Using Elements as Techniques to Develop Themes

Elements of Fiction

1. Author’s Purpose- his or her reason for creating a work. The purpose may be to explain
or inform, entertain, persuade, or reveal an important truth.
2. Characters - a person, an animal, or an imaginary creature that takes the part in the
action of the story.
Characterization - the techniques an author uses to develop the
personality of a character in a literary work. An author can give information
about a character by describing several aspects of the character:
– physical appearance and personality
– speech, behavior , and actions
– thoughts and feelings
– interactions with other characters

Character Types:
Protagonist- the main character of the story that is most central to the action of
the story.

Antagonist- the person or thing working against the protagonist, or hero, in the
story.

Static Characters- characters that stay the same throughout the story.

Dynamic Characters- characters that change and learn something during the
story.

Flat – very few personality traits, do not change throughout the story, sometimes
can be symbols or stereotypes

Round –convincing and true to life, many different personality traits, usually
undergo a change during the story

3. Setting - the time and place in which the action occurs. Look for clues in the opening
paragraphs of the story or novel.
4. Point of view - the perspective or vantage point from which an author presents a story.

1st person- the story is told by one of the characters in the story. The character uses
the pronouns I and we.

3rd person- the story is told by the narrator who stands outside of the story and
observes the events as they unfold. The narrator uses the pronouns she, he, and
they.
5. Plot - the action or sequence of events in a story. It is based on a key conflict.

There are five basic parts of plot-

• Exposition- the first part of the story. The author establishes the
setting, introduces characters, gives additional background
information.
• Rising Action/Complications- the series of conflicts or struggles that
build a story toward its climax. Tension rises.
• Climax- the high point, or turning point, of a story. It is the most
intense point. A decision is made that will decide the outcome of
the conflict.
• Falling Action- the action that works out the decision arrived at
during the climax. The conflict is –or begins to be –settled.
• Resolution- the ending. It ties up loose ends and brings the story to
a close.

6. Theme - the statement about life that the author wants to share with the reader. Often
times, the reader will have to make inferences or reasonable guesses as to the theme of
the story.

Helpful hint- Ask yourself what lesson the main character learned in the story?

7. Symbolism -An image/object in a story that is used repeatedly and carries a deeper
meaning.
Universal Symbols:
water = purity
black clouds = evil approaching

Basic Elements of Poetry

What is Poetry?

Poetry can be defined as 'literature in a metrical form' or 'a composition forming

rhythmic lines'. A poem is something that follows a particular flow of rhythm and meter.
Compared to prose, where there is no such restriction, and the content of the piece
flows according to story, a poem may or may not have a story, but definitely has a
structured method of writing.

Elements of Poetry:

1. Rhythm: This is the music made by the statements of the poem, which includes
the syllables in the lines. The best method of understanding this is to read the
poem aloud, and understand the stressed and unstressed syllables. Listen for the
sounds and the music made when we hear the lines spoken aloud. How do the words
 resonate with each other? How do the words flow when they are linked with one
another? Does sound right? Do the words fit with each other? These are the things you
consider while studying the rhythm of the poem.

2. Meter: This is the basic structural make-up of the poem. Do the syllables match
with each other? Every line in the poem must adhere to this structure. A poem is
made up of blocks of lines, which convey a single strand of thought. Within those
blocks, a structure of syllables which follow the rhythm has to be included. This is
the meter or the metrical form of poetry.

3. Stanza: Stanza in poetry is defined as a smaller unit or group of lines or a

paragraph in a poem. A particular stanza has a specific meter, rhyme scheme,
etc. Based on the number of lines, stanzas are named as couplet (2 lines), Tercet
(3 lines), Quatrain (4 lines), Cinquain (5 lines), Sestet (6 lines), Septet (7 lines),
Octave (8 lines).

4. Rhyme: A poem may or may not have a rhyme. When you write poetry that has
rhyme, it means that the last words or sounds of the lines match with each other
in some form. Rhyme is basically similar sounding words like 'cat' and 'hat', 'close'
and 'shows', 'house' and 'mouse', etc. Free verse poetry, though, does not follow
this system.

5. Rhyme Scheme: As a continuation of rhyme, the rhyme scheme is also one of the
basic elements of poetry. In simple words, it is defined as the pattern of rhyme.
Either the last words of the first and second lines rhyme with each other, or the
first and the third, second and the fourth and so on. It is denoted by alphabets
like aabb (1st line rhyming with 2nd, 3rd with 4th); abab (1st with 3rd, 2nd with
4th); abba (1st with 4th, 2nd with 3rd), etc.

