Novels -Art of Reading [ 5 ]

5- ] Art of Reading .

 Novels .

Like other fiction , a novel has a plot , characters and setting . But because a novel is longer than a short story , it can be more complex and detailed .

1-] Setting :  It is the time and place in which the events occur . It is generally presented near the opening . A novel can have several , different settings – times and places where the action happens .

2-] Characters :  They are what drives the action of a novel . The length of a novel can allow the reader to get to know the major characters very well .

The exposition :  It includes information that introduces the characters , setting and situation . It starts a problem or conflict . A novel usually has a main plot that continues throughout the book . It can also have a number of subplots . Each plot and subplot ha several main parts .

The climax :  It is the time of greatest interest or suspense . Rising action adds to the conflict .

Falling action :  It is what happens after the climax .

Resolution :   It tells how every thing turns out .

Nonfiction :  It is a term that applies to many types of writing . Biography , autobiography , memories , essays , letters , travel-goes , and feature articles ,

Drama , Legends - Art of Reading [ 4 ]

4- ] Art of Reading 

Drama .

Drama is all around you . Television shows – from soap operas to cartoons to crime stories are drama . Movies at the theater art at home are drama . Skits and plays performed at school are drama . Even advertisements on television or radio can be drama .

A drama also called a play , is a story meant to be performed or acted for an audience . Drama may be brief or long .

Kinds of Drama :

1-] Television comedy -] Soap opera 3-] Television serious show  4-] made-for-TV movie 5-] recording of a movie played on a TV 6-] radio broadcast of a play of show 7-] movie at the theater 8-] skit performed in school 9-] play on stage .

The Elements of Drama :

Like novels and short stories , dramas have a plot , a setting and characters .

The printed version of a drama is called a script . The script usually begins with the cast of characters .

The audience follows the story line and learns about the characters through dialogue or lines spoken by the characters .

The cast of characters is a list of all characters in the play . It sometimes tells who they are .

The protagonist is the main character of the play . The actions of the protagonist set the play in motion .

The antagonist is any character or force that stands in the way of the protagonist . The antagonist can be someone or something . The conflict between these two opposite forces is what makes a drama or any good story exciting and suspenseful .

Blank Verse :  Shakespeare wrote much of his plays in blank verse which is a form of unrhymed poetry that has [ five ] beats per line . In each line of blank verse , you will hear five pairs or syllables . The stress or emphasis falls on the second syllable of every pair .

Irony :  It is a contrast between appearance and reality . In verbal irony a person says one thing and means another .

Allusions :  An allusion is a reference to a person , a place or a thing from history or from a work of literature , music or art . In “I’ve seen the Promised Land” Martin Luther King makes many historical and biblical allusions . Even the title of his speech contains an allusion to the Bible .

Soliloquy :  It is a long speech given by a character – typically when he/she is alone on stage . It is as if the character were talking to himself or herself.

A soliloquy can teach you a lot about a character because he/ she usually reveals private thoughts and emotions .

An Aside :  It is a comment that a character makes either to another character on stage or to the audience .

Suspense :  It is what makes you feel uneasy or uncertain about what is going to happen next . Writers can build suspense through character’s actions or words .

Legends .

A legend is a traditional story passed down by word of mouth that is believed to be based on historical events and an actual hero . Over the years , most legends become exaggerated .

Some elements of legends :

The setting is a particular place .

Heroism is what makes a legend survive from generation to generation . Sometimes the hero has superhuman strength , character or courage .

The plot is often a loosely connected series of events or heroic deeds .

Characters do the action in the story . Often in legends , the characters are flat , or not well developed .

In tall tales characters have super-human abilities and can do impossible deeds . They are wildly imaginative stories . Often they were passed down  by word of mouth for many years before being written down .

The heroes of tall tales have extra or ordinary traits , for example , they might have superhuman strength or the ability to fly . They might have giant hand or ears or feet allowing them to do amazing deeds .

Poetry , Lyric , Free Verse , Epics , Art of Reading [ 3 ]

3- ] Art of Reading .

Poetry .

These reading strategies will be especially useful , when you read poetry .

Clarify :

Unravel [ paraphrase ] difficult passages by asking yourself “ What is another way of saying this ? Then , read slowly .

Visualize :

As you read , try to picture what the poem is describing .

Listen :

Whether reading aloud to yourself , listen to the sounds the words make . Ask yourself how the sounds fit with the meaning of the poem .

Interpret :

Look beyond the literal meaning of the words and try to find he larger ideas the poet wants to express . Ask yourself what certain symbols might stand for . Look for new connections in similes and metaphors .

Personification :

It is a figure of speech that describes an animal , an object , an idea or a force of nature as if it had human qualities , feelings and characteristics .

Speaker :

The speaker in a poem is the voice that communicates the actions or ideas to the reader . The speaker may be the poet or an invented person , animal or thing .

A Lyric Poem .

A lyric poem might be about an object , a person or an event , but it usually focuses on an emotional experience of the poem’s speaker . Lyric poems are generally short and musical . They often include a variety of sound effects , such as the following :

1-] Repetition :  The repeating of sounds , words , phrases , lines or stanzas .

2-] Rhyme : The repeating of vowel and consonant sounds at the ends of words as in / wood , stood , could .

3-] Rhythm :    The pattern of stressed [ / ] and unstressed [ ˇ ] syllables as in .    /        /           ˇ       /     ˇ   ˇ     /   ˇ         /

       Two roads  diverged  in a   yellow  wood .

