For this target, with ALL texts you will need to:

• Identify the text's genre, features, and structures

  • • • fiction

        • • structure, plot (plot development, plotline types, archetypal plots, plot terminology- conflicts, point of view, others), setting, characters (ways to describe them & character archetypes)

      • non-fiction

        • • features, structures, and types of non-fiction

      • poetry

        • • features, overall structures, and common poetic structures

      • drama

        • • features, features specific to drama, common types of drama

• Identify the overall tone

• Identify the theme/main idea/author's purpose (link goes to analysis page)

• Explain (Analyze) WHY/HOW the text structures, features, and tone support the theme/main idea/purpose

There are 4 overarching genres, but there are many under each one:

• Fiction

  • • • Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy (High/Low), Fairy Tale, Tall Tale, Legend, Myth, Fable, Comic, Short Story, etc.

• Non-Fiction

  • • • (Auto)Biography, Informational/Technical, Persuasive/Opinion, Article, Essay, Speech, Letter, etc.

• Drama

  • • • Historical Drama, Tragedy, Comedy, etc.

• Poetry

  • • • Lyrics, Ode, Elegy, Sonnet, Narrative, Epic, Ballad, Dramatic, etc.

When looking at the structure of a fiction text, think about how the author separates and organizes information, events, and ideas.

Structural Choices

• • • Chapters

    • Sections

    • Parts

    • Flashback/Flash Forward

    • Page/Section Breaks

Overall Structures

• • • Allegory- a story that represents another idea or event

    • Chronological- in order of time

    • Circular- the story ends when it began

    • Flashback- "flashes" back to the past during a story

    • Flashforward- "flashes" forward to the future during a story

    • Frame Story- starting at the end and flashing back to tell the whole story

    • In media res (starting in the middle)- starting in the middle of a story

    • Interactive- the reader makes choices that lead to alternate storylines/endings

    • Linear- the story does not break the timeline

    • Non-linear/Fractured- the story does not appear in the order of the timeline; it jumps around

    • Parallel: 2 or more storylines are tied together through event, character, or theme

    • Vignettes- small stories that may make up a larger one

***Consider if the story is plot-driven (focused on what is happening usually action) or character-driven (focused on what the character feels/changes/does)***

Plotline types

• The basic plotline includes an exposition, a rising action, climax, and a falling action leading to the resolution. This is just one simple story line.

• Some plotlines have the conflict leading to the climax, but the climax is also a resolution for the conflict. For example, Romeo and Juliet’s suicides have all three qualifiers of a climax, but it also ends the problem of them falling in love.

• Other plotlines have one major conflict in the text, but that problem leads to two or more storylines that may or may not reintersect. For example, in Independence Day, the alien invasion is the catalyst that results in various reactions from several groups. (They also unite to have the same resolution.)

• Another plotline follows a variety of characters, conflicts, and plotlines. There are multiple introductions of conflicts that each reach a climax and resolution and may or may not reintersect with the other plot lines. For example, soap operas follow the same characters as they all interact and create conflict, find solutions, reach climaxes, and reintroduce conflict with different subgroups.

Archetypal Patterns in Plot

Plotline terminology

Conflicts

• Man vs. Man: The hero’s conflict is with another person/like character. This is an external conflict.

• Man. vs. Self: The hero’s conflict is with him/her self. This is an internal conflict.

• Man. vs. Nature: The hero’s conflict is with nature and its elements. This can either be an external conflict (ex: weather) or an internal one (ex: instinct).

• Man. vs. Supernatural: The hero’s conflict is with a god, demigod, or other paranormal/supernatural being. This can be an external conflict (ex: god) or an internal one (ex: belief/faith in).

• Man. vs. Society: The hero’s conflict is with a group of people and their beliefs, or the governing body of that group. This can be an external conflict (ex: government) or an internal one (ex: beliefs differing).

• Man. vs. Technology: The hero’s conflict is with technological advances. This is usually an external conflict.

Point of View

• 1st person: A narrator/speaker that is also a character in the story/poem (uses “I”). The benefits of 1st person point of view are:

  • • • • • Audience connects on a deeper level with narrator

          • “Truth” is inferred since it is from only one perspective

          • Makes the plights of the narrator more emotional and authentic, which can invoke more reaction

• 2nd person: The narrator/speaker speaks to the audience (uses “you”). The benefits of 2nd person point of view are:

  • • • • • Audience feels like they are part of the conflict

          • “Truth” is inferred since it is from only one perspective

          • Makes the plights of the narrator the plights of the audience, which can invoke more action

• 3rd person: The narrator/speaker is NOT part of the story/poem (uses he, she, it, they).

