Literary Response and Analysis

CAHSEE

F.L.T

Today, I will be able to…• read and understand stories, poems, plays,

and essays• analyze common literary devices and

figurative languages in texts• identify character traits, conflicts, and

relationships, and analyze patterns and themes– So that I can pass the CAHSEE.

What is this strand all about…

• There are about _______ multiple-choice questions. It is the _______ tested strand on the CAHSEE.

• The questions will measure your _____________________________ and _____________________ skills.

• You will read passages that are followed by a series of ____ to ____ multiple choice _______________.

• Some of these skills are more ________________________ than other.

• For example, some questions may simply ask you the _________ idea, while others will ask you the meaning of particular _________________________ or ___________________ in a passage.

20

analyticalcomprehension

most

3 6 questions

difficult

main

metaphor symbol

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Personification

Definition: To give an animal, object, or idea characteristics that are considered _________

Example: The branches groaned under the weight of the snow.

Meaning: The author has given the tree the human ability to groan.

human

Metaphor

Definition: A word or phrase that compares two different things, but does not use the words like or as

Example: The toddler was a tornado, ripping and tearing through the house.

Meaning: The author compares the toddler to a ______________.tornado

Simile

Definition: A phrase that compares two things using the words like or as

Example: The discarded umbrella lay crumpled _______ a dead bat.

Meaning: The author compares an umbrella to a bat, using the word like.

like

Symbol

Definition: An object that stands for something with greater meaning, often an abstract concept

Example: She gave her heart to him and he cast it aside.

Meaning: Heart is a symbol of devoted __________. love

Let’s examine the following figurative language questions.

1. In this line from poem, the word whispered suggests that the wind is-

The wind whispered its secret to me…

A. A. a movement of air.B. a small gust.C. a person.D. a scent.

Reasoning for your answer:

2. What is the meaning of the phrase class clown in the following sentence?

Mike was the class clown, always telling a joke or a silly story in science homeroom.

A. Mike was a toy doll.B. Mike was a circus performer.C. Mike was a funny person.D. Mike was the school mascot.

Reasoning for your answer:

3. Which sentence is an example of a simile?

A. The waves were rough and frightening.

B. The waves turned into a frothing, mad fury.

C. The waves became angry and threatening.

D. The waves were like grabbing, violent hands.

• Reasoning for your answer:

4. What kind of figure of speech does the writer use to help us visualize the mob?

The large mob swarmed the state capitol like angry bees.

A. metaphorB. simileC. idiomD. symbol Reasoning for your answer:

5. In the passage, what do pineapples symbolize to the narrator?

I always look forward to summer when pineapples are fresh and ripe. After I take a bite of pineapple, I always remember the first time I tried pineapple with my parents while on vacation as a young child.

A. warm weather B. the grocery produce sectionC. a childhood memoryD. backyard barbecues

Reasoning for your answer:

Elements of Fiction

• You need to be able to identify the tools such as plot, _______________, characters, narrator, and _______________in works of literature.

conflict

setting

Plot

The sequence of _____________________ that make up a story.

• Exposition: ______________________________________

• _____________________: the conflict begins.

• Climax: _________________________________________

• ______________________: the conflict begins to get resolved.

• Resolution: ______________________________________

events

Setting; characters are introduced

Rising Action

the height of the action

Falling Action

How the story ends

Conflict

• A ___________ that the main character faces in a story.

Types of conflict:

– Character vs. Character– Character vs. Self– Character vs. Nature/Technology– Character vs. Society

challenge

Plot Chart: Babysitting Adventure

Exposition:

Rising Action:

Climax:

Falling Action:

Resolution:

Plot & Conflict questionsWhich of the following BEST explains

Darius and Jose’s problem in the story?

A. They needed money to get hockey equipment.

B. Their brothers and sisters started to get out of control.

C. Jose’s parents didn’t trust them.D. They didn’t have any confidence

in themselves.

Reasoning for your answer:

Which of the following is the BEST inference of what will happen next?

A. Darius and Jose raise enough money to buy their brothers and sisters new hockey equipment.

B. Their brothers and sisters start to get out of control again.

C. Jose’s parents are proud of Jose for his hard work.

D. Jose and Darius’s parents ask the boys to babysit again.

Reasoning for your answer:

Setting

The time and _______ that a story takes place.

Which of the following BEST describes the setting of “Babysitting Adventure”?

A. a school cafeteriaB. a suburban homeC. an isolated farmhouseD. a restaurant Reasoning for your answer:

place

Character• Those who participate in

a ______________.

• The main characters are also called _________ .

• The secondary characters are called __________________.

• Protagonist: the character who faces the main _________and is involved in the climax and resolution of the story.

• Subordinate: all the __________ characters.

• Who are the protagonists in “Babysitting Adventure”?

a story

protagonist

subordinate

conflict

other

Character Motivation

Definition: each main character in a story has ______________for his or her actions. They are often motivated by their own ______________ and _________________ with other characters.

reasons

relationshipsconflicts

Character Motivation

INTERNAL MOTIVATION

A character may be _________by his goals or ______________ conflicts

External MotivationA character may also be motivated

by the actions of the ________ characters in the story.

