Mid-Year

Standards Review

California State Standards

English Language Arts
Grades 9 and 10
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization?
• Literary Devices: SIMPSON
• Simile
• Imagery
• Metaphor
• Personification
• Symbolism
• Oxymoron
• aNalogy
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)
• SIMILE:
Comparison of two unlike things using
“like” or “as”.
Example:
Her face shined like the sun.
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)
• IMAGERY:
Description using one or more of the five
senses.

Example:
The car screeched and collided with a crash
as the metal buckled and a fire exploded
from the engine.
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)
• METAPHOR:
Comparison of two unlike things without
using “like” or “as”.

Example:
Her hair was golden wheat.
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)

• PERSONIFICATION: Giving human

qualities to non-human or inanimate
objects.

• Example: The wind screamed through the

trees.
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)
• SYMBOLISM:
An object that represents something else

Example:
When he broke up with me,
all the trees were bare.

(The bare trees can represent the loss of hope)

1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)

• OXYMORON:
A comparison or description that seems
contradictory

Example: “jumbo shrimp”

1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)
• aNalogy:
A comparison of two unlike things that
continues in description

Example: Her hair was a black raven that

stretched its wings out against the sky and
soared majestically in the wild wind.
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)

• Study these seven literary devices

so you can define and explain
what they are,
and how they help
the characterization
in the benchmark selection.
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)
• Also remember these seven ways to discuss
characterization: (FLATMOP)
• Feel
• Look
• Act
• Talk
• Move
• Others
• Personality
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)
• FEEL: What are the character’s inner emotions
and reactions?
• Some ways people can feel:
• Uncomfortable, distraught, offended, insulted
• Gleeful, ecstatic, fulfilled, satisfied
• Empty, lonely, isolated, depressed, despaired
• Hurt, heartbroken, enraged, jealous
• Longing, hopeful, optimistic, positive
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)
• LOOK: What does the character look like?
• height
• weight
• facial structure and facial hair
• hair color and texture
• skin color, tone, and texture
• tattoos, scars
• clothing style, etc.
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)
• ACT: How does the character behave?
Some ways people may act:
• Responsible or irresponsible
• Meticulous or careless
• Mature or Immature
• Sophisticated or ignorant
• Calm or excitable
• Patient or hot-tempered
• Modest or conceited
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)
• TALK: How does the character speak?
• Some ways people speak:
• Slow, steady, measured
• Twang, brogue, accent, drawl
• Snippy, snide, sarcastic, angry
• Fast, babbling, diatribe, chatter, gibberish
• Grating, harsh, rough, direct
• Melodious, sweet, smooth, poetic
• Intelligent, articulate, educated, wise
• Slang, uneducated, dull, dim, sophomoric
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)
• MOVE: How does the character walk, move, and
generally get around?
• Some ways people move:
• Lumbering, limping, dragging,
• Shuffling, sliding, stumbling, staggering
• Sailing, floating, striding
• Circling, stalking, skulking, slinking
• Sashaying, strutting, pacing, tiptoeing
• Scurrying, dispersing, slipping, disappearing
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)
• OTHERS: What reactions do other people
have to the character?
• How do they feel about the character?
• How do they respond to him or her?
• What do they think about him or her?
• What kinds of things do they say about the
character?
1. How do literary devices enhance
characterization? (continued)
• Personality: In general, what kind of personality
does the character seem to have?
• Some types of personalities:
• Genuine, wholesome, innocent
• Warm, friendly, outgoing, sociable
• Talkative, loquacious, bubbly, open, extrovert
• Smarmy, shady, duplicitous, deceptive,
untrustworthy, two-faced, fake
• Shy, reserved, introvert
 2. How do character interactions
affect the plot?
• What type of interaction takes place
between the characters?
• Use a RELATIONSHIP word
• And say how they FEEL about each other.
 2. How do character interactions
affect the plot? (continued)
• SOME POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP
WORDS:
• Idolizes
• Cherishes
• Respects
• Protects
• Desires
 2. How do character interactions
affect the plot? (continued)
• SOME POSITIVE FEELING WORDS:
• Compassion
• Fondness
• Loyalty
• Inspired by
• Sympathy
 2. How do character interactions
affect the plot? (continued)
• NEGATIVE RELATIONSHIP WORDS:
• Despises
• Fears
• Loathes
• Disdains
 2. How do character interactions
affect the plot? (continued)
• NEGATIVE FEELING WORDS:
• Jealousy
• Disgust
• Dominated by
• Demoralized
• Insult
• Offense
2. How do character interactions
affect the plot? (continued)

• You will also need to know the plot

elements to discuss how these
interactions affect them.
 2. How do character interactions
affect the plot? (continued)
• PLOT ELEMENTS
Climax

Rising action Falling action

(suspense)

Inciting incident Resolution

Exposition
(conflict)
 2. How do character interactions
affect the plot? (continued)
• You will need to explain:
• How does this contribute to the conflict?
• How does this contribute to the rising
action by building suspense/tension?
• How does this lead to the climax?
• How does this lead to the resolution?
• How does this solve the problem, or wrap
up the story?
 2. How do character interactions
affect the plot? (continued)

This question will also ask you to:

• Support your ideas with quotes
• Use MLA format (review on board, if
necessary)
 3. Identify the theme and how it is
addressed in each genre
• You will need to find a theme:

THE / Message

Shared by both texts

3. Identify the theme and how it is
addressed in each genre (cont’d)

• Once you find the theme, discuss how it

is addressed in each genre.
• You can compare and contrast features
of the genres
• You can also discuss how the genre
affects the theme
 3. Identify the theme and how it is
addressed in each genre (cont’d)
• GENRES:
• POETRY
• PROSE
• DRAMA
• SONG
• FILM
 3. Identify the theme and how it is
addressed in each genre (cont’d)
• POETRY:
• Regular meter
• May rhyme
• Stanzas
• Lyric or narrative
• Strong emotional, musical language
 3. Identify the theme and how it is
addressed in each genre (cont’d)
• PROSE
• Everyday language
• Unrhymed, no regular meter
• Fiction as well as non-fiction
• Full sentences, paragraphs, and regular
punctuation
• Complete thoughts
 3. Identify the theme and how it is
addressed in each genre (cont’d)
• DRAMA
• Dialogue
• Stage directions
• Asides
• Script with roles
• Scenery
• Flat and round, static and dynamic
characters
 3. Identify the theme and how it is
addressed in each genre (cont’d)
• SONG
• May or may not rhyme
• Has a regular rhythm
• Music adds an emotional dimension
• Theme usually matches the music
• Many different types
• Emotional
 3. Identify the theme and how it is
addressed in each genre (cont’d)
• FILM
• Preserves time
• Presents physical appearance
• Uses many effects to manipulate viewer
• Often fast-paced
• Acted from a script
• Has roles
• Screenwriting, acting, and directing all have an
effect on the original composition
 GOOD LUCK!

Don’t forget to study!!!

Presentation by C. Collins, 2009