Notes
Structure
- Stories can be chronological or nonlinear. Nonlinear tools include in medias res, flashback, flash-forward, frame narratives and parallel plots.
- Pacing comes from choosing scene (slow, moment by moment) or summary (fast). Time skips jump over events.
- Endings can be closed, open, circular or a twist.
Point of view
- First person (I) gives intimacy but one biased view. Second person (you) is rare.
- Third limited follows one mind; third omniscient knows many; third objective shows only actions and speech.
- Always ask what the point of view reveals and what it hides.
Narrators and voice
- An unreliable narrator cannot be fully trusted because of bias, ignorance, madness or lies. A naive narrator misunderstands what readers see.
- Voice is the personality of narration. Free indirect discourse blends a character's thoughts into third-person narration.
Topics in this unit
Each topic has its own short notes and practice.
Practice
The pronoun "you" places the reader in the action.
The epic begins in the middle of Odysseus's journey.
His actions contradict his claim, so his account cannot be trusted.
Only Marco's thoughts are shown, in third person.
Ending where it began creates a circular structure.
Detailed scene slows time and builds tension.
Free response
Write your answer first, then open the scoring guide.
Free-response question
Read this original passage: "My brother says I ruined the trip. That's not true. All I did was forget the map, and the car keys, and the tent. Anyway, the bears were his idea. Mom still won't talk about it, which is fine, because I didn't do anything wrong."
(a) Identify the point of view and explain how you know.
Show the answer and scoring guide
The passage is first person. The narrator uses "I," "my" and "me," telling events from inside his own perspective.
Check off the points you earned:
(b) Is the narrator reliable? Support your answer with two details.
Show the answer and scoring guide
The narrator is unreliable. He denies ruining the trip, yet admits forgetting "the map, and the car keys, and the tent." His mother "still won't talk about it," which suggests something serious happened that he refuses to take responsibility for.
Check off the points you earned:
(c) Explain how this point of view creates humor.
Show the answer and scoring guide
Because we only hear the narrator's defensive version, readers can see the gap between what he claims ("I didn't do anything wrong") and what he admits. The reader enjoys understanding more than the narrator does, which makes his excuses funny.
Check off the points you earned: