Literary: Short Story

Learning Outcomes
At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:

1. Understand the elements of Short Story

2. Analyze various literary elements of a story and film

I. Preliminary Questions

1. How authors create a great story?

2. How to analyze Films?

II. Content

Elements of a Short Story

PLOT
The plot is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea; It is the sequence of events
in a story or play. The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle, and
end. The short story usually has one plot so it can be read in one sitting. There are five essential
parts of plot:
1. Introduction - The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is
revealed.
2. Rising Action - This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict
in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and climax).
3. Climax - This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story. The reader
wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved or not?
4. Falling action - The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. The reader
knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not (events between
climax and denouement).
5. Denouement - This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the story. It is helpful
to consider climax as a three-fold phenomenon: 1) the main character receives new
information 2) accepts this information (realizes it but does not necessarily agree with it)
3) acts on this information (makes a choice that will determine whether or not he/she
gains his objective).

POINT OF VIEW
Point of view, or p.o.v., is defined as the angle from which the story is told.
1. Innocent Eye - The story is told through the eyes of a child (his/her judgment being
different from that of an adult).
2. Stream of Consciousness - The story is told so that the reader feels as if they are inside
the head of one character and knows all their thoughts and reactions.
 3. First Person - The story is told by the protagonist or one of the characters who interacts
closely with the protagonist or other characters (using pronouns I, me, we, etc). The
reader sees the story through this person's eyes as he/she experiences it and only knows
what he/she knows or feels.
4. Omniscient- The author can narrate the story using the omniscient point of view. He can
move from character to character, event to event, having free access to the thoughts,
feelings and motivations of his characters and he introduces information where and when
he chooses. There are two main types of omniscient point of view:
5. Omniscient Limited - The author tells the story in third person (using pronouns they,
she, he, it, etc). We know only what the character knows and what the author allows
him/her to tell us. We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the author
chooses to reveal them to us.
6. Omniscient Objective – The author tells the story in the third person. It appears as
though a camera is following the characters, going anywhere, and recording only what is
seen and heard. There is no comment on the characters or their thoughts. No
interpretations are offered. The reader is placed in the position of spectator without the
author there to explain. The reader has to interpret events on his own.

CHARACTER
There are two meanings for the word character:
1. Persons in a work of fiction. Short stories use few characters. One character is clearly
central to the story with all major events having some importance to this character -
he/she is the protagonist. The opposer of the main character is called the antagonist.
2. The Characteristics of a Person. In order for a story to seem real to the reader its
characters must seem real. Characterization is the information the author gives the reader
about the characters themselves. The author may reveal a character in several ways:

• his/her physical appearance

• what he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams
• what he/she does or does not do
• what others say about him/her and how others react to him/her
• Characters are convincing if they are: consistent, motivated, and life-like (resemble
real people) Characters are...

• Individual - round, many sided and complex personalities.

• Developing - dynamic, many sided personalities that change, for better or worse, by
the end of the story.
• Static - Stereotype, have one or two characteristics that never change and are
emphasized e.g. brilliant detective, drunk, scrooge, cruel stepmother, etc.

SETTING
The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting. For some stories the setting
is very important, while for others it is not. There are several aspects of a story's setting to consider
when examining how setting contributes to a story (some, or all, may be present in a story):
1. Place - geographical location. Where is the action of the story taking place?
 2. Time - When is the story taking place? (historical period, time of day, year, etc)
3. Weather conditions - Is it rainy, sunny, stormy, etc?
4. Social conditions - What is the daily life of the character's like? Does the story contain
local color (writing that focuses on the speech, dress, mannerisms, customs, etc. of a
particular place)?
5. Mood or atmosphere - What feeling is created at the beginning of the story? Is it bright
and cheerful or dark and frightening?

