A short lecture on Plot

1. Can they survive this!?
We care what happens next (plot)
because the characters are believable
and likable enough (characterization)
to care about in the first place.

2. Introduction to Plot
In Essay #2, due at the end of Week 6, we react
to one piece from weeks 4-6 and reflect on how
Setting, Plot and/or Characterization work alone
or together to help create that reaction.
Up to 25 Extra Points for detailed Compare-
Contrast of a 2nd piece (student choice).
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L 2

3. Something’s going to happen
any minute now!
Do you like films in which a
timer counts down, as in
Independence Day? If so, you
like your fiction with a strong
plot: There’s a deadline, a
ticking bomb, a rush to
overcome obstacles by the
time X happens. In
Independence Day, X is just
the annihilation of the whole
human race. No pressure.
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L
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Pieces that rely more on tone and style –
film critics use the term atmospheric –
may rely less on plot. Heavily stylized
atmospheric films often have strong
scores that powerfully affect the tone
(mood).

4. Not every story is heavily plotted
…yes pressure! Plot likes pressure. Plot needs
suspense. A good plot keeps us wondering what’s
going to happen. If you know the ending, it’s spoiled
for you, right? Because suspense is a big part of the
pleasure.
If you knew in advance that “Raymond’s Run” would
end with Hazel less concerned with winning, the story
would still work as well as it worked for you. In that
story, it’s more about style, tone and hearing the
voice of the main character than it is about What
Happens Next. There’s not much pressure.
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L 4

5. In which we learn…
The opening words of Neil Gaiman novel Stardust,
which was made into a film of the same title, states
a (fantasy) fact that should make readers’ curious:
“Chapter One, in which we learn of the village
of Wall and of the curious thing that occurs
there every nine years.”
Well what happens every nine years? We don’t
know. So we read on.
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6. Plot is a mechanism
moving the story forward. The parts:
 Exposition – Background details & other information
needed for the story to be plausible. Usually but not
always at the start. Might be in a flashback.
 Foreshadowing – Hinting at what is to come, building
suspense. Signs and messages for the audience that the
characters may miss or dismiss.
 Obstacles & Conflicts – Problems characters face as they
move toward goals or away from dangers.
 Climax – Highest point of suspense, tension, danger.
 Resolution – Questions are resolved after the climax. The
cool down time, the marriage, the dessert. Usually short.
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7. Exposition
Exposition is background information that helps the plot make sense. In
sci-fi movies, there’s often an expert who explains things to a main
character early in the story so we can be filled in too. We need enough
information for things to feel plausible, but not so much that we feel
bogged down. Stories need exposition but it can get in the way of
suspense.
Get Out gives the needed exposition brilliantly by way of a promotional
sales video made by the mad scientists holding him prisoner. In it, he and
we find out exactly what they intend to do to him.
In Independence Day, we learn the background about David’s ex-wife in a
conversation he has with his father before the aliens arrive and clock starts
ticking. We wouldn't want to get the exposition while the clock is ticking.
That would be a boring distraction and artificial. We want to already have
the needed background before the plot gets tense.
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L 7

8. Foreshadowing
Writers and film makers try to hook our interest by creating suspense. They find
ways to hint at something amazing/scary/shocking/strange etc. to come. In
“Popular Mechanics” the tone with which the setting is described foreshadows
problems to come. “Early that day the weather turned. [...] Cars slushed by on
the street outside, where it was getting dark. But it was getting dark on the inside
too.” The period mark before the “But,” where Carver might have used a comma,
emphasizes the sentence and subtly accentuations the suspenseful tone.
In “The Story of an Hour” (a very short story we’re not reading this semester) the
first sentence announces that the main character, though young, has heart
trouble. Oh and her husband has just been in a train wreck. Oh and they are
about to tell her. What will happen? We read on, or we should if the author has
managed to get us even a little interested in the character.
In the play “A Doll’s House,” we learn 2 things about the couple right away: One
of them hates debt, and the other one has secretly gone into deep debt.
Emotional fireworks on the way!
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9. So much foreshadowing in Get Out
In the very suspenseful recent film Get Out even the
title foreshadows what’s to come. In addition, the
main character’s best friend warns him not to go to
the country. And yet he goes. Someone there screams
at him, “Get out!” And yet he stays. The disturbing
details pile up until he realizes he has to get out. Now.
And then he can’t.
No wonder the film has such a high rating on Green
Tomatoes. It keeps warning us that something is going
to happen, and then something happens. Then the
plot goes into high gear as we wonder how he can ever
possibly get out now.
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L 9

10. Obstacles & Conflicts
Another way writers increase suspense and hold our attention is to
place Obstacles and Conflicts in the characters’ way.
To use Independence Day again, the Jeff Goldblum character, David
Levinson, discovers the timer counting down to an alien invasion. He's
in New York. He must get to the president in D.C. to warn him.
But he doesn’t know how to drive (obstacle). He finds his father, who
does know how to drive and they head for D.C.
But everyone is leaving D.C. so . . . traffic (obstacle). And his dad drives
so slow. They get there finally. They pull up in front of the Whitehouse
and David rigs up some Satellite phone or something to call his ex-wife.
Oh did we mention…little obstacle here: David’s ex-wife happens to be
the chief of staff of The President
And but she’s won’t talk to him or let him through to the president.
M e a n w h i l e . . . that clock is ticking down to the alien invasion.
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L 10

11. Climax
The climax is when suspense and tension are highest.
It’s that moment when you do not go for popcorn. In
Titanic, the action climaxes when the ship is about to
go down. Will they make it?! Perhaps the emotional
climax is the moving scene in the water when Jack
sacrifices himself for his love.
Climax is in the eye of the beholder. In the hands of a
skilled storyteller though most of the audience should
be on the edge of their seats at about the same time.
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12. Resolution
After the climax, tension drops. There’s relief, humor, joy,
peace. The writer might let us know where everyone is or
where they’re going next. In Independence Day, David
and his ex get back together after he and Will Smith save
the planet. In Get Out, the friend who warned the main
character not to go to the country gets to say “I told you
so.” And in Titanic we see snapshots of the good life xxx
lived after the disaster.
This after-climax time is known as the Resolution. It’s
sometimes also called the Denouement – French for
untying the knot (the knot of the plot that is).
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L 12

13. This engrade wiki offers more about plot. Consult it if interested or if
you decide to use Plot in your essay and want extra knowledge. The
visual below is from that cite. The yellow circles are obstacles.
Foreshadowing in not mentioned but will happen during the
Exposition & Rising Action phases.
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L 13

14. Those Twisted Plots
Wait, what, Frank killed Lila?
How to Get Away with Murder fans were rocked by the
ending of season 2. Flashbacks supplied the missing puzzle
pieces that made it all come together. Er, sort of.
The Statue of Liberty showing up at the end of Planet of the
Apes is a famous, if dated, example of a plot twist. Spoiler
alert: They thought they were on another planet run by apes
when really they were on a future earth. Run by apes.
In the Forum this week we’ll discuss plot twists that worked
well and others that felt contrived. Where do you stand on
the ending of The Sixth Sense?
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L 14

15. Plot & Character Work Together
In addition to creating excitement for the reader, plot creates opportunity
for the characters to show who they are. Just as in life, conflicts and
obstacles force people to act (or fail to). How they act reveals who they are
– to themselves, others characters, and us. Their actions lead to
consequences that move the story forward and also change them.
In Fences Rose and Troy face several conflicts. Two are with each other, over
their son Cory’s desire to play sports and an affair. Others are with inner
demons and outer forces. How they act and react to these conflicts makes
them dynamic, three-dimensional people. And the pressures of the plot
make the roles attractive to the best actors.
In A Doll’s House Nora’s debt problem becomes a crisis when the man she
owes the debt to threatens blackmail. How she overcomes this obstacle
reveals and deepens her character. The way Torvald reacts when he finds
out about the debt reveals his character in turn. To Nora it’s a shock that
leads to a revelation in her and the play’s controversial climax.
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L 15

