Short+story+literary+terms+stuff...+ALEX!!!!!

Identify and describe each literary element in your chosen short story. Each answer should be a paragraph that includes a definition of the literary term so that you can describe how your example exhibits the characteristics of each term. Be sure to include specific names of characters, places, authors and titles.

American History by Jutith Orthiz Cofer

Internal Conflict: "Though I wanted to feel the right thing about President Kennedy's death, I could not fight the feeling of elation that stirred inn my chest. Today was the day I was to visit Eugene in his house." Elena knows that she should feel more grief for president Kennedy, but she doesn't want what happened to interfere with her plans with her friend Eugene. She is having an argument with herself about how she should been reacting and feeling.

External Conflict: Elena's mother warns her, "You are forgetting who you are, nina. I have seen you staring down at that boy's house. You are heading for humiliation and pain." Elena decides that she's going over to Eugene's even though her mother warned he and told her she should go to church instead, to mourn Kennedy's death.

Exposition: At the beginning of the story, Cofer describes when the story takes place (the day of Kennedy's assassination) and where the characters are. She also talks a little bit about the building and what it is usually like on a normal day. The second paragraph begins with "On the day that President Kennedy was shot..."

Rising Action: The rising action in this story is when the students discover that the president has been assassinated.

Climax: The rising action leads to the climax. The climax was when Elena knocks on Eugene's door, heart racing, and his mother snswers the door and eventually tells her "Listen. Honey.Eugene doesn't want to study with you. He is a smart boy. Doesn't need your help. You understand me..." and is shut out.

Falling Action: After all of Elena's suspence, she is only let down. She returns home, lays in her bed, and cries. This is the Falling action.

Resolution: Sometime during the night Elena presses her face against her window to see that it is snowing.

Foreshadowing: "You are heading for humiliation and pain." After Elena's mother tells her this, with no attempt to stop her, we can expect that her mother will be correct. She is. Imagery: "He was tall and blond, and he wore glasses." This is imagery because Elena is describing how Eugene looks. Irony: It's ironic that everybody else remembers that day for Kennedy being shot, but Elena remembers it for the lesson she learned that day. Point of View: This story is written in first person. Elena is telling her story about what happened on that day and how it effected her. "Though I wanted to feel the right way..." Elena is the narrator, she uses the word 'I.' Protagonist

Antagonist Dynamic Character

Foil Setting Suspense Symbol Theme