke profound emotions because that character touches the
unconscious memory (universal in nature); (an original model or pattern from which
copies are made and used over and over in literature). Common archetypes include the
hero, epic hero, Promethesus, the messiah, Lucifer, the Oedipus type.
 b. Stereotypes - (character type that has been used so often in literature that it is
recognized at once by the reader often referred to a cliches) -stereotype originally
referred to the using of a fixed image to describe a person, group, or event (to create a
fixed, conventional image, as if cast from a mould) -stereotypes were often racist in
nature (such as the stupid blackman or greedy Jew) or sexist (dumb blond); Lack
individuality because they are standard types that always behave in the same expected
way; often become stock characters.

c. Stock Characters - (a character type that is immediately recognized and predictable

because it has been used so often in literature) - often used to make fun or as foil to
other characters in the play -examples include the absent-minded professor, the evil
scientist, the bratty, brainy child, the Marilyn Monroe type, the tough private detective
with the heart of gold, the Sherlock Holmes type, the ruthless gangster with the cigar in
his mouth, the henpecked husband, the disguised romantic heroine, the cruel step-
mother, prince charming.

4. Character Foil - Foil is literally a 'leaf' of bright metal placed under a jewel to increase its
'brillance'; in literature, the term has come to mean any person who through contrast
emphasizes the distinctive characteristics of another character. That is, the foil (character) is
used as a contrast to the main character emphasizing differences in the main character's
qualities. In the Cinderella fairy tale, the step-sisters are foils to Cinderella.