Literary Elements Name Period Date Literary elements are what make up the backbone of almost every single story created. A literary element is a broad topic which describes the attributes of a story. These elements are used to create a story in an interesting fashion. Literary elements are divided into many smaller categories. These categories are the better known terms. These include conflict, foreshadowing, climax, irony, theme, motif, etc. Literary elements are often used by famous story writers such as Edgar Allen Poe, Roald Dahl, and many others. Three of the most important elements, that make stories interesting, are foreshadowing, climaxes, and motifs. The first literary element is foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is what helps come up with ideas of what will occur later on. Foreshadowing is widely used in many films such as The Avengers. This occurs when the character Loki states, “No, you have already brought the monster…” This leads to the conclusion that there is someone on board who Loki plans on using. Foreshadowing also appears in the famous story “The Cask of Amontillado.” It is apparent when the character Montressor states, “… and I to your long life.” This makes me think that Fortuanato was not going to be alive for much longer. Foreshadowing also appears in the short story “The Stolen Party.” In which a character tells the main girl, “… because I am her cousin, and I know all her friends, and I don’t know you.” This forms the idea that maybe that girl is right after all. Without foreshadowing, stories would be left bland and boring. Foreshadowing keeps stories interesting by giving us a reason to continue watching. That reason is to see if we were right. Other literary elements help keep stories lively as well. Literary Elements Name Period Date The second literary element that spices story up is the climax. A climax is the highest point of the story before the problems begin to be solved. Climaxes play a big part in many pieces of media. In the film The Avengers the climax of the story occurs when Iron Man goes through the portal to stop the Chitauri. This is the climax due to it being the final major event before the problems began getting solved. In the story “The Cask of Amontillado”, the climax happens when Montressor begins building the wall in front of the chained up Fortuanato. This is the Climax of the story due to it being the point of most action in the story. The climax of the story “The Stolen Party” is when Senora Ines refers to the main character, Rosaura, as her pet. This is the climax of the story due to it being the high point of tension before the resolution. Without climaxes, stories would be told in a flat unappealing manner. Climaxes give us a way to let go of all of the buildup and tension that had appeared throughout the story. They are interesting by giving us an odd sense of closure. There is still one more literary element that plays a major role in a story’s appeal. The third literary element, that helps keep stories interesting, is the motif. A motif is any symbol, in a story, that represents a theme or an idea central to the story. Motifs are present in almost all forms of literature and films. In The Avengers the motif is Captain America’s shield. This shield is a motif due to it representing the essential themes of teamwork in the film. Motifs also appear in Edgar Allen Poe’s masterpiece title “The Cask of Amontillado.” In the story the motif is Montressor’s ring. This ring depicts a snake being stepped on that is about to bite back. This shows the theme of revenge. The story “The Stolen Party” also has a motif present. In the story there is a monkey that is seen as nothing more than just a servant and entertainer. This represents the idea of the illusion of inclusion which is what the main girl realizes she too is Literary Elements Name Period Date going through. That is also a central theme in the story. Motifs are incredibly essential when it comes to keeping stories entertaining. They give us a visual of what ideas the story is portraying. Foreshadowing, climax, and motif are all great examples of literary elements that keep stories interesting. Foreshadowing give us clues about what will happen later on in the story. It is necessary because it gives us reasons to keep watching or reading. Climax is the highest point of the story before the problems being to get solved. Interesting stories require this to give a sense of the end and a reason to think it was worth watching. A motif is a symbol that represents the ideas in the stories. These are necessary to keep interests high because they help visualize the overall theme of the story. Next time you are reading a book or watching a movie, pay attention to the little literary elements that make the biggest differences. .