literally elements-raining gods

7/28/2019 Literally Elements-Raining Gods

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Literary Elements

What parts make up a a story?

Looking For A Rain God


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Story Grammar

Setting

Characters

Plot

Climax

ThemeResolution

Denouement


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Setting

Details that describe:

Furniture

Scenery

Customs

Transportation

Clothing

Dialects

Weather

Time of day

Time of year

Time and place are where the action occurs


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Elements of a Setting

Setting

Place

Atmosphere

Time

History

EraLife

Mood

Weather

Feelings

Word

Choice

Location

Physical

Day

Use as activator to activate prior knowledge. Write

the web on the board or overhead and students

create one at their seats. Then as class share and fill

in.


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The Functions of a Setting

To create a mood or atmosphere

To show a reader a different way of life

To make action seem more real

To be the source of conflict or struggle

To symbolize an idea


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Setting

Setting in a short story refers to the place orgeographical location wherethe story takes place.

Setting also relates to a particular time that is

referred in the story.Setting includes the environment or physical space,the atmosphere or situation that causes an event totake place, and the socio-cultural contexts of the

people involved or portrayed in the story.


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Setting Of The Rain God

The story Looking for A Rain God is set in

the village of Kgotla and the

surrounding areas, Africa. The story is set in

the periods before and after

1958. Before 1958, the land is rich with trees,

flowing plants and vegetation.

Wild figs and berries are available to beplucked as and when the needs

arise.


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Elements of Character

Character

Main

Flat

Minor

Not Fully

Developed

FriendsRelativesFully

Developed

Protagonist

AntagonistCo-Main

Enemy


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Types of Characters

People or animals

Major charactersMinor characters

Round characters

Flat characters


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Characterization A writer reveals what a character is like and

how the character changes throughout thestory.

Factors in Analyzing Characters

Physical appearance of character Personality

Background/personal history

Motivation Relationships

Conflict

Does character change?


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Characters

The main character in the short story is

Mokgobja who is than seventy years

old. The other characters (minor) are:

- Ramadi

- Tiro

- Nesta

- Neo

- Boseyong


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Mokgobja

- authoritative

- emotional/sensitive- impractical ( believes in dogmaticpractices)- unwise

- irresponsible- irrational- insistent- determined

- selfish, self-centred- disillusioned- inhuman


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Ramadi

- unrealistic/impractical (down-to-earth)

- disheartened- conspirator/ accomplice (in murdering the two

children)

- inhuman- irrational

- determined

- sensitive

- desperate

- easily to be convinced or influenced


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Tiro

- unsympathetic- impractical

- inhuman

- unwise

- not assertive, emotional

- disillusioned

- determine

- guilt-conscious- easily to be convinced or influence


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Nesta

- unsympathetic- impractical

- inhuman, conspirator in murder

- unwise- not assertive/ follows blindly/ emotional

- disillusioned/ feels despair/ feels desperate

- determined

- selfish, self-centred

- easily to be convinced or influenced


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Neo and Boseyong

- innocent, nave- playful

- childish

- happy

- excited

- obedient- living in their own child-world


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PlotPlot is what happens and how ithappens in a narrative. A

narrative is any work that tells astory, such as a short story, anovel, a drama, or a narrative

poem.


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Parts of a Plot

Inciting incident event that gives rise toconflict (opening situation)

Development- events that occur as result of

central conflict (rising action)Climax- highest point of interest or

suspense of story

Resolution- when conflict ends

Denouement- when characters go back totheir life before the conflict


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Diagram of Plot

Inciting incident/

Opening situation

Introduction

Climax

Denouement


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Special Techniques of Plot

Suspense- excitement or tension

Foreshadowing- hint or clue about what willhappen in story

Flashback- interrupts the normal sequence ofevents to tell about something that happenedin the past

Surprise Ending- conclusion that reader doesnot expect


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PlotExposition

The story unfolds with the description of the land

which is fertile and rich before 1958. The people

enjoy the fertile land and water is available at

various places for them to quench their thirst. The

land is filled with trees,

flowing plants and vegetations. Wild figs and berries

are available to be plucked as and when the needsarise. But all this changes after 1958, as a seven-year

drought hits the land.


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The landscape, which looks green and fertile,

changes forms to become an open dry-land

and the places providing water vanish.Theland transforms into thorny bushes, withering

trees and the grounds are barren. The seven

year drought changes everything, rain

becomes a rarity.


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The Rising Action StageThe people experience the real torture of drought.