  • • • 3rd person limited: The narrator/speaker only follows one or two character's thoughts and actions. The benefits to 3rd person limited are:

        • • • • Audience has limited connection to the character

              • “Truth” is mostly explicit, but can still be hazy since it is from only one perspective

              • Allows audience to disconnect and think more about the conflict/character

      • 3rd person omniscient: The narrator/speaker knows all the character's thought and actions. The benefits to 3rd person omniscient are:

        • • • • Audience has limited connection to the characters

              • “Truth” is explicit and audience gets multiple versions of its

              • Allows audience to disconnect and think more about the bigger picture

***NOTE: Do not confuse the narrator/speaker with the author. Sometimes they are the same; other times, the author creates a persona to tell their story in order to advance their overall message/purpose/theme.

Other Terms that Affect Theme/Purpose/Main Idea

• Foreshadowing: An event that occurs in the story that helps the reader predict future happenings

• Prior Knowledge: The information and experiences the reader has and applies to the text to make conclusions about the plot and characters

• Indirect Characterization: The conclusions made about a character based on their actions, thoughts, words, appearance, and what others think/say of them

• Direct Characterization: The information gained about a character from direct and explicit information from the narrator and/or author

• Implicit Information: Information gathered by inferencing and hints from the text through tone, prior knowledge, and other implied sources

• Explicit Information: Information given to the reader directly by the narrator and/or author

• Expository: Writing with the purpose of explaining a topic objectively

• Narrative: Writing to tell a story that may be fiction or non-fiction

• Persuasive: Writing to convince the audience about one side of an argument

• Descriptive/Spacial: Writing to create an image for the audience

• Narrator: Person or character who tells a prose story

• Speaker: Person or character from which a poem is written

The setting in a written work can be incredibly important to the author’s main idea, purpose, and theme, especially in fiction, drama, and folklore. The setting is chosen to enhance the meaning of the piece and tells the reader a lot about the author’s intentions, life experiences, and culture. Some things to consider when looking at the setting are the society and culture, historical period, geographical location, and time frame.

Some questions to think about when talking about setting include:

• How does the setting affect the plot line? conflict? climax? resolution?

• How does the setting affect the characters?

• What commentary is the author making using the setting?

You also want to consider:

• Is this the same setting as the author lives in or has experienced? If so, how is the setting portrayed (negative, positive) or how does it support the main idea/purpose/theme of the text?

• Is the setting different from what the author lives in, has experienced, or is real? If so, why did they choose that setting? What commentary is the author making by choosing this setting? Is the author making a parallel or comparison to something they have experienced or is real?

Characterizing Characters

We learn about characters in a variety of ways, but not every author uses all of them for all the characters. Which way does this author show the reader about a certain character?

Direct/Explicit Characterization- description or information we learn about a character that is given to us by a narrator (spelled out- no inferences)

Indirect/Implicit Characterization- description or information we assume/infer about a character through hints/evidence in the text. Just STEAL your judgments.

• Say- what does the character say out loud? What does that say about them?

• Think- what does the character think inside their head? The other characters would not hear these.

• Effect on Others- what do other characters think/react to this character?

• Action- what does this character DO?

• Looks- what does this character look like? Dress like? Facial Expressions, gestures, etc?

Ways to Describe Characters

When you want to describe a character, it can be hard to come up with the words. Remember, all descriptions should be backed by text, but this list might help you find the best word to describe the characters in your reading.

Literary Character Archetypes

Characters often are archetypes, the literary term stereotypes. You know a character is an archetype when you have seen similar looks, actions, and thoughts in characters from other texts. These archetypes are ways you can make judgments about a character before really getting to know them. The author might include these archetypes, knowing you will make certain judgments and predictions, in order to save time, or in order to make a change later that provides commentary about the way we judge others.

Positive Character Archetypes:

• Hero/Heroine: The protagonist who is often on a journey (can be physical or emotional) to discover something important. During the course of the journey, he/she demonstrates the qualities and abilities valued by his/her culture.

• Caretaker: A male or female character who is always looking out for the best interests of others. This person is consistent and trustworthy.

• Comedic Relief: brings comedy to tense situations. They often relieve the protagonist from stress.

• Earth Mother: A female character who is seen as a maternal leader. She is in touch with the earth and often seeks guidance from nature before making decisions. She may use natural substances to heal others.

• Faithful Companion: This character is often right by the hero’s side. He/she helps the hero achieve his/her goals. They provide emotional support and keep the hero headed in the right direction even when things get difficult.