To determine a character’s motivation, you may want to ask yourself the following questions:

– What is the character’s goal?– Why is the character acting that

way?– What is the character reacting to?

motivated

internal

other

Reread “Babysitting Adventure” to answer the

following questions. How do you think Darius’s and Jose’s parents react to the

boys’ babysitting?A. Both sets of parents are impressed.B. Jose’s parents upset and Darius’s parents are supportive.C. Jose’s parents are angry and Darius’s parents are sad.D. Darius’s parents are happy and Jose’s parents are mad. Reasoning for your answer:

Another Example for character motivation

What motivates Darius to seize control of his siblings and start giving orders to “Babysitting Adventure”?

A. He had a bossy nature.B. He wanted his parents to trust his babysitting skills.C. He was angry with his sister.D. Jose didn’t seem to care, so he had to do something. Reasoning for your answer:

CharacterizationDefinition: description of character’s _________________,

motivations, and conflicts.

An author can introduce a character to the reader in several ways:– What the character says about himself– What the narrator and other characters say about the character– The character’s own actions

To get to know a characters as your read a story, you may want to ask the following questions as you read:– How would I introduce this character to one of my friends?– Could I be friends with this character? Why or why not?– What is the character going to do next?

traits

Read the excerpt from the story “Family Ties” and answer the

characterization questions that follow.Which of the following BEST

describes the relationship between the narrator and Ms. Gretch?

A. Ms. Gretch is the narrator’s grandmother.

B. Ms. Gretch is the narrator’s landlady.

C. Ms. Gretch is the narrator’s neighbor.

D. Ms. Gretch is the narrator’s landlady but acts like her grandmother.

Reasoning for your answer:

What kind of person is Roger in the story?

A. Roger is troubled and distant from his family.

B. Roger is a criminal.C. Roger is a dedicated son.D. Roger is happy and distant. Reasoning for your answer:

Which of the following characteristics of Ms. Gretch is emphasized most in the passage?

A.her artistic natureB.her love and generosityC.her frugalityD.her confidence Reasoning for your answer:

Point of View

Definition: the use of a ____________or ____________________ that tells the story.

narrator

outside observer

TYPES OF POINT OF VIEW

First person: a narrator who is also a _____________ in the story.

They tell the story as he or she______________ it, and how he or she ____________ about the action in the story.

The pronouns ______, ________, and ________ are used. Example: I got off the train in San Francisco with Julia ready to start our

adventure. We weren’t sure where we were going to live or how we were going to support ourselves, but we knew we were ready to take on our exciting new life.

character

feels

I me you

sees

Third person: a narrator who is an ___________ observer and _____a character in the story.

The pronouns ______, ______, and _______ are used. Example:

Jessica and Julia arrived in San Francisco on a Monday morning. They got off the train loaded with suitcases and bags. Their smiles showed excitement and anticipation as they stood in the middle of the train station deciding where to go.

outside

not

he she they

Third-person omniscient: a narrator who is an outside observer of the action in the story who also has the ability to ___________ the thoughts and the emotions of all the characters in the story.

The pronouns ______, ______, and _______ are used. Example:

Jessica and Julia arrived in San Francisco early in the morning. They were both very excited about starting a new life, but Julia was especially nervous about finding a place to live. Julia had two job interviews set up for the next day, but Jessica had none. As Jessica loaded her arms with luggage, she worried about finding a job in this large new city.

read

he she they

Reread “Babysitting Adventure” to answer the

following question.From whose point of view is the story told?A.DariusB.JoseC.third-person point of viewD.third-person omniscient

Reasoning for your answer:

Elements of Poetry

• A ____________is a text that uses words artistically in order to create a mental ____________and convey a _____________.

• Poets rely on special tools called ____________ devices.

• You may be required to identify the meaning of ___________ language and ____________ devices.

poem

picture

poetic

poetic

figurative

message

Imagery

Definition: a word or phrase that creates a mental ____________ in the readers’ ___________ that appeals to the ___________ senses.

Five senses:1. _______________2. _______________3. _______________4. _______________5. _______________

picture

mind

five

taste

touch

sightsmell

hear

Repetition

Definition: _____________ words or phrases in poems to emphasize an idea or ____________ of the poem.

In Mending Walls, the poet repeats two lines:– “Good fences make good neighbors.”– _________________________________________

repeat

the theme

“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall”

Symbolism

• _______________ are objects that stand for something of greater meaning.

• Poets use _______________to emphasize the theme of the poem.

Read the following lines from the poem.He is all pine and I am apple orchard.My apple trees will never get acrossAnd eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.

What does the author convey from these sentences?

A. what each person grows on his landB. the purpose of the wallC. that there is no purpose for the wall

because the neighbors do not pose a danger to each other

D. what each neighbor thinks about the wall

Symbols

symbols

Which of the following lines is an example of personification?

A. He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors’B. Before I built a wall I’d ask to know / What I was

walling in or walling outC. My apple trees will never get across / And eat the

cones under his pinesD. The gaps I mean, No one has seen them made or heard

them made / But at spring mending-time we find them there

Reasoning for your answer:

Allegory

• In an allegory, the setting, events, ____________, and objects in the story are ___________ for something of greater meaning.