6. Theme: This is what the poem is all about. The theme of the poem is the central
idea that the poet wants to convey. It can be a story, or a thought, or a
description of something or someone; anything that the poem is about.

7. Symbolism: Often poems will convey ideas and thoughts using symbols. A symbol
can stand for many things at one time and leads the reader out of a systematic
and structured method of looking at things. Often a symbol used in the poem will
be used to create such an effect.

8. Imagery: Imagery is also one of the important elements of a poem. This device is
used by the poet for readers to create an image in their imagination. Imagery
appeals to all the five senses. For e.g., when the poet describes, 'the flower is
bright red', an image of a red flower is immediately created in the reader's mind.
The elements of poetry are an essential part of the structure of a good poem. Of
course, it does not mean, that all poems must have all these elements. It depends
entirely upon the poet, who has all these tools at his disposal to use in order to convey
his ideas effectively.

Elements of Drama

What is Drama?

 A play is a story acted out, live and onstage.

 Like the plot of a story, the plot of a drama follows a

rising-and-falling structure.
Climax
tension at highest point

Complications
tension builds

Resolution
conflict is settled, play ends
Exposition
conflict is introduced

Aristotle
Aristotle (384-322 BC) was a Greek philosopher whose writings still
influence us today. He was the first to write about the essential elements of
drama more than 2,000 years ago. While ideas have changed slightly over the
years, we still discuss Aristotle's list when talking about what makes the best
drama.
Aristotle considered these six things to be essential to good drama:

 Plot
 Theme
 Characters
 Dialogue
  Music/Rhythm
 Spectacle

 Plot: This is what happens in the play. Plot refers to the action; the basic
storyline of the play.
 Theme: While plot refers to the action of the play, theme refers to the
meaning of the play. Theme is the main idea or lesson to be learned from
the play. In some cases, the theme of a play is obvious; other times it is
quite subtle.
 Characters: Characters are the people (sometimes animals or ideas)
portrayed by the actors in the play. It is the characters who move the
action, or plot, of the play forward.
 Dialogue: This refers to the words written by the playwright and spoken
by the characters in the play. The dialogue helps move the action of the
play along.
 Music/Rhythm: While music is often featured in drama, in this case Aristotle
was referring to the rhythm of the actors' voices as they speak.
 Spectacle: This refers to the visual elements of a play: sets, costumes,
special effects, etc. Spectacle is everything that the audience sees as
they watch the play.

Modern Theater
The list of essential elements in modern theater is as follows:
• Characters
• Plot
• Theme
• Dialogue
• Convention
• Genre
• Audience

In the modern theater, this list has changed slightly, although you will notice that
many of the elements remain the same.
 • Convention: These are the techniques and methods used by the
playwright and director to create the desired stylistic effect.

• Genre: Genre refers to the type of play. Some examples of different

genres include comedy, tragedy, mystery and historical play.

• Audience: This is the group of people who watch the play. Many
playwrights and actors consider the audience to be the most important
element of drama, as all of the effort put in to writing and producing a
play is for the enjoyment of the audience.

Three Major Elements in Drama

The elements of drama, by which dramatic works can be analyzed and

evaluated into three major areas:
 Literary elements
 Technical elements
 Performance elements

Literary Elements
 Exposition: “who, when, where and what”
 Initial incident: “gets the story going”
 Preliminary event: Whatever takes place BEFORE the action
 Conflict: struggle between opposing forces, ideas, or interests
 Climax: The turning point or high point of a story.

 Suspense: A feeling of uncertainty as to the outcome, used to build

interest and excitement on the part of the audience

 Rising action: following the initial incident and leading up to the dramatic
climax
 Falling action: The series of events following the climax
 Denouement: Sudden drop

Technical Elements
  Scenery (set): The theatrical equipment, such as curtains, flats, backdrops,
or platforms, used in a dramatic production to communicate environment

 Costumes: Clothing and accessories worn by actors to portray character

and period.

 Props: Short for properties; any article, except costume or scenery, used as
part of a dramatic production; any moveable object that appears on
stage during a performance, from a telephone to a train
 Lights: to help communicate environment, mood, or feeling

 Sound: The effects an audience hears during performance to

communicate character, context, or environment

 Makeup: Costumes, wigs, and body paint used to transform an actor into
a character.