• Friendly Beast: a beast on the side of the hero shows that nature sides most often with the forces of good

• Initiate: young heroes or heroines who go through training; usually innocent and wear white

• Innocent: Male or female character who is has little experience in the world when the story begins and is exposed to sometimes harsh lessons before the story ends.

• Jester: Character who is funny who plays tricks or tells jokes

• Lover: A character who is motivated by love only

• Loyal Retainer: somewhat like servants to the hero who are heroic themselves; their duty is to protect the hero and reflect the nobility of the hero; they are expendable

• Loyal Wife: A wife that stands beside her husband with support

• Maiden: Has the qualities of the male hero: individualistic, intellectual, and independent. She Unhappy with the status quo and therefore, assertive and proactive. She is rejecting of the suitor (at least initially)

• Mentor/Sage: teacher or counselor to a hero or initiate figure; often are father or mother figures to the hero or heroine. They pass along crucial knowledge that inspires the hero/initiate to success.

• Platonic Ideal: figure of opposite sex who provides intellectual stimulation for the hero; She/he is not physically attracted to him/her

• Princess: often a hero in the story, but also can be the catalyst for the battle a male hero is fighting. At some point, this character needs saved.

• Rugged Individualist: Similar to the misfit/rebel, this character also does not follow the rules set by society, but the rugged individualist has a moral purpose for going against the grain.

• Rebel: Character who defies the status quo and encourages others to join their cause

• Sidekick: a loyal companion of the hero. Usually second-in-command, but inherently is responsible for helping the hero to win the battle and overcome an obstacle.

• White Goddess: Good, beautiful maiden that usually would make an ideal marriage partner. Typically, she will have religious or intellectual overtones.

• Wise Man/Woman: Character who sees the world impartially and imparts wisdom on the hero. Usually very old.

Neutral Character Archetypes:

• Adam: the first man of a culture

• Creator: one who creates such as an artist or musician

• Curious Woman: a woman who defies an order in the sake of curiosity. Usually leads to a downfall of humanity

• Damsel in Distress: A vulnerable female character who must be rescued by the hero. She may also be used as a trap by an evil figure to ensnare the hero.

• Eve: the first woman of a culture

• Evil Figure with Good Heart: A villainous or evil character that has potential to be good. The love of the hero usually saves this person.

• Explorer: Usually a male who spends time traveling and/or conquering

• Father Sky: A deity who is responsible for the sky and usually creating the earth and ruling other gods.

• Herald: announces the challenge which begins the hero on his story journey by upsetting the equilibrium in which the hero has lived.

• Magician: a visionary; someone who is intuitive and understands/knows secrets. Usually makes his/her own destiny

• Omnipotent/Omniscient Being: Deity who is all powerful and all knowing.

• Orphan: One who grows up without parents for any reason. Usually defies the odds and is a self-made man.

• Outcast/ Outsider/ Misfit: This character is shunned by society because he/she is different.

• Ruler: A character who controls others. Usually a king or dictator

• Scapegoat: This person ends up taking the blame for something he/she did not do.

• Shapeshifter: a character that transforms from good to evil or evil to good in a story. The character, of the same or opposite sex, can transform deceptively behind the protagonist’s back and catches the heroic character off guard.

• Threshold Guardian: Tests the hero’s courage and worthiness to begin the journey.

• Trophy Wife: a wife that is beautiful, quiet, and obedient. A symbol for what a culture wants in women.

Negative Character Archetypes:

• Arch Nemesis: character who is the hero’s worst enemy; usually the hero cannot fight without his/her presence

• Black Goddess: brings about the hero’s downfall usually because he is physically attracted to her; often times she can be magical

• Bully: character who initiates problems and makes other people feel bad about themselves

• Creature of Nightmare: animal or creature disfigured or mutated; monsters who are the antagonists in the story

• Devil Figure: evil incarnate; offers worldly goods, fame, or knowledge to the hero in exchange for possession of the soul

• Evil Beast: a beast that opposes the hero. Usually depicted as a monster or deformity of nature.

• Nagging Wife: wife who emasculates her husband and demeans him

• Possessive/Controlling Man: husband or lover who treats women badly and as possessions (more than the status quo of a culture) usually because of his own insecurity

• Shadow: A worthy opponent (animal or psychological) with whom the hero must struggle in a fight to the end. Must be destroyed or neutralized.

• Temptress: This character is typically female. She is characterized by sensuous beauty. Her physical attraction may bring about the hero’s downfall.

