Unit VI: Essay and Short Story
Define the literary term plot
A plot is a series of events arranged to produce a definite sense of movement towards a specific goal.
Which of he following best describe the type of essay Ackerman created?
A-formal, scientific
the plot's major turning point at which something happens that affects the outcome of the story and determines the future of the main character
B-crisis
Achebe uses what technique to add to the realism of his characters?
B-dialect
The climax of "A Miserable Merry Christmas" comes when
C-Lennie's pony is delivered to the house
Matching)the last element of the plot in which the major complications are explained or settled
C-denouement
"Why the Leaves Turn color in the Fall" contains all but which literary device?
D-alliteration
the part of the story's plot that introduces the reader to the setting, the characters, and the situation
D-exposition
the evens that unfold the results of the crisis and lead to the conclusion
E-falling action
In "Old Fashion Iowa Christmas" Engle uses syntactically parallel sentences to list four areas of comparison. Identify two of those areas
Engle compares departures, streets, arrivals, and Christmas dinners
2 types of Prose
Essay & Short Story
the narrator, one of the story's characters, refers to himself as I throughout the piece
F-First person point of view
"How to get things Done" is written from the limited-omniscientpoint of view
False
The title "A Miserable Merry Christmas" is an example of a pun
False
The two short prose genres most often used today are the short story and the article
False
the occurrence that sets the events of the conflict in motion
G-inciting incident
the narrator tells the story in third person but "gets inside" only one of the characters, usually the central character
H-limited-omniscient point of view
the narrator tells his story in third person, and as the storyteller he "knows All"
I-omniscient point of view
Explain inform and formal Essay difference
Informal essays have no set structure and they are typically shorter than formal essays. Informal essays also use first and second person, and often include thoughts and opinions.
Name two ways in which Benchley's "How to Get Things Done" qualifies as an informal essay
It is humorous and light in tone
the events that lead up to the crisis in a story
J-rising action
climax in a miserable merry christmas
Lennie's pony is delivered to the house
What symbol appears at the end of Welty's story? What does it mean within the story?
The apple is symbolic. It alludes to the forbidden fruit eaten in Eden by Adam and Eve, who disobedient choice separated them from God. Marian encounters an opportunity to extend love to others in need, but she runs away. Her taking a bite from the apple at the end of the story symbolizes her deliberate refusal to give charity. She chooses wrongly, and her choice separates her from other human beings in need. Biting into the apple may also symbolize her loss of innocence as she becomes acquainted with the hardship and needs of others.
From the author's and the readers' viewpoints, which of the following is NOT one strength of short stories compared to the novel? they are easier to read, they can more easily drive home one main theme, they are easier to write well, or they resolve conflict and communicate theme more quickly
They are easier to write well
Generally speaking, essays are nonfictional
True
Short stories contain the same basic elements as the novel
True
The 2 types of essays differ primarily in
Voice, tone, and structure
Explain one of the two major themes of Welty's short Story
We must all come to grips with the power of charity, choosing whether we will extend charity to others and accept it from them or not.
Which two of the following devices does Steffens include in his narrative essay?
a subplot and situational irony
the plot's moment of highest emotional intensity
a-climax
"A Miserable Merry Christmas" is written from
first person point of view
In literary terms, what is a short story?
it is a brief work of prose fiction
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the essay? It discusses a particular topic in a nontechnical way, it expresses the thoughts and opinions of the writer, it is limited to a small range of topics, or it is a short prose composition
it is a short prose composition
The tone of Engle's essay "An Old Fashioned Iowa Christmas" is best described as
nostalgic
Informal and formal essays differ in all but which of the following areas? structure, subject, tone or voice
subject
Robert Benchley's parody of a self-help article is an example of
verbal irony
What type of irony is found in Benchley's "How to Get Things Done"?
verbal irony
When Lennie in "A Miserable Merry Christmas" wishes for nothing but a pony, but then wakes up to an empty stocking on Christmas morning, this is an example of
verbal irony