CONFLICT
Conflict is essential to plot. Without conflict there is no plot. It is the opposition of forces which
ties one incident to another and makes the plot move. Conflict is not merely limited to open
arguments, rather it is any form of opposition that faces the main character. Within a short story
there may be only one central struggle, or there may be one dominant struggle with many minor
ones.
There are two types of conflict:
1. External - A struggle with a force outside one's self.
2. Internal - A struggle within one's self; a person must make some decision, overcome
pain, quiet their temper, resist an urge, etc.
There are four kinds of conflict:
1. Man vs. Man (physical) - The leading character struggles with his physical strength
against other men, forces of nature, or animals.
2. Man vs. Circumstances (classical) - The leading character struggles against fate, or the
circumstances of life facing him/her.
3. Man vs. Society (social) - The leading character struggles against ideas, practices, or
customs of other people.
4. Man vs. Himself/Herself (psychological) - The leading character struggles with
himself/herself; with his/her own soul, ideas of right or wrong, physical limitations,
choices, etc.

THEME
The theme in a piece of fiction is its controlling idea or its central insight. It is the author's
underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey. The theme may be the author's
thoughts about a topic or view of human nature. The title of the short story usually points to what
the writer is saying and he may use various figures of speech to emphasize his theme, such as:
symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, or irony.
Some simple examples of common themes from literature, TV, and film are:

• Things are not always as they appear to be.

• Love is blind.
• Believe in yourself.
• People are afraid of change.
• Don't judge a book by its cover.
SIGNS
A sign designates something which stands for something else. Any content-word in the language
is a sign, being a spoken or written vehicle for an immaterial meaning that refers to some
experience. For example, the word dog is a sign for a certain kind of four-legged mammal. Another
example is the word run. It is a sign for an action, i.e. to move quickly on foot by moving your legs
more quickly than when you are walking. In other words, a sign is literal.

SYMBOL
A symbol is a sign which has further layers of meaning. In other words, a symbol means more than
it literally says. (Signs are literal; symbols are not). For example, water is often used to symbolize
things in literature. Since water is often a sign of life, many times water represents life. Water can
also be broken up into two categories: fresh water and bad/polluted water. Fresh water can
represent good health, and bad water symbolizes bad health.
Notice that a symbol can have more than one layer of further meaning. The more profound the
symbol, the greater the complexity of the layers of meaning (although the symbol itself may be
quite simple).
When the author of Ecclesiastes (9.4) tells his readers that it is better to be a living dog than a dead
lion, he uses the literal significance of "dog" and "lion," coupled with their cultural associations,
to refer to conditions of human life.
There are three layers (at least) in this saying:

• The literal meaning of "lion" and "dog" (two different species of mammals), i.e. a sign;
• The cultural associations of both animals (The lion is noble, strong, and courageous; the
dog is ordinary, weak, and cowardly), i.e. a symbol.
• The application to human character: The cultural associations are transferred from dogs
and lions to human beings; the application makes a point about life, i.e. a symbol.
Symbols can have three kinds of association; often a symbol will have all three. The associations
are
• Personal: We all have associations with things in our experience. One person may have
strong affection for dogs while another person may fear them intensely.
• Cultural: Different symbols may have quite different meanings in different cultures. A
lion can represent Christ in Christian culture; in Sumerian culture, the sun represents
the god Marduk. In Chinese culture, dogs represent devotion and faithfulness; in
Islamic culture, they represent impurity.
• Universal: Jungian psychology, along with other theories, argues that some symbols
have universal meaning. Lions suggest deity in a variety of cultures, for instance.
Trying to discern and express the universal meaning of a symbol is tricky.

INTERPRETATION
In interpreting literature, it is important to remember that a poem or a short story means more than
the writer consciously intended. It can have this surplus of meaning because of the way language
works. Many images ("signs") in a work of literature will have personal, cultural, and universal
associations for both reader and writer.
Neither writer nor reader is in control of these associations. We acquire the associations all through
our life, and usually without being aware that we are acquiring them. When we speak, write, read,
dream, or engage in any symbolic activity, these meanings are there naturally and unavoidably.
Thus, while a writer may intend to express certain meanings, the meaning he or she expresses will
exceed what was consciously intended. Literature is rich and has lasting value because of its
surplus meaning, the many layers of meaning it can convey to varied readers.