• Trickster: Characters who trick and manipulate others to get them to do what he/she wants; can be loveable characters, but can also be on the side of the villain.

• Unfaithful Wife: A woman married to a man that she sees as dull or distant. She is attracted to more virile or interesting men.

• Villain: The antagonist who is always in opposition to the hero.

Modern/Pop Culture Archetypes:

• Age Groups

  • • • Mean/Rude Elder: significantly older than the rest of the community, but looks at younger generations as a burden and incompetent; not afraid to speak their mind and be rude

      • Sweet Elder: character who makes people feel comfortable, is easy to talk to, and is significantly older than most in the community

• Money/Status

  • • • Corrupt official/politician: self-motivated under the guise of public service; underhanded

      • Greedy Business(wo)man: career oriented, driven by money; usually at the detriment to family, friends, and/or personal relationships

• Gender Based

  • • • Bachelor: male character who refuses to get married; usually dates younger, attractive women

      • Cougar: older woman who looks for younger, attractive romantic partners

      • Independent Woman: female who does not rely on a partner or caretakers for security; driven and motivated

• Intelligence and/or Awareness

  • • • Ditz: Side character who says and acts stupidly; Comedic relief

      • Naïve person: gullible and trusting, not expecting others to betray them or able to see possible problems

      • Nerd: intelligent and academic, who share their passions with a like-minded group; unpopular with others outside their group

• Intimacy/Relationships

  • • • BAE: main love interest of a character who is a priority in their life

      • BFF: companions (usually female) who are extremely close and are a priority to each other

      • Bromance: Two males whose friendship is so strong and connected, they act like brothers/lovers

      • Golddigger: (usually female) engages in a romantic relationship with rich partners for security

      • Player: (usually male) is charming and desirable, but unwilling to be monogamous and usually breaks hearts along the way

      • Sugar Daddy/Mama: older character who provides monetary security and luxuries/presents for a younger, attractive romantic partner

• Authority

  • • • Absent Parent: parent/authority figure who is neglectful and not available either physically or emotionally

      • “Cool” Parent: parent/authority figure who is relaxed about rules

      • Helicopter Parent: parent/authority figure who is unwilling to let their child make mistakes or get hurt; usually at the detriment of their kid’s development

      • Strict Parent: parent/authority figure who has a expansive set of rules and expectations, usually unobtainable, that hands out punishment quickly and harshly

• Children/Teenagers

  • • • Geek: (usually male) unpopular; usually physically weak

      • Girl/Boy Next Door: loyal, low-key, sweet character who is often overlooked romantically (friend zone) even though they would make a superior partner

      • Jock: (usually male) attractive and athletic, but not so academically inclined

      • Prom Queen/King: popular, beautiful girl/boy who everyone likes and wants to be like

      • Queen Bee: popular, beautiful girl who is superior and usually mean to others

      • Rebel Child: This character was raised in a strict environment and is now acting out against their caretakers/authority figures

      • Sheltered youth: younger person who has been raised in a strict environment and not been exposed to the realities and hardships of life

• Passions/Jobs/Other:

  • • • Enlightened one: philosophical and wise; others come to for advice; not afraid to go against the crowd

      • Fanatic Believer: excessively involved in their religion so that it encompasses every aspect of their life- usually judges those who do not believe/act the way they do

      • Fashionista: (usually female) enjoys fashion trends and is always put together

      • Hippie: cares about the environment and taking care of their fellow human

      • Reformed Sinner: character who has changed their ways for the better and now judges those who still act that way

      • Techie: naturally an expert on technology, usually very smart

Text Features as Part of the Text

Titles, subtitles, headings, and sub-headings are all part of the actual text, used to make the organization of the information in a text explicit. Most textbook publishers, as well as informational text publishers, use these features to make the content easier to understand.

• Titles- The chapter titles in informational texts usually prepare the student to understand the text.

• Subtitles- Subtitles usually immediately follow the title and organize the information into sections. Titles and subtitles often provide the structure for an outline.

• Headings- Headings usually begin a subsection after a subtitle. There are multiple headings for each section. They usually lay out the major points made by the author in each section.

• Subheading- Subheadings also help us understand the organization of the thoughts contained in the section and the relationships of the parts. Title, subtitle, headings, and subheadings could be used to create guided notes, as they are pivotal parts of the author's organization of the text.

• Table of Contents- Works of fiction seldom have tables of content, whereas works of nonfiction almost always do. At the beginning of the book, they include the titles of chapters as well as subtitles and page numbers.