With no rain the air becomes dry and moisture-less,

burning the skin. There is no way of escaping from the

intense heat. The people hope for a good down pour,

butonly slight rain comes in November. It helps loosen up

the earth and then the rain is gone. The sun is cruel and

each day passes with the sun sucking up the moisture

from the earth and leaves it moisture-less. Mokgobja,Ramadi, Tiro and Nesta are affected by the prolonged

dry spell.


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They feel despair and become desperate with

the fear of starvation and the rain not falling.The emotional intensity builds and the

womenfolk let out the signs of coming to their

breaking-point. The men are affected by the

wailing and actions of the two women

Mokgobja recalls an ancient act to make the rain

fall. He manages to

convince the others of the effect of the ritualand rain will fall. The others agree with him.


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Conflict Conflict is a struggle between opposing forces

Every plot must contain some kind of conflict

Stories can have more than one conflict

Conflicts can be external or internal

External conflict- outside force may be person, group,animal, nature, or a nonhuman obstacle

Internal conflict- takes place in a characters mind

Conflict in the story

They perform the ritual and the two children are

sacrificed. Their bodies are spread across the

land.


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Falling action stageThere is still no rain. At night there is total

silence. During the day, the sun reigns to blaze

and devour heat. The family decides to return to

the village. The villagers suspect something is

wrong as the two girls are missing. Thefamily tells them that the two girls have died.

However, the villagers are not convinced.The

police question the family members. Themother of the two children is not able to hold

on any more and tells the truth. They have

sacrificed the two little girls to the rain god.


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Ending

Ramadi and Mokgobja are both charged and

sentenced to death for committing ritual murder.

They have to face the consequences of their

actions.


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Theme

A central message, concern, or insightinto life expressed through a literarywork

Can be expressed by one or twosentence statement about humanbeings or about life

May be stated directly or implied

Interpretation uncovers the theme


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Humanity

Humanity is about caring for one another, andprotecting the innocent from troubles anddangers. Humanity is against the killing of

children or any person. Human sacrifice is thething of the past and is not practical in moderntimes, as there is law and order. Moreover, it is

morally and legally wrong to kill someone.

Human rights and laws provide for theprotection of children and individuals. There isno excuse to kill others in the name of sacifice.


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Life is precious

The theme also deals with suicide and tribal

murder.The moral issue on the life is no one has

the right to take his or her life.Life is the gift of

the God and it is precious.In the story,two men

murder two kids in the ritual to please the rain

god.The value of life is discussed as a theme in

the story.

Theme


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Moral ValuesIt is important to be practical and act rationally .

The story teaches us to be practical and learn to solveproblems carefully.There is a need for us to berealistic in life. It is important for a person to beable to handle situations even under trying

conditions. This is the reality ofliving in a society. Inthe story, the adults are not practical and actirrationally. They think it is fine to kill the twoinnocent children. Mokgobja is over seventy years oldand decides to take the lives of the two children tomake the rain fall and for the adults to continueliving. There is a need forus to find solutions to problems by thinking rationallyand practically.


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It is important to appreciate the gift of life

The story teaches us to appreciate the gift of life. The giftof life is divine. As humans we have a moral obligation toprotect life and not to end it bycommitting suicide. It is also against the law to take oneslife or to kill others. In the story, two innocent and

precious lives are lost because of an irrational act ofsacrificing children. It is also a brutal act. Life is tooprecious. Mokgobja and Ramadi are sentenced to deathfor murdering the two children. The sentence is a sternreminder to others that it is against thelaw to carry out cold blooded murder in the pretext oftribal customs, rituals and cultural practices. The storyteaches us to appreciate the gift of life.


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Language

The writer uses a narrative style to tell the

story. The writer uses the narrative style to

share the experiences the characters

undergo. The writer uses language and

other literary elements or devices

effectively. The other literary devices or

elements are imagery, symbolism, irony andfigurative language


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IMAGERY

Imagery is chosen words or phrases thatinvolve our five senses. These words andphrases give us a picture-like experience inour mind. The writer also uses words that

work on the five senses of the readers. Thisprovides a

wholesome experience to the readers. InLooking for a Rain God the sense of sight,

the sense of hearing and the sense of touch,are clearly notable through the use of words

and phrase.


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Sense of hearing

The writer uses words and phrases that refer

to sound such as rain, hear the proclamation,

insect singing, rustling, chattered, soft tones,

scolded, high- pitched wailing, low mournful

note, frenzy, whispering, deathly silence,

murmur, and broke down. These words make

the readers experience the events in the storyin specific contexts.


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THE END

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