With reference to any two stories in the collection, write about three characteristics typical of short story writing.My first encounter with Dahl was through the short story The Umbrella Man, which was part of the English textbook prescribed in school. You might want to consider the following themes: Relationships Cheating and trickery Betting Horror or macbre Making moneyĢ3 General Question Matsec 2009 – Paper 2A The title of the short story usually points to what the writer is saying and he may use various figures of speech to emphasize his theme, such as: symbol, allusion, simile, metaphor, hyperbole or ironyĢ2 Themes in Roald Dahl Categorise the stories in The Great Automatic Grammatizator and Other Stories according to their theme. It may be the author’s thoughts about a topic or view of human natureĢ1 Theme cont. It is the author’s underlying meaning or main idea that he is trying to convey. Omniscient Objectiveĭiscuss point of view in: The Umbrella Man Royal Jelly Katina TasteĢ0 THEME The theme is the controlling idea or its central insight. Which characters do you find most interesting in Roald Dahl’s anthology? Are they protagonists or antagonists?ġ8 POINT OF VIEW This is defined as the angle from which the story is told: 1. Motivated Life-like Characters are: Individual (round, many sided and complex) Developing (dynamic, changing) Static (stereotype, characteristics that never change and are emphasized) Characters are convincing if they are: Consistent These include: His/her physical appearance What he/she says, thinks, feels and dreams What he/she does or does not do What others say about him/her and how others react to him/herġ6 Character cont. The opposer of the main character is the antagonist.Ĭharacterization is the information the author gives the reader about the characters themselves.
The protagonist is the central character with all major events having some importance to him/her. In a work of fiction, one finds the protagonist and the antagonist. man vs him/herself (psychological)ġ3 Conflict in Roald Dahl What elements of conflict do you find in:ġ4 CHARACTER This includes the person in a work of fiction and the characteristics of a person. Internal – a struggle within one’s self a person must make some decision, overcome pain, quiet their temper, resist un urge, etc.ġ. External – a struggle with a force outside one’s self 2. Within a short story there may be only one central struggle, or one dominant struggle with many minor ones.ġ. It is any form of opposition that faces the main character. The reader knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not Denouement – This is the final outcome or untangling of events in the storyĩ Plot in Roald Dahl Discuss the essential parts of the plot in the following stories: Mrs Bixby and the Colonel’s Coat Taste Man from the Southġ0 CONFLICT It is the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move. Falling Action – The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. Introduction – the beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is revealed Rising Action – This is where the events in the story become complicated and the conflict in the story is revealed Climax – This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story.Ĩ Plot cont. The short story usually has one plot so it can be read in one sitting.
#COMMON THEMES IN ROALD DAHL SHORT STORIES SERIES#
The plot is a planned, logical series of events having a beginning, middle and end. Some, or all, may be present.Ĥ Place – Where is the story taking place?ĪSPECTS IN SETTING Place – Where is the story taking place? Time – When is the story taking place? Weather conditions – Is it rainy, sunny…? Social conditions – What is the daily life of the characters like? Does the story contain local colour? Mood or atmosphere – What feeling is created at the beginning of the story?ĥ Setting in Roald Dahl To what extent is setting important in the following stories The Landlady The Umbrella Man Parson’s Pleasure The Butler NeckĦ PLOT The plot is how the author arranges events to develop his basic idea it is the sequence of events.
There are several aspects of a story’s setting to consider when examining how setting contributes to a story. For some stories the setting is very important, while for others it is not.
1 SHORT STORY ELEMENTS With special reference to Roald Dahl’s works in The Great Automatic Grammatizator and Other StoriesĢ MAIN ELEMENTS Setting – the time and location in which a story takes place Plot – the sequence of events in a story or play Conflict – the opposition of forces which ties one incident to another and makes the plot move Character – the person and his characteristics in a work of fiction Point of View – the angle from which the story is told Theme – the central idea or beliefģ SETTING The time and location in which a story takes place is called the setting.