• Glossary- Found at the back of the book, the glossary provides definitions of special words within the text. Publishers often place words to be found in the back in boldface. Sometimes the definitions are found adjacent to the text, but always in the glossary.

• Index- Also in the back of the book, the index identifies where topics can be found, in alphabetical order.

Features That Support the Content

The internet has given us a rich and easily accessible source of images, but they are still incredibly important in understanding the content of information non-fiction texts. While not actually "text" it would be foolish to assume that our students understand the relationship between the content and the picture on the same page.

• Illustrations- Illustrations are the product of an illustrator or artist and create an image that helps us better understand the content of the text.

• Photographs- A hundred years ago, photographs were difficult to produce in print. Now, digital media makes it easy to create and recreate photographs in print. Now they are common in informational texts.

• Captions- Captions are printed below the illustrations and photographs and explain what we are seeing.

• Charts and Diagrams- Unlike illustrations, charts and diagrams are created to represent amount, distance, or other information shared in the text. Often they are in the form of graphs, including bar, line, and plot and whisker graphs, as well as pie charts and maps.

Webster, Jerry. "Understanding Text Features in Non-Fiction." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/text-features-in-non-fiction-3111227.

Overall Structures

• • • Chronological Order

      • • • Information is placed in the order in which it actually occurred; from the earliest point in time to the most recent point in time.

          • Words that may indicate you are seeing chronological order are: first, secondly, then, last, next, after, finally, most importantly. References to specific times & dates

    • Sequential Order (Sequence)

      • • • Information is placed in the order in which they occurred without the specific recording of time; a list of steps that explain how-to

          • If you see numbers or bullets listing steps to a process, you might have this organizational pattern

          • ***How to tell the difference between Chronological and Sequential: As long as it is told in order from first to last, a story about the first time you tied your shoes would be chronological b/c it happened on a specific day at a specific time in history, BUT instructions on HOW-TO tie shoes would be sequential b/c it’s not happening at any specific time***

    • Comparison/Contrast

      • • • Information is grouped by similarities and/or differences

          • Words you may see indicating comparison: along the same lines, both, and, just as, just like, equal, even, in common, at the same time, share, similarly, too, also

          • Words you may see indicating contrast: although, and yet, better, but, conversely, despite, differ, either/or, however, instead, on the contrary, on the other hand, regardless, though, whereas

    • Cause/Effect

      • • • Information is explained in terms of WHY an event occurred and WHAT happened as a result

          • Words you will see indicating cause: because, being that, begin with, due to the fact, for the simple reason, gives rise to, if this happens, leads to, now that, when, on account of, since

          • Words you will see indicating effect: all in all, accordingly, as a result of, consequently, because of this, impact, outcome, result, finally, hence, if…then…, follows, therefore, thus, so that

    • Narrative

      • • • Information is explained as a story with characters, setting, conflict, and plot; narrated in 1^st or 3^rd person

          • If you see indications of a plot line (conflict, climax, resolution), the text is narrative

    • Problem/Solution

      • • • Information is explained in terms of why there is a problem and what could help solve the problem

          • Words you will see indicating problem: dilemma, factor, issue, problematic, puzzle, quandary, question, reason, situation

          • Words you will see indicating solution: answer, possibility, proposition, remedy, resolution, solve

    • Description/Spatial

      • • • Information is explained in terms of its different features, characteristics, and location in space, often using examples

          • Words you will see indicating description: for instance, such as, to begin with, for example, to illustrate, characteristics

          • Words you will see indicating spatial: top, bottom, left, right, up, down, next to, in front of, ahead, behind

    • Order of Importance

      • • • Information is explained in order of priority or hierarchy of value; can be from most important to least important OR from least important to most important

          • You might see these words and phrases: most importantly, most of all, best of all, indeed, in fact, truly, certainly, undoubtedly, least important, worst of all

Features Specific to Drama

• Monologue- long speech delivered by one character to the audience or another character

• Soliloquy- a speech where the character is alone, revealing their thoughts or feelings

• Aside- short speech or comment made by a character to the audience or another character that the other characters cannot hear

Common Types of Drama

• Comedy- a play with a happy ending

• Tragedy- a play with a sad ending, usually brought about by a flaw (tragic flaw) in the character

• Satire- poking fun of something

• Melodrama- plot with exaggerated problems and characters to build suspense and engagement

The tone, or attitude, of a text is the feeling the author creates when writing. It is often confused with mood, which is the feeling the reader has. Remember, the author can only control the tone, but they may be able to influence the reader's response (mood) if their writing style is strong. Use the following list to help you pick the most specific adjective to describe the author's tone.