Short Story Plot Notes

• Plot?
• The procession of events that unfold throughout a story
• A means of revealing character
• A beginning, a middle, and an end
• The significant acts or experiences in a story
• Basic Plot Structure
• exposition is the point in the plot where the reader learns everything he needs to know in order to understand the text
• setting and character are established here
• example-boy loves girl (now in indiana)
• conflict or inciting incident is the point when the protangonist is first introduced to a problem to solve
• example-secret rival boy causes girl to leave boy
• Rising action is the process by which the conflict develops and is usually worsened
• Example-boy's efforts to regain girl drive her into the arms of rival boy
• Climax is the turning point of the conflict in the story, the peak of suspense, the moment where everything changes
• example- boy confronts girl with the ugly truth about rival boy
• falling action is the process by which the conflict is made better
• example-girl is disgusted with both boys, but slowly allows boy to regain her trust
• resolution is point at which the problem conflict is resolved
• Example-boy gets girl back
• Types of conflict
• internal-conflicts related to character's beliefs, ideas, imagination or emotions that orgininate from inside the character
• external-conflicts related to the character's physical condition that orgininate from outside the character
• man vs man, man vs nature, man vs machine/technology, man v self, man v god, man v society, man v animal
• Plot doesnt have to be chronological
• in medias res0middle of things, begins in middle
• flashback-plot strategy in which important plot elements are learned in retrospect
• various orders of events
• begin at climax, flasahback to behin then conclude
• begin at conflict, flashback to exposition
• begin at resolution, flashback to climax or conflict or exposition
• keep important details hidden until the end, then flashback to fill them
• Good stories have multiple plots
• frame stories-stories within a story
• internal and external stories
• point of view-each charactre has his or her own plots
• subplots-plots that are of less importance but which are related to the main plot of a story

Analysis on Friends

• setting is monica and rachel's apartment
• conflict is ross is nervous for dinner and wants to go but noone will get ready
• rising action is all the arguments that arise till they get dressed to go, argument with the seat, and the message from richard, and the phoebe mess on dress, rains,took underwear
• climax is richard has a girl on his answering machine
• falling action is
• resolution is

Dirty Harry by Gorillaz Poetry Analysis

First of all, this poem is about a war in which takes place in Apghanistan or Iraq.  The speaker is a soldier.  In the first stanza, he references the poor people (alliteration), to represent his innocent enemis which he must fight against.  he knows that the US is powerful and they have no chance of winning.  Dancing is a fun time/ memory for the speaker so is why is repeats it in the 6 and 7 line.  The first and second stanza are exact copies of eachother to get across to the reader than this is an important message and he wants the readers to know that times have gotten more complicated and advnaced then back in the day when all he did was dance and enjoy life. 
In the third stanza,  the speaker states he has is act right, which is included in his back pack.  This means his act always has to be up to date and readily available at all time in case one of the poor people acts up.  He references an allusion of Nimoy which was a star trek host of a game show about what the truth really is,  which may show how the speaker wants to know the exact truth behind this war.  the fourth stanza states a peace loving decoy, which are total opposites.  The speaker feels as if he is a decoy to distract the poor people from seeing America's true standpoint.  His orders of robot-likeness are show and is told to strike without asking any questions.  This makes the speaker feel like a robot and shows to readers how stressed and upset he is over this war.
The fifth stanza shows the soldier's characteristics and post tramautic stress disorder after being very on edge at all times with the war.  he doesnt know who is out to kill him or destroy his life.  He makes a reference to a type of car in which Americans fill up with gas, and tells how he is the reason they are able to drive everywhere.  In the 6th stanza, he shows his missing for home and how he only has 90 day visits and recovery periods till he has to go back and fight for his country.  he shows the greediness that consumes americans with how they have such better living conditions and products than the ones that fight for their freedom.  he shows the injustice between the war and America and how much they dont realize what he does for them. 
In the 7th stanza, he references PTSD that overcomes him especially at night and how his cost of life is expendable apparently to the american government.  He doesnt feel appreciated or worth anything.  He references bush with his flight suit on and how this is a tactic he used to advance as president.  He doesnt like bush, and feels as if bush is only using him like a "pawn so he can advance" (lines 47-48).  Lastly he states that he remembers when times were simpler and when he had good memories, instead of these terrible war times.  he just wants to go back to dancing and being happy. 