Performance Elements
 Acting: Use of face, body, and voice to portray character
 Character analysis: examining how the elements of drama are used
 Empathy: The capacity to relate to the feelings of another
 Speaking: The mode of expression or delivery of lines
 Breath control: Proper use of the lungs and diaphragm muscle.
 Vocal expression: How an actor uses his or her voice
 Inflection: Change in pitch or loudness of the voice.
 Projection: How well the voice carries to the audience
 Speaking style: The mode of expression or delivery of lines
 Diction: Selection and pronunciation of words; clarity of speech.
 Gestures: movement of the actor’s body to convey meaning
 Facial expression: Physical and vocal aspects used by an actor

Sample:
The World Is an Apple
By: Alberto Florentino
(Alberto Florentino is a Filipino playwright and publisher. His plays in English center on
conflicts in the everyday lives of Filipinos. The most famous of his works is The World is an
Apple. )

Plot:
Mario and Gloria has no money to buy food for their daughter. Mario lost his job
for stealing an apple. Falsely figuring out the situation as misfortune he left his wife and
daughter, went back to his partner in crime Pablo and did crimes again to have
money.

Character:
 Mario – the man who lost his job.
 Gloria – wife
 Pablo – the crime buddy of Mario.
 Tita – daughter

• Marios and Pablos character is flat/static because bad guys in the end are still
bad.

Exposition:
Mario enters from the street at left. He is in the late twenties shabbily dressed and
with hair that seems to have been uncut for weeks. Gloria greeted him and then Mario
asked about the condition of their child

Setting:
 House – two wooden boxes flank the doorway. At left is an Acacia tree
with wooden bench under it.

Setting for the drama establishes the emotional atmosphere, or mood, for the story.
Keep in mind that the setting constitutes more than the physical characteristics of the
set, such as the way a room is decorated or how the furniture is arranged. It also
includes the historical and cultural moment in which the story takes place, or its social
context.

Conflict:
 Man vs. Self - Internal Conflict

Rising Action:
 Mario started to elaborate his reasons why he doesn’t have money.

Climax :
 Mario confessed that he lost his job because of stealing an apple

Falling Action:
 Mario revealed the reason why he stole an apple and that he’s planning
to apply as a night watchman in a company.
Denouement:
 Gloria comes up him after he finishes and tries to hug him, but he pushes
her away. Suddenly confused, he sits on the steps. Gloria sits beside him
and plays with his hands. Suddenly unnerved, Mario starts to fidget . Gloria
rises and walks to the center, her eyes burning with hate and then she saw
Pablo.

Resolution:
 Mario decides to get a "job" working with his old criminal friend Pablo. He
is going back to a life of thievery.

Mood:
 Sad, angry, bad, gloomy etc.

Tone:
 Acerbic, sarcastic, snarky etc.

Symbolism:
 Apple - symbol of Original Sin in Christian art and literature.

Genre:
 Drama

Dialogue:

Lines of Mario:
 “when I saw this apple roll out of the
broken crate, I thought that Tita would love to have it.”
 “All right, so I didn’t go drinking.”
 “I thought I could get another, without making you worry.”
Lines of Gloria:
 “I’m glad you’re home early”
 “My God! Wasn’t I thinking of her? Why do you think I need some
money? To buy me a pretty dress? Or see a movie?”
 “I knew God wouldn’t let us down. He never lets anybody down. I’ll pray
tonight and ask Him to let you have that job.”

DIALOGUE, or what the characters say to each other, to themselves, and in some cases,
directly to the audience. Dialogue helps to reveal characters and propels the plot. The
way a character speaks, especially elements such as speech patterns, accents,
dialect, syntax, and vocabulary, can reveal a character's class status and social
background and will affect how the audience responds to him or her. Inflection, pitch,
and tone help to establish a character's feelings. Pauses in speech can be used to
dramatic effect or to express a character's feelings, suggesting a character's thinking
before responding or difficulty accepting an idea.
Theme:
It is man’s basic instinct that drives him towards his survival. But, no matter what,
he should not forget that society expects him to conform to its norms. One’s action is
weighed right or wrong and thus should be kept towards the proper action and how
wrong decisions become greater burdens to a family.

Only a man who knows his limitations and looks after the welfare of his family and not
sacrificing them at the moment of his weakness, is the man who is worth the wealth of
this world and who deserves respect and admiration no matter what his economic
state of life is.

Alternative: Depicts social realities, particularly of the problems of the urban poor.
Man’s ineptness is the cause of his own misfortune. Man can choose to become bad
because he wanted the pleasures of life and he does not exercise control over his
reactions to the evils that life could bring.