Reading Journal Assignment for Fiction

Purpose: Understanding the "meaning" of a story can be difficult. Stories can have multiple meanings and work on different levels. To understand stories better it is often easier to break stories down into elements: plot, point of view, character(s), setting, theme, symbolism, and tone. From these elements, the meaning can be easier to see.

Approach: Carefully and completely answer the questions provided for the story you have read. You need to explain your answer in detail. Each answer should be at least a paragraph in length.

Learning Objectives:

Plot

Much like an essay outline, the plot of a story is the pattern of events within a story. What is the plot of the story?

Point of View

Point of view is the attitude or outlook of a narrator (or character) within a story. What is the point of view of the story?

Character

Characters are the people (and sometimes things and places) portrayed in a story. Who are the characters within the story and what is their significance?

Setting

Setting is the time, place, and circumstances in which a story takes place. What is the setting (or settings) within the story?

Theme

Theme is a subject or idea developed and expanded on in a story. What is the theme (or themes) of the story?

Symbolism

Symbolism is the practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing meanings or significance to objects, places, events, people, or relationships. What symbols are in the story and what do they symbolize?

Tone

Tone is the manner of expression that leads to a general quality in writing (sadness, anger, etc.) What is the tone of the story?

Vocabulary

Write down words you did not understand and find their definitions.