Parts of the Plot

Exposition

characters, setting, and background information are revealed

Rising Action

where attempts to resolve the main conflict of the story take place, new conflicts may appear and be resolved along the way

Climax

the turning point in the story right before we find out if the protagonist achieves their goal or not

Falling Action

the point in a story where we find out the consequences of the protagonist achieving or not achieving their goal

Resolution

where we leave our characters at the end of the story, the conflict has been removed, at least temporarily

Protagonist

the main character in a story, not always the hero, this character has a goal to achieve that sets up a conflict

Antagonist

Whatever force in the story is keeping the protagonist from achieving their goal. The opposition of this force makes the conflict in the story.

Conflict

Any struggle between what a character wants in a story and the force that is keeping them from getting what they want.

Person vs. Person Conflict

A problem between characters

Person vs. Society Conflict

struggle between a character and a group of people, authority or society as a whole

Person vs. Self Internal Conflict

When a character struggles with questions like whether or not they should do something or with their own mental or physical challenges.

Theme

a critical idea about life or social situations that is a recurrent element in a literary or artistic work

Foreshadowing

The use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot.

Inference

Using evidence from the text and your own reasoning to make an assumption about the text that the author does not come out and say.

Plot

the sequence of events in a literary work