Independent Reading Project
By: Dylan Zitzloff

Plot
The series of events that take place in a story. It often involves a conflict or struggle that must be solved.

EXAMPLE OF A PLOT

• Thomas wakes up in a rickety old elevator remembering nothing but his own name. He emerges into
• The Glade that has about 60 other boys. He is forced to survive with them using their own knowledge.
• They receive supplies every week and somebody new every month. They have tried for 2 years to
• escape, but found nothing. Then a girl arrives and she can telepathically talk to Thomas. They made
• a plan to escape The Glade. They battled Grievers but managed to escape into a world of disease.

Exposition
The background material about the characters, setting, and conflict.

EXAMPLE OF EXPOSITION

• The exposition of "The Maze Runner" is that it takes place in the Glade
• The main character is Thomas who is 16 years old and very intelligent
• The gladers are trying to find a solution to the maze and they live in the Glade
• There are evil creatures, called Grievers, out in the maze which makes it hard to survive
• Nobody remembers anything from their childhood, but some things seem familiar

Setting
The environment in which the story takes place...the time, place, and mood.

EXAMPLE OF A SETTING

• The setting of The Maze Runner is the glade, a giant meadow surrounded by tall walls enclosed by a maze
• It takes place in the day and night, during the future, the weather is always nice, and it never rains
• The mood of "The Maze Runner" would be fearful
• "A skinny metallic rod burst out of the Grievers moist skin, unfolding into a long appendage with three spinning
• blades, which moved directly toward Thomas's face." ( Dashner 343) is just one of the many examples of mood

Rising Action
The part of the story, including the exposition, in which the tension rises. It builds up to the climax.

EXAMPLE OF RISING ACTION

• Thomas arrives at the Glade not knowing anything but his name
• Thomas goes into the maze right before the doors close to try to save Minho and ends up getting
• trapped with the Grievers. He survives the night by defeating the Greivers.
• A girl arrives at the Glade and it is the very first time a girl has appeared there.
• Supplies stop coming to the Glade and everthing starts to change.

Climax
When the action comes to its highest point. It is the most dynamic or suspenseful part of the story.

EXAMPLE OF A CLIMAX

• The climax of "The Maze Runner" is when Thomas and Teresa jump into the Griever hole and enter the 6 code
• words: float, catch, bleed, death, stiff, and push. At that monent all of the Grievers shut down and open up
• an exit. It is where the Gladers can enter into the real world.

Dénouement/Falling Action
It follows the climax.
It's the sharp decline in the dramatic tension.
Unraveling of the plot.

EXAMPLE OF DÉNOUEMENT/FALLING ACTION

• The Gladers slide down a metal slide and see the creators behind the glass taking notes and observing them
• One lady walks up to them with a boy in a hooded sweatshirt. That boy is Gally, who was supposably dead.
• Chuck dies because of Gally
• The Gladers escape into a disease infested world and are saved by helpful people.
• They are brought to an enclosed area where they are safe.

Foreshadowing
A technique that gives the reader clues about events that happen later on in the story.

EXAMPLE OF FORESHADOWING

• "Everything is going to change," exclaimed the girl. (Dashner 57)
• This foreshadows the ending of the maze and states
• that something bad will happen in the near future.
• It also foreshadows that something will change everything soon.

Symbol
An image, object, character, or action that stands for an idea beyond literal meaning. It represents something else.

EXAMPLE OF A SYMBOL

• A symbol in "The Maze Runner" would be The Maze
• It is a symbol of isolation because it separates the Gladers