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PLOT STRUCTURE
 Plot is the literary
element that describes
the structure of the
story.

 Plot shows the causal

arrangement of events
and actions within a
story.
PLOT DIAGRAM
Climax

Rising Action Falling Action

4
Exposition 2
Resolution
1
5
1. EXPOSITION
This usually occurs at the beginning of a short story. Here
the characters are introduced. We also learn about the
setting of the story. This section also presents other facts
necessary to understanding the story
PLOT STRUCTURE: EXPOSITION
Sets the scene Example

Author introduces the

setting and characters

Provides description
and background
information
IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE
EXPOSITION
Setting Characters
 Time  Protagonist: The main
character; the hero
 Place
 Antagonist: The character
who is in conflict with the
protagonist in some way;
the “bad guy”
 Static: Character stays the
same
 Dynamic: Character changes
in some way
 POINT OF VIEW

1st person
 This is where the story is told through a main character's eyes. The story is
told using 1st person personal pronouns such as I, me, we, or us.
3rd person limited
 This is where the narrator is not a character in the story and talks about the
characters. The narrator has a limited perspective and can only read one
character's mind, feelings, and motive
3rd person omniscient
 This is where the narrator is not a character in the story and is "all-
knowing" . This type of narrator can read every character's feelings,
motives, and thoughts.
2. RISING ACTION
The rising action includes all the events
that lead to the climax. It also presents
some type of conflict
PLOT STRUCTURE: RISING ACTION
 Series of conflicts Example
and crises in the
story that lead to
the turning point
 CONFLICT
The struggle between two forces in the story. Conflict
provides interest, suspense, and tension.
There are 4 types
-Character vs. Character
* two or more characters have a problem
-Character vs. Nature
* characters have to fight against a force of nature. Ex/ storm, disease
-Character vs. Society
*character fights against rules of society. Ex/ a character fights racism
-Character vs. Self
* The character is dealing with an internal struggle. Usually moral
ex/ Tom Sawyer doesn’t know if he should testify in court against Injun Joe
 CONFLICT
Internal External

 Character vs Character
 Character vs Him- or
 Protagonist vs antagonist
Herself  Character vs Nature
 Struggle takes place in  Usually character is struggling to
character’s own mind survive
 Usually something to do  Character vs Society
with choice or  Group of characters fighting against
overcoming emotions or society
mixed feelings  Character fights against social
traditions or rules
OTHER TYPES OF CONFLICT
 Character vs Supernatural
 Gods, ghosts, monsters, spirits, aliens, etc.

 Character vs Fate
 Fight for choice; fight against destiny

 Character vs Technology
 Computers, machines, etc.
3. CLIMAX
The “high point”. This is the turning point of the
story. Usually the main character comes face to
face with a conflict. The main character will
change in some way.
PLOT STRUCTURE: CLIMAX
 Also called the Example
“turning point”

 Event that the rising

action and central
conflict leads up to

 Place where plot turns

or “changes direction”
toward a resolution
4. FALLING
ACTION
All loose ends of
the plot are tied
up. The
conflict(s) and
climax are
taken care of.
PLOT STRUCTURE: FALLING ACTION
 Events that happen Example
as a result of the
climax as the conflict
grows closer to being
resolved
5. RESOLUTION
The story comes
to a reasonable
ending.
PLOT STRUCTURE: RESOLUTION
 Main conflict is Example
solved or resolved
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

1. Exposition Beginning of
Story
2. Rising Action

Middle of Story
3. Climax

4. Falling Action
End of Story
5. Resolution
 PLOT TECHNIQUES
1. Suspense: Frequently involves dilemma. e.g. Caught in a bad situation with a choice in a boating
accident, you can save either your mother or your husband from drowning.
2. Flashback: The author waits until the story is moving and then flashes back to reveal biographical
data or deep psychological reasons why a character acts as s/he does.  It focuses more on why things
happen, rather than on what happens.
3. Telescoping: It's a matter of economy. The author can't describe every motion of the character or
event during the time the story covers.  S/he has to choose the significant and merely suggest the
others by saying they happened, without much description.  Art attempts verisimilitude, not "reality.“
4. Foreshadowing: The outcome of a conflict is often hinted at or "foreshadowed" before the climax
and resolution. These clues are usually very subtle; you don't realize they are foreshadowing clues
until you've finished the story. Early on in the novel Lord of the Flies, the boys roll a rock down from
the light of the hill into the murky jungle below. Foreshadowing is a technique that writers use to
make the events in their stories more believable. In foreshadowing, the reader is given little hints
about an important future event. Foreshadowing can be a small series of events leading up to a big
event, or an event that is similar in a thematic way to something that happens later.
EXAMPLE: Another example of foreshadowing in Lord of the Flies occurs just after the plane crash. The
author, William Golding, describes the band of choirboys as dressed all in black and moving as if one
creature. The black creature is led by Jack, which is a foreshadowing of the evil that will soon overtake
him and his followers.
  TYPES OF PLOT

a. Overcoming the Monster

The protagonist must defeat a monster or force in order to save some people—usually
everybody! Most often, the protagonist is forced into this conflict, and comes out of it as a hero,
or even a king. This is one version of the world’s most universal and compelling plot—the
‘monomyth’ described by the great thinker Joseph Campbell.
 Examples: Beowulf, Harry Potter, and Star Wars.
b. Rags to Riches:
This story can begin with the protagonist being poor or rich, but at some point, the protagonist will
have everything, lose everything, and then gain it all back by the end of the story, after
experiencing great personal growth.
Examples: The Count of Monte Cristo, Cinderella, and Jane Eyre.
 TYPES OF PLOT
c. The Quest:
The protagonist embarks on a quest involving travel and dangerous adventures in order to find treasure or
solve a huge problem. Usually, the protagonist is forced to begin the quest but makes friends that
help face the many tests and obstacles along the way. This is also a version of Campbell’s monomyth.
Examples: The Iliad, The Lord of the Rings, and Eragon

d. Voyage and Return:

The protagonist goes on a journey to a strange or unknown place, facing danger and adventures along the
way, returning home with experience and understanding. This is also a version of the monomyth.
Examples:
Alice in Wonderland, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Wizard of Oz
 TYPES OF PLOT
e. Comedy:
A happy and fun character finds a happy ending after triumphing over difficulties and adversities.
Examples: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Home Alone
f. Tragedy:
The protagonist experiences a conflict which leads to very bad ending, typically death.
Examples: Romeo and Juliet, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Macbeth
g. Rebirth:
The protagonist is a villain who becomes a good person through the experience of the story’s conflict.
Examples: The Secret Garden, A Christmas Carol, The Grinch
THEME
 The theme is the universal message about truth or life that is communicated by a literary
work
 Life lesson
 Meaning
 Moral
 Message about life or human nature

 Theme is NOT just one word like “love,” or “happiness”

 Theme is expressed in at least one sentence:

 Money can’t buy happiness
 It is better to die free than live under tyranny
HOW DO WE FIND THE THEME?
 Sometimes explicit (directly stated)

 Most often in fiction, the theme is implicit (hinted at or suggested)

 Themes can be inferred through:

 Metaphors
 Similes
 Personification
 Imagery
 Tone of voice
 Symbols
TIPS FOR IDENTIFYING THE THEME
 Look closely at the title for clues

 Look for ideas that are repeated more than once

 Look for lessons that the character(s) learns

 Think about what happens in the story and how it can apply to real
life