What I Said by Norman Stock Poem Analysis

This poem uses runon sentences to create a dramatic effect in the poem's words.  This causes readers to pay more attention to what the speaker is actually saying.  Since the poem was written after 2002, the author notes a "terror" which i believe this to be talking about 9/11 and the attack on the twin towers.  In lines 2, 3, and 4, you can see the upset and sadness in the speaker's words with how she went home and cried.  In line 5, she repeats the words why.  This may be to show the author's confusion on why this even happened in the first place, since there was not much knowledge on why this happened in the city of New York.  Throughout the rest of the poem, she asks herself how this could even happen since we have air traffic control and military bases that monitor the sky.  In line 8,  she asks what will happen next and how are we supposed to live with such destruction in the city.  She feels as if this could happen, something even worse could happen.  She uses repetition with  the words "its impossible" to show how something this terrible was so unexpected by the general public such as an allusion back to the "unsinkable" Titanic sinking.  In line 12, she references back to the title when saying "i said and I said".  The 13th lines states "after the terror yes and then i said let's kill them." After i read this line, my thoughts about the poem changed drastically.  I feel as if the use of runon sentences were an effect to create drama about how the American society was so upset and terrorized after such an event, when millions of people in other countries are dying due to the war taking place in their own country.  I feel as if the author is trying to create the point that Americans were very hypocritical because they wanted to kill the group of people who were responsible for this.  Killing hundreds of people of the same culture as the men who did this is just as bad as what they did to us.  Hence the author's use of repeating the same words and ideas throughout the poem. 

Occupation by Eliza Griswold Poem Analysis

Do prostitutes represent American society, culture, and way of life? Who are the prostitutes it talks about, because back in the day, prostitutes were not known for the same things as they are today.  Kabul sounds like a type of Turkish or Muslim town which is where burkas originated.  Burkas could symbolize secrecy, modesty, and culture of Muslim society.  Bread and 15 cents was the same in such a poverty filled town in the middle east.  "taking a man to bed" is the proper way of stating a sexual relationship in American society.  On the 4th line, it says "their husbands dead" which may represent how greedy and foolish and selfish Americans are especially having starving children and a dead husband.  The author could be trying to show how filthy Americans are and how disrespectful they are to one another.  IN the fifth line, the word "occupation" could refer to the American way of prostitution.  In this sense, prostitution could symbolize all things evil in American society and how this evil is being carried over seas to disrupture the Muslim culture of peace, serenity, and modesty.  it shows the poverty and desperation within the town and how life needs to be sacrificed for.  Line 7 was the most arguable because it uses repetition from line 9, and shows how tin symbolizes a cheap metal that is reusable and wasteful.  Line 8 doesnst make any sense except for the fact that man would go for the younger boys, leaving the girls alone.  This exntire line represents the Muslim calm serenading lifestyle and shows how girls were worth much more before the idea of prostitution was introduced to their culture. 

Discussion Questions for Seventeen by Andrew Hudgins

1. This title focuses on the idea of a moment in time that forever changed the author's life. Seventeen was a year that was very important to the author and is the year that this story was written upon, therefore is a rite of passage when comparing the story to the title.
2. He describes the dog as tipping off the side, scrambling, scraping, and tumbling across the hot asphalt as if he was very helpless and innocent. He said the dog was shivering, moaning, and flinching which gives great detail into how the reader is trying to portray the dog to its readers. Readers get a clear image of dog falling off the bed instead of the author just saying the dog fell off the truck. He wants sympathy for the dog and its cruel owner.
3. The speaker seems very caring and loving towards animals. He has very initiative and upfront personality, especially his thoughts towards the terrorizing owner of the dog. The driver is a very uncaring, cruel man who should not own animals because he is not gentle with them. He is a very angry, old man. The poem shows each of these characters through the words spoken to each other, and what happens after the dog falls.
4. The killing of the dog is a very symbolic action to how the speaker cares for the dog. He is trying to put it out of a miserable previous life with his previous owner, since it will only suffer more from the wounds it received from the fall. The killing of the dog could also represent rebirth and a higher power like a heaven that the dog will go to so that it is not in pain anymore.