16. TMU (The Marvel Universe)
In action and super hero stories, characters
overcome tremendous inner and outer obstacles as
they strive to meet their goals, escape their
doubts/inner demons/enemies and achieve their
destiny.
For 10 Bonus Points, tell me about a fictional
character who inspires you. What obstacles and
conflicts do they overcome? What does their journey
reveal about their character, or even about human
(or superhuman) nature itself?
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17. A thought about Plot
Some writers say plot is an over-rated, artificial way
to think about a story. Stephen King explains that he
doesn’t plan out plots. He just puts someone in a
situation and writes to see what happens.
Life has put all of in situations from time to time,
maybe even from the start. Story telling was first
born and lives on through every new media
because it lets us reflect on all that happens to us,
and all that we make happen as we reach for our
goals and dreams.
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L 17

18. Plot questions for possible use
in a Reaction Essay
• How plotted is this piece?
• If I liked this piece more/less than I thought I would, did the plot
have anything to do with that?
• What if anything created curiosity or suspense for me?
• How well does the author fit in needed exposition?
• What obstacles and conflicts (inner and outer) force the
character(s) in this piece to act? What’s revealed about their
character – what type of person they are – along the way?
• What foreshadows the climax? (May take re-reading to see it)
• How exciting or tense is the climax? Did it work for me?
• Is the plot of the piece I chose very similar to or different from
another piece I know well? Can I add a section on that for the 25
Bonus Points?
• What worked for me in Essay #1? What will I do differently this
time?
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L 18

19. Tips for the Essay
• Use terms and ideas from the lectures and reading. Show your
knowledge.
• Be specific and concrete. When making general statements, give
examples. Use the phrase “for example” often.
• Plot and character tend to go hand in hand. Setting might or might not
be central to the piece. You do not have to discuss all three elements or
even two. Focus on the element(s) most related to your reactions to the
piece or to one part of it.
• You do not have to love the piece you choose for your essay. I didn’t
write it. I respect when students express critical opinions. It’s often
easier to write a critical essay than a praising one. Read movie and book
reviews. You’ll see many have a mix of positive and negative.
• Start early. Get a rough Intro or even more posted by Thursday for
feedback from me. There is an exclusive 20 Bonus Point workshopping
forum for Essay 2. Look for it.
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L 19

20. Avoid Plagiarism
Both Fences and A Doll’s House are classics that have been written about
widely. Feel free to consult online sources. If you use information or ideas
from a source, even if you paraphrase (put it in your own words), you
must give the source credit. See pages 1504-1516 in our book for help
with that as well as a model essay that shows how in-text citations look.
We use MLA formatting. If you’re more used to APA and use that, no
problem.
Also consult the Research Tab in Blackboard, your Writing 1 book and me.
Avoid plagiarism. Take the time to read and develop your own ideas. If a
source is cited improperly, the essay may lose a few points. If a passage or
idea is plagiarized, accidentally or intentionally, the essay earns 0 points,
no rewrite option. Plagiarism is usually glaringly obvious and very easy to
verify.
Every turned-in essay earns points, except ones that plagiarize.
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L 20

21. Going to the movies soon?
Plot & Character 1. ENGL 151L 21
Use this simple graphic to chart the plot parts of a film right after you see it. Just write
a few words about what happens in each section. Or put your analysis into a
paragraph or two. Feel free to adapt the graphic. Your film may have much less or
more rising action, for example, or have a long flashback that has its own parallel plot.
Have fun with it.
10-20 Bonus Points. For the full 20 include a critique: How well did the plot work for
you? A recent review of the new Planet of the Apes film says the plot is thin but the
characters so strong it’s still a gripping ride. If you go, I’d love to know if you agree.