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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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