EUPHEMISMS

1. Copy and paste this into your blog.
2. Put the title "Euphemisms" on your post.
3. Add your answers to YOUR POST!
4. When you are done, POST A COMMENT under this post!

What is a EUPHEMISM? (It's pronounced "yoo-fa-mizzum".) Look this up in the dictionary.

WRITE THE DICTIONARY DEFINITION HERE:

WRITE YOUR DEFINITION HERE (Put the dictionary definition in your own words):

In The Giver Jonas and his friends some times get in trouble for not using "precision of language." Think about some of the words Jonas got in trouble for using. ("Love" and "starving" are two examples.)

Why did Jonas' mother chastise him for asking if she loved him?

In many cases, some of the so-called precise language they used in Jonas's community actually hides the true meaning of what the words represent. Think about the following words as they are used in The Giver. What do they mean when used in Jonas's community?

• Release
• Feelings
• Animals
• Nurturer
• Stirrings
• Replacement child
• Elsewhere

Why do you think Jonas's community members use these words instead of the words they've replaced?

We use euphemisms in our society as well. For example, when someone dies, we often say they "pass away." Another example is when someone doesn't have a job we say he/she is "between jobs." Try to think of at least three euphemisms that we use commonly today -- in regard to ideas that might be uncomfortable otherwise (such as death, bodily functions, being rich, being poor, an argument, unemployment, animal euthanasia, etc.)

Do you think euphemisms are necessary in polite society? Why or why not?

Proceed to the PLOT ASSIGNMENT.

PLOT

MEMORIZE THIS DEFINITION AND CHART!

PLOT
A series of related events that make up a story

Basic Plot Chart



Remember the above chart is the BASIC plot chart. There are variations of that chart. A story does not HAVE TO follow that ordering. The information below also gives a BASIC overview of what happens at each point in a story. However, this is not always the case either. Some times a story may stray in one way or another. What is explained below is the way stories generally unfold, but many authors like to stray from conventions and may surprise you by starting in the middle of the action or ending at the climax with little or no resolution.

Exposition – The story is introduced. You meet the narrator and main character(s). You get a feel for the setting.

Rising Action – The conflict is introduced.

Climax – This is the most intense moment of the plot. Generally something happens here that reveals how the conflict will turn out.

Falling Action – Problems begin to work out, and things start to go back to “normal.”

Resolution – Also known as the denouement (unraveling of the knot), the conflicts of the story are resolved and the story is brought to a close.

Summarize the PLOT of The Giver using COMPLETE SENTENCES and Standard English Grammar, Punctuation, and SPELLING. Use the TIPS from our PREVIOUS POST on grammar. POST your summary in YOUR BLOG. Entitle it "Plot Summary."

When you are done, proceed to the CHARACTERIZATION ASSIGNMENT.

CHARACTERIZATION

MEMORIZE THIS DEFINITION!

CHARACTERIZATION
Techniques used to develop a character, making him or her believable.

PROTAGONIST
Main character in the story

ANTAGONIST
The character or force working against the protagonist in the story

Also, be familiar with the following techniques used in characterization:

1. telling the audience directly what the character is like (generous, brash, deceitful, timid, etc.) (DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION)
2. describing how the character looks and dresses (INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION)
3. through the characters words (INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION)
4. through the characters inner thoughts and feelings (INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION)
5. revealing what other characters say or think about the character (INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION)
6. through the character’s actions (INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION)

Answer these questions:

Who is the PROTAGONIST in The Giver?
Who or what is the ANTAGONIST in The Giver?
Find three examples of CHARACTERIZATION techniques Lois Lowry used to characterize JONAS in The Giver. Describe the example AND provide the page number where you found the example. Post your answer in your blog. Entitle it "Characterization."

Proceed to the SETTING ASSIGNMENT.

SETTING and MOOD

MEMORIZE THESE DEFINITIONS!

SETTING
Time and place in a story

MOOD
The feeling created by the writer’s use of details and language in a story

Describe the SETTING of The Giver. Remember to include the time and place. Be specific in your description, using clues from the text and class discussions.

What is the MOOD of The Giver? (How does it make you feel overall ?)

Post your answers in your blog. Entitle it "Setting and Mood".

When you are done proceed to the POINT OF VIEW ASSIGNMENT.

POINT OF VIEW

MEMORIZE THIS DEFINITION!

POINT OF VIEW
Vantage point from which a story is told

Types of Point of View:

1. First Person – The narrator uses the first-person pronoun I and is a character in the story. We hear and see what the narrator hears and sees. We may have to interpret what the narrator says, because a first-person narrator may or may not be objective, honest, or perceptive.
   
2. Third-Person Limited – The narrator, who plays no part in the story, zooms in on the thoughts and feelings of one character.
3. Third-Person Omniscient – Omniscient means, “all knowing”. The narrator plays no part in the story but can tell us what all the characters are thinking and feeling as well as what is happening in other places.

From which point of view is the story of The Giver told? From whose perspective is it told?

How would the story be different if it were told from one of the other points of view?

Proceed to the THEME ASSIGNMENT.

THEME

MEMORIZE THIS DEFINITION!

THEME
The central idea or insight revealed by a work of literature.

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Most of the time, themes are implied. In other words, the author rarely comes out and says, “The theme of this story is …” As a reader you must use clues from the text to discover what the work’s meaning is.

Two Important Clues to Determine Theme:
1. The way the main character has changed
2. The way the conflict has been resolved

You should note that there is no single correct way to express a theme. Many stories have multiple themes, and others have ambiguous themes, open for interpretation (even opposing ideas some times).

The theme is what the writer wants the reader to discover about the subject.

To find a theme many times all you have to do is ask -- what did the main character learn throughout the course of this story? Many times that is how the author reveals the theme.

What is the theme of The Giver? Make sure that you express the theme in at least one COMPLETE SENTENCE.

Proceed to the TONE ASSIGNMENT.

TONE

MEMORIZE THIS DEFINITION!

TONE
The attitude a writer takes toward the reader, a subject, or a character
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As a reader, you must infer the tone of a story or poem. In other words, you must use clues from the writer’s choice of words and details the writer includes to decipher the tone.

What is the overall tone of The Giver? (What is the attitude conveyed through the language the writer used, and the events and actions of characters described in the story?)

Proceed to the IRONY ASSIGNMENT.

IRONY

MEMORIZE THIS DEFINITION!

IRONY
Contrast or discrepancy between what is expected and what actually happens.
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Three Types of Irony

1. Verbal Irony – a speaker says one thing, but means another.

2. Situational Irony – when what actually happens is the opposite of what is expected to happen.

3. Dramatic Irony – when the reader or audience knows something important that a character does not know.

Find at least one example of irony in The Giver. What type of irony did you find?

Proceed to the WRAP-UP ASSIGNMENT.

THE GIVER WRAP-UP

The Giver ends ambiguously. In other words there are many interpretations of what happened to Jonas and Gabriel. Think about your own interpretation of the end of the story.

Now that you've explored the Elements of Fiction through The Giver, leave me a comment under this post. In your comment, tell me what you think happened to Jonas and Gabriel.

You will be taking a UNIT FINAL very soon. (See Mrs. M. for an exact date as it will depend upon class progress on this project.)