Period 1: Book Report

Book Report Blog: Due by Tuesday, January 15, 2013.

First: For your title, state the name of the book and the author.

Second: You will write a three paragraph literature analysis.


Each of the following topic areas are required in your “blog” analysis. Write at least one paragraph on each of the topics:

• Plot Summary
• Characterization and Setting
• Conflict, Theme, and Point of View

Finally:For full credit and after submitting your blog, read at least one other person’s analysis and make a two to three sentence comment. You are expected to use good grammar and spelling, so maybe type it in Microsoft Word before pasting and publishing it to the blog.

Note: If your blog is over 4500 characters,
you will have to split it into two blogs, part one and part two.

Here is a break down on each topic:

Plot summary: The plot is a brief but thorough summary of the story. You should exhibit knowledge of the five stages of the plot in your summary (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution).

Characterization: The characters in the story are the people or animals that author uses to represent various events and actions. When discussing the characters, please, identify their physical traits and personality attributes and explain how each of them interrelates amongst one another in the story.

Setting: The setting of a story is usually represented by its depiction of time and place. While the author may state the original settings in the story, it is important that readers know that there could be various settings in the story as well. The expressions of events and actions do change from place to place and time to time.

Conflict: The conflicts that occur in a literary work are usually expressed as internal or external. Conflicts are the problems that the characters have as they interrelate amongst one another, and as they express their inner thoughts and feelings in a story. Please, make sure that you identify the internal and external conflicts in your story analysis; and make sure that you use references from the story to support your points.

Theme: What is the universal meaning that the story provides you? How do you explain the fact that you have gotten the message in the story? A theme is usually the universal message or idea that is identified by the reader or audience. In stating the theme of a story, you should be able to express how much meaning and impact that the story had on you. A story may have as many themes as possible; however, you should choose one theme that you can fully discuss, using evidence from the story.

The following two topics can be combined into one paragraph:

Point of view: The point of view of a story is usually the angle from which the author tells his or her story. It is usually expressed in either the first person, second person, or third person.

• In the first person point of view, the author or narrator tells his or her story; it is mostly used in autobiographical or eyewitness reports.
• The second person point of view is rarely used in narratives.
• The third person point of view can be expressed in either third person limited or omniscient.
• In the third person limited, the narrator is usually not included as a character in the story. He or she is detached from the story; however, he or she is able to narrate the story based on what can be determined from one character in the story.
• In the third person omniscient, the character is fully involved in the story. He or she is able to see everything that is going on in the minds of the characters and is able to tell the movement of the characters as they progress from stage to stage.

Style: The manner in which an author expresses himself or herself in writing.

• The language that the authors use to convey their thoughts. What kinds of words are used? Do you find them too lofty and difficult to understand? Do you find them easy to read? How are the words arranged?
• Figurative language. Is there lots of imagery? Is there flashback and foreshadowing used? Are there lots of literary devices used?
• What are the structure and organization of writing? Is it in letter form, does it have paragraphs separating main ideas? Are there lots of dialogues or just one long straight narrative? What does the title of the story tell you about what to expect?
• What Kind of grammar is used? What punctuation style do the authors use?