Paragraph 6 Novel Study

Novel Study: Paragraph 6 

Conflict: Conflict is often expressed in the following terms:

 

 

 

 man vs. self                              

                                                man vs. man

                                                                       

 

                                                                    man vs. society

                                                                

 

 
Write a paragraph that identifies the central conflict of the narrative and show how that conflict is both developed and resolved.

 

Remember that your paragraph should contain a hook and clincher (come full circle)!

Ex:       Struggling against the forces of a democratic government can often seem daunting, but that struggle pales in comparison to struggling against the unbridled power of a totalitarian regime. In Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four Winston’s essential conflict is best described as Man vs. Society. Winston sees the injustice in a government that continually alters history by rewriting historical records and destroying the truth. He lives in a state of perpetual angst when confronted daily by the illogical contradictory platitudes, “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery and Ignorance is Strength” (Orwell, 1948, p. 3). Winston is a paranoid individual who is constantly worried that his thoughts will betray him - that he is guilty of “thought crime”. He grapples with blatantly illogical doublespeak and cannot reconcile himself to an easy peace with the political environment in which he exists. In Nineteen Eighty-Four the eventual resolution of Winston’s conflict with society only transpires when he loses the struggle, when he is broken by the indisputable power of the totalitarian state. One learns through the experience of reading this narrative that the power of the state will almost always triumph over the will of the individual. Conflict with society, that entails a struggle to reconcile oneself with an illegitimate state, is not likely to end on a positive note.

Paragraph 5 Novel Study

Climax to resolution: like the punch line of a joke or the answer to a riddle, the narrative climax is the point of highest interest in a story. The climax is often followed by a resolution to the conflict(s) of the story and a conclusion.

On Freytag’s Pyramid the climax is shown as the peak of his PLOT GRAPH. The falling action and conclusion show another horizontal line that is somewhat elevated from the horizontal of the introduction. The idea is that after reading the story you, also, are in a heightened state of awareness or understanding.

Write a paragraph that explains why the book you are reading should leave its readers in a heightened state of awareness or understanding. Consider: thematic relevance; vocabulary; literary expression; literary device; development of character

Remember that your paragraph should contain a hook and clincher (come full circle)!

Ex:       In the throes of intimacy Julia and Winston are ambushed and arrested. In Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four the unexpected climax and eventual resolution of Winston’s conflict with society carry such a strong theme that one cannot help but be intellectually stimulated by the story. The climax is as inevitable as his subsequent torture and the final breaking of his spirit. After their arrest both Julia and Winston visit room 101 where they each betray the other and succumb to the totalitarian power of the state. One learns through the experience of reading this narrative that the power of the state will almost always triumph over the will of the individual.

Paragraph 4 Novel Study

Theme

Great stories, like the one you are reading are often great because they convey themes. Theme is defined as a message that the writer wishes you to get from his story.

The central idea may be expressed as a singular encompassing theme, while at the same time there are often lesser themes within the story.

Theme is expressed as a complete thought:

§  War is a futile endeavour that is best avoided, by both leaders and their citizens.

§  The bonds of blood are often stronger than those forged by friendship.

Prepare a 5 in 1 and post it to your blog: you may post it as a picture or compose the 5 in 1 on your blog and add a picture:

 

 

Components:

 

1. Write a theme that you feel best encompasses the author’s central idea in the novel that you are reading. 

2. Write a paragraph that explains how the theme is developed in the novel.

3. Quote a few lines that you feel best capture the theme. Cite the quotation according to AMA format.

4. Create an image that you feel best captures the theme. (Think of an image that reflects the themes above: bonds of family vs. bonds of friendship or the futility of war. How would you draw these themes?

5. Write a title that encompasses all of the other elements of this assignment!