What you should do in reading a poem :

 1-] How long is the poem ? 2-] What’s the poem about ? 3-] Name one emotion the speaker experiences . 4-] Name one phrase that is repeated in the poem . 5-] Which words rhyme in the second stanza ? 6-] Mark the stressed and unstressed syllables .

Sound Devices :

Sound devices are techniques that poets and writers use to emphasize sounds . By emphasizing certain sounds , poets can create rhythm , draw attention to particular words , add to the poem’s meaning and set a mood .

There are many types of sound devices such as rhythm , rhyme , alliteration and assonance .

Alliteration :   It is the repetition of sounds at the beginning of words . For example , in the phrase “ madly mowing the lawn midnight” , the [ m ] sound is repeated . It is used to draw attention to certain words and add a rhythmic or musical quality to their work .

Assonance :  It is the repetition of vowel sounds within words . For example , in the sentence “ moving can be soothing , the long o:[ oo]

is emphasized .

Free Verse :

Poetry without a fixed pattern of rhyme , rhythm , line length or stanza arrangement is called free verse . Some poets use the free verse to give their poems the natural realistic rhythms of conversation . Repetition and strong images are often the main poetic devices in free verse poems . The varied line lengths and line breaks are characteristics of free verse .

Example

Desmet , Idaho , March 1969 .

Janet Campbell Hale .

At my father’s wake ,

The old people

                Knew me ,

            Though I

                    Knew them not ,

And spoke to me

In our tribe’s

Ancient tongue ,

Ignoring

The fact

That I

 Don’t speak

 The language

 And so

I listened

As if I understood

What it was all about ,

And ,

Oh,

How it

Stirred me

To hear again

That strange

        Softly

       Flowing

 Native tongue ,

So

Familiar to

My childhood ear .

This poem is one long sentence , which can make the poem difficult to understand .

Epics .

Epic poetry began long before people invented writing . With no books to preserve their myths and legends , people relied upon storytellers to excite these tales from memory , often with musical accompaniment . Some of the most famous epics come from ancient Greece , dating from the period before 700 B.C .

We read epic poems for some of the same reasons that ancient audiences listened to them . They are exciting stories that fill us with wonder and show us examples of strength , intelligence and moral courage . But modern readers get something extra – a glimpse of what people found admirable in times long past . Epics give us clues about what the world was like before people created writing . The Odyssey by Homer is an example of the epic .

The Common Elements Of The Epics :

1-] Epics are long stories with many episodes and written epics often begin with a list of characters .

2-] A heroic central figure undergoes trials and adventures .

3-] The setting is often on a grand scale , spanning a continent or the whole world .

4-] Gods and monsters often play a role and the action is frequently violent .

5-] Epics often begin with an invocation , a plea for inspiration from a guiding spirit . The invocation serves a second purpose : to capture the audience’s attention with highlights of heroic adventures that the poet will later describe in detail .

6-] The action usually begins “ in the middle of things” after important events have already happened .

7-] Epics aim to inspire the listener with examples of human courage shown by someone facing great odds .

8-] In many versions , side notes keyed to line numbers explain difficult words or passages to the reader .

9-] Because epics deal with serious important subjects , they use a formal tone and style .

10-] The quest or pursuit of a goal is a common theme in epic poetry . Odysseus was on a quest to return home .

11-]An epic often includes a list of characters .

An epic simile   It is a simile that is longer than a single line of verse and includes many descriptive details .

Reading Short Stories - Art of Reading [ 2 ]

2- ] Art of Reading .

Reading Short Stories .

The before mentioned reading strategies will be especially useful when you read short stories .

Predict :

Stop every so often to guess what is going to happen next . Then , read to see if the story fits your prediction .

Question :

Ask yourself basic questions and try to answer them : Why did he / she do that ? Where is this scene taking place ? Who is he / she ?

Respond :

It is fun and helpful to put yourself in a story as you read . Would I do that ? What would I like to say to him / her right now ?

Summarize :

Make sure you understand the narrative . Stop every so often to recap what has happened .

Draw Conclusions :

When you draw a conclusion , you put details together to make a general statement about something .

Connect

1-]Great Ideas .

Feel free to borrow ideas from the story .

2-] Lessons Learned .

In a small group , take turns telling something you learned from the story that you can apply to your own family life . Then , work together to write your lessons down as part of a self-help guide .

Literary Element .

Characterization :

The character of …….

1-] What she / he looks like .2-] How she / he acts 3-] What she / he says . 4-] What other characters say about her / him ?

Theme :

It is the central message of a selection . An author might state the theme directly , but more often the theme is implied or hinted at . To discover an implied theme , think about the selection’s plot , characters and setting and ask yourself :What does this story

mean ?

With a small group , come up with four ways to finish the statement in the center of this idea web. Jot your ideas in the outer circles . Discuss the details from the story that support each completed statement . Then , work together to figure out how your four statements are related . What larger message about life do they reveal ? Write that message at the bottom .

Conflict :

Is a struggle between opposing outside forces [ external conflict ]. 1-] Person against person . 2-] Person against nature . 3-] Person against society .  4-] Person against fate .

Internal Conflict :

It is a mental struggle between opposing thoughts or feelings .

Sensory Details .

They are descriptions that appeal to one or more of the five senses . Sensory details make writing come alive by helping readers see , hear , taste , touch or smell what is being described . For example , a writer may describe the wail of a police siren on a pleasant Sunday , helping you to hear , see and feel what is happening in the story .

Foreshadowing :

When an author provides clues that hint at what will happen later in a story , he or she is using foreshadowing . Science fiction writers often use foreshadowing , or clues about future story events to create suspense and excitement as you read .