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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.

Short Story used: "The Most Dangerous Game"

Internal Conflict - An internal conflict is a conflict that occurs on the "inside" of a person; it not something that can be physically seen, even with x-rays. In almost every story, or even every person, an internal conflict occurs. In the short story "The Most Dangerous Game" an internal conflict occurs when the main character, Rainsford, faces his fears of being found by the general.

External Conflict - An external conflict is a conflict that occurs on the "outside" of a person. It can easily be seen by another person. An exapmle of external conflict in the short story "The Most Dangerous Game" is when General Zaroff hurts his shoulder and must get it addressed causing him to have to leave the game.

Exposition - Exposition is the background information that is given. It is usually found at the beginning of the book or short story. In "The Most Dangerous Game" the expostion is given when readers learn that Rainsford is a hunter on a ship heading for the land of the jaguars.

Rising Action - The rising action occurs when the story is leading up to the climax. The rising action is usually the most action-packed part of the story. In "The Most Dangerous Game" the rising action occurs when Rainsford discovers that all General Zaroff wants to do is kill him in his "game."

Climax - The climax of the story is usually the "biggest" part of the story. It can also be the most intense part of a story. In "the most dangerous game" the climax occurs when the "game" officially starts.

Falling Action - The falling action is what happens after the climax. The falling action normally towards the end of the story. In "the most dangerous game" the falling action occurs when the "game" is over.

Resolution - The resolution of a story is where all the conflicts are resolved. The resolution can either be a happy or a sad part of a story. In "the most dangerous game" the resolution occurs when General Zaroff admits that Rainsford is the better hunter.

Foreshadowing - Foreshadowing is when the author gives information that shows what further events or occurances will be like. Foreshadowing is not something that is very evident in a story, but is something that must be looked for. In "the most dangerous game" this occurs when Rainsford says that the thinks that any animal that is being hunted doesn't have feelings or thoughts about being hunted.

Imagery - Imagery is what the author uses to create an image in the readers mind. In some stories this is very important. In "the most dangerous game" imagery is used when the author explains what the trap Rainsford sets would look like.

Irony - Irony can be described as the opposite of what you would expect to happen. There are different levels of irony such as dramatic irony or irony that is funny. An example of irony in "the most dangerous game" occurs when Rainsford feels scared when he is being hunted where before he believed that anything being hunted wouldn't feel any emotion.

Point of View - Point of view is the way the story is told. It can be told in 1st person P.O.V. which uses the words "I" or "me" etc; 2nd person which uses the word "you"; or 3rd person which uses "he," "she," or "it." Readers often connect to a story better when it is told in 1st person P.O.V. In "the most dangerous game" the point of view is in 3rd person.

Protagonist - The protagonist is one of the main characters, but is often one of the more disliked characters. Protagonists often play an important part in the story. An example of a protagonist from "the most dangerous game" would be the character General Zaroff.

Antagonist - The antagonist is the character that causes problems for the protagonist. The antagonist often creates a more interesting story line. The antagonist of "the most dangerous game" would be Rainsford since he caused problems for General Zaroff, the protagonist.

Dynamic Character - The dynamic character is a character in a story who has a change in mindset. The dynamic character is often one of the main characters. The dynamic character in "the most dangerous game" would be Rainsford since he realizes that anything that is being hunted has a knowledge that it's being hunted.

Foil - A foil character is a character who makes the lead character look either bad or good. Foil characters can sometimes do is in a mocking sense. The foil character in "the most dangerous game" is General Zaroff since he makes Rainsford look better.

Setting - The setting is where a story takes place. Sometimes knowing the setting is a very crutial part of the story. The setting of "the most dangerous game' would mostly be on General Zaroff's island.

Suspense - Suspense plays a very important part of a story; it provides readers an intrest in the story. Suspense is where readers wonder what will happen next. The most suspenseful part of "the most dangerous game" is when General Zaroff is hunting Rainsford. Will he catch him? Will Rainsford die? The only way to know is to keep reading, which causes the story to have suspense.

Symbol - A symbol is something that is used in the story to represent a bigger picture. Often times symbols are hard to pick out. One example of a symbol in "the most dangerous game" is General Zaroff's dogs. They represent Zaroff's army, not just a pack of dogs.

Theme - The theme of a story is what a reader should get out of the story. It can also be called the moral. A theme of "the most dangerous game" is that you should always watch what you get yourself into, you never know what the outcome will be.