Making a Film Analysis Essay Outline

The task is pretty straightforward: the outline can look just as if you were working on a literary
analysis or an article analysis.
1. Introduction: This includes the basics of the movie, including the title, director, and the
date of release. You should also present the central theme or ideas in the movie and
your thesis statement.
2. Summary: This is where you take the time to present an overview of the primary
concepts in the movie, including the five Ws (who, what, when, where, and why)—don’t
forget how!—as well as anything you wish to discuss that relates to the point of view,
style, and structure.
3. Analysis: This is the body of the essay and includes your critical analysis of the movie,
why you did or did not like it, and any supporting material from the film to support your
views. It would help if you also discussed whether the director and writer of the movie
achieved the goal they set out to achieve.
4. Conclusion: This is where you can state your thesis again and provide a summary of the
primary concepts in a new and more convincing manner, making a case for your analysis.
You can also include a call-to-action that will invite the reader to watch the movie or
avoid it entirely.

Guided Questions
❓ How to write an essay about a movie?
1. Watch the movie or read a detailed plot summary.
2. Read others’ film reviews paying attention to details like key characters, movie scenes,
background facts.
3. Compose a list of ideas about what you’ve learned.
4. Organize the selected ideas to create a body of the essay.
5. Write an appropriate introduction and conclusion.
❓ What can be gained through analyzing film?
1. The benefits of analyzing a movie are numerous. You get a deeper understanding of the
plot and its subtle aspects. You can also get emotional and aesthetic satisfaction. Film
analysis enables one to feel like a movie connoisseur.
 Class Activities
Name:_______________________ Date:________________
Subject & Code:_______________

a. Short Story Analysis

Read the story below and create an analysis by using the elements of the short story. Use the
table provided.

Once upon a time, in a quaint little village nestled deep in the woods, there lived a young girl
named Lily. Lily was known for her adventurous spirit and her curiosity about the world around
her. One sunny afternoon, as she wandered through the enchanted forest, she stumbled upon a
hidden meadow filled with colorful wildflowers. Entranced by the beauty of the place, she
noticed a glimmering object on the ground. It was a small golden locket, adorned with intricate
engravings.
Lily picked up the locket and felt an inexplicable connection to it. She decided to wear it around
her neck, hoping that it would lead her to a great adventure. Little did she know that the locket
held a secret power. As soon as she clasped it shut, a gentle breeze blew, and she found herself
transported to a different world—a realm where fantasy and reality intertwined.
In this new world, Lily found herself in a bustling marketplace. The colors were vibrant, and
the air was filled with the fragrances of exotic spices and enchanting melodies. Strangers
passed by, each with their own stories to tell. She met a jovial merchant who offered her a
magical map, guiding her on a quest to retrieve the lost treasures of the realm.
Throughout her journey, Lily encountered various challenges and met intriguing characters.
She crossed treacherous mountains, delved into mystical caves, and swam through enchanting
underwater realms. Along the way, she discovered her own strength, resilience, and
determination.
As Lily continued her quest, she realized that the locket was not merely a physical object but a
symbol of her own inner power and potential. It represented the hidden treasures within herself
that she had yet to uncover. The locket became a reminder of her true essence and the courage
she possessed to face any obstacle.
Eventually, after numerous trials and tribulations, Lily successfully retrieved all the lost
treasures. As she returned to the marketplace, the realm transformed once again, blending
seamlessly with her familiar village. Lily found herself back in the enchanted forest, holding
the now-open locket in her hands.

Plot

Character
Setting

Conflict

Theme

Sign and Symbol

Interpretation

Summary
Name:_______________________ Date:________________
Subject & Code:_______________

B. Movie Essay

Watch the movie “ Parasite” directed by Bong Joon-ho and create an analysis base on the
elements provided.

Introduction

Summary
Analysis

Conclusion