I feel as if this poem is similar in "Traveling in the Dark" because it shows a life form dying, and the importance of making a decision based upon the betterment of the dying.  In this poem, the speaker shows no doubt in what it should do to the dog to help take away the dog's suffering.  This shows the author's maturity at 17 years of age and his ability to make a clear decision on what is best for the dog, not what he wants for the dog.  This significant point in the author's life may reference an important decision one might make at 17 years of age, such as college, high school, growing up, or career decisions. 

Discussion Questions for Traveling through the Dark by William Stafford

1. The author uses very calm and gentle descripting words to describe the car as if the entire process of the dying deer was a very ritualistic and spiritual one.  The lights on the car could represent a type of higher power that is coming to rescue the deer from her pain.  The author uses symbolism when describing the recent killing and the warmth in her belly to show how a part of her was still alive even though she was not.  Maybe the author is trying to hint to readers about how a tragic event may kill you inside but there is always a part of you that is still alive to be grateful.
2.  The speaker's tone is very calm and spiritual. The speaker seems very callous and kind yet not too upset.  The author states that he pushed her over the edge into the river, yet is trying to take away the baby fawn's suffering.  It's as if the author believes he is doing a greater good by forever killing the deer and her fawn, to get her out of the road so that she is not run over. 
3. The effect is that the poem ends at a very climatic time, which is the author's purpose.  His purpose for this change in structure is to show how his decision, after thinking about it, was very short just like the death of the deer.  He wanted the deer's burial to be in a happy place rather than in the middle of the road so that it's memory was not disgraceful and nonoffensive. 
4.  The title is very appropriate in how it describes the travel of the author.  I think the author represents this title to how we only have out sights (the lights in this situation) set on certain paths for our lives, yet sometimes an obstacle (the deer) can come out in front of us last second to where we have no choice but hit it head on.  The obstacles make us who we are in life, such as this one for the author.  When the speaker states that he "thought hard for us all", he was thinking of the other problems the deer could cause to others if it was left in the middle of the road.  This relates back to the obstacles that get in your way in life.  Sometimes you just have to experience a bad time or hard time so that others can prosper with your help.

Class Discussion
The word of "dark" in the title represents confusion and the unknown.  In the first stanza, the deer represents pure spirit, the road represents a cleansing and renewed experience, the canyon represents a grave.  The second stanza includes the glow of the tail light which mimics the faint light that the fawn has inside the dead deer.  The car may represent a predator.  Large in the belly tells us that it is a large pregnant female deer.  The third stanza shows the caring the speaker has for the deer , "fingers touching her side".  In the fourth stanza says that the hood "purred" which references a cat, or possible predator.  Red represents evil and blood and death in the air, such as the death of the deer. In the last stanza, he pushes her over the edge so that tells the author doesnt have much connection with the deer, and wants to make sure no one else gets hurt by this.  The river is a place of cleansing and renewal where he wants the deer and her child to rest. 

I think this poem is trying to convey how much thought goes into deciding to take the life of something or keep it alive.  The fawn in the doe could be referencing abortion or even possibly a person on life support.  The decision to keep or take life is an important and hard one to make, especially with people around you watching.  Sometimes taking away the person or animal's life will be more beneficial in helping the organism yet it sometimes may be very hard to do so. 

next to of course god america i by E.E. Cummings Poetry Analysis

The title of this poem shows the order of importance of faith, patriotism, and himself in the "land of the pilgrims" (line 2).  The poem quotes the national anthem to represent the patriotism he has for his country, yet does not capitalize any line or word in the poem.  This shows how unimportant he believes grammar is when compared to god, america, and himself.  He uses alliteration of a "g" sound when saying words "jingo, gee, gosh, gum, and glorious" which shows made up words, for which he does not care to use.  In lines 9 and 10, he talks about a person who can be no more happy than one who has died for his country.  In lines 14, he talks of "he" which may represent the man who is talking about all fo this death and patriotic dying, yet has not died himself. It seems as if the author is mocking the man speaking, for he really does not know truly what he himself is talking about, but only speaks to look good.  He uses alliteration again in lines 9 when saying heroic happy dead.  Its like a play on words because it shows the order of someone can do something heroic and be happy, but then those decisions usally lead to death.  The last line shows how the poem was written through a second person and how he was so nervous and excited after finishing his speech, that he needed a drink of water to calm down.