• Fables are stories in which animals, plants, and objects are given __________ traits in order to illustrate a _______________. These are examples of _____________.

characters

symbols

human

moralallegory

Elements of Drama– Drama is a form of literature that is meant to be

_______________on stage.

– Drama has the same elements of fiction and poetry such as plot, _____________, characters, figurative language, and setting, but the story is created differently.

– When you read drama on page, it is not organized in ________________; instead, it is a series of ___________ for the actors and directions to the ______________ of the play.

performed

conflict

paragraphslinesdirector

Read the excerpt from the following scene of a play and use the sidebars to identify the

elements of drama. DialogueDefinition: a ______________

between two or more characters on the stage.

The use of dialogue helps to _____________ the plot of the drama forward and ____________ characters. Also, provides _____________ for the characters in the play in two ways: allowing the characters to describe _______________ through what they say, and allowing characters to talk about _______ other.

SoliloquyDefinition: a long _____________

given by a character in a drama that is not directed at anyone in the play.

It is meant for the ____________

and usually gives the audience information about the character’s _____________ or motivations

speech

move

createcharacterization

themselves

each

speech

audience

background

What is the purpose of Georgiana’s soliloquy in the passage?

A.to describe how Mr. Harriman looksB.to let the audience know that Georgiana is

uneasy about Mr. HarrimanC.to explain why Georgiana wants a roommateD.to explain Mr. Harriman’s strange behaviorReasoning for your answer

Asides

Definition: a short remark in the _____________ of other characters, but is meant only for the _______________.

What character traits do Mr. Harriman’s asides reveal about him?

A. He is stern and hardworking.

B. He is funny and not very serious.

C. He is relaxed and warm.D. He is deceitful and

uneasy. Reasoning for your answer:

presence

audience

ThemeDefinition: the _____________ of

a story or poem that the author is trying to convey.

The theme _____________ all of the elements of the passages and gives them a single __________ of conveying a _______________ to the reader.

The following questions may help you identify the theme of a passage:

• How do characters _______? Do they set a good example or a bad example, and what can a reader learn from their actions and consequences?

• Does the action in the story __________ a particular message?

• How does figurative language ____________ a message?

• Is the setting ____________ or happy?

message

connects

purposemessage

act

highlight

emphasizegloomy

Reread “Family Ties” to answer the question.

Which of the following themes is developed in the story?

A.Neighbors should be friendly.B.Family are the people who are closest to you

rather than people related by blood.C. Renting an apartment is better living in a house.D.Landladies should be generous. Reasoning for your answer:

Tone and Mood

Two of the puzzle pieces that can help you understand the __________ of a story, play, or poem are __________ and mood.

theme

tone

MoodThe __________________ that is conveyed to a reader while reading a

story or poem. (How the words make you feel.)

Ask yourself the following question: – What emotions does this poem make me feel?

For example, what is the mood of the following sentence? How do the words help create the mood?

The gleeful kids sang with delight as they danced around the radiant campfire and roasted scrumptious marshmallows.

The mood of the sentence is _____________________.

feeling

happy

Tone the _______________ that a piece of writing expresses to the reader.

(How the speaker feels.)

Ask yourself the following question:• What is the author trying to tell me about her attitude?

For example, what is the character’s tone in the following sentence? How do the words help create the tone? I knew you would lose the keys! I never should have trusted you! What do you expect me to do now?”

The tone of the sentence is _______________________.

attitude

angry/resentment

Reread Mending Wall and answer the following question.

 Which pair of words BEST describes the tone of

this poem?A.happy and carefreeB.awe and amazementC.frustration and annoyanceD.anger and distrust

Reasoning for your answer

Author’s purpose

– Authors usually write with a particular ________ in mind.

– This goal is what the author intends the reader to take ___________ from the text.

– There are four main purposes: to inform,_____________, persuade, and _________________.

goal

away

describe

narrate

Inform or describe

Example: Instruction manuals, newspaper articles, biographies

Characteristics: ___________________, facts, statistics, data

Author’s Goal: to tell the reader about a particular topic

nonfiction

Persuade

Example: Newspaper, editorials, ______________, advertisements

Characteristics: Opinions, examples, supporting facts and data

Author’s Goal: to convince the reader to do or believe something

speeches

Narrate

Example: Fiction, poetry

Characteristics: Figurative language, hyperbole

Author’s Goal: To create _______________ within the reader

emotion

Reread Mending Wall to answer the following question.

In addition to the chart, you can ask the following questions as you read a text in order to identify the author’s purpose:

• What does the author want

me to take away from the _______________?

• Why is the _________________ writing this?

• What ____________________ of the specific purpose does the author include?

What is the author’s main purpose in the poem?

A. to entertain his neighborB. to describe the relationship

between two neighborsC. to inform his neighbor about

building a wallD. to persuade people to build

walls Reasoning for your answer:

text

author

characteristics

Summary

Write what you learn with this strand in 3-5 sentences.

Are you ready?Review!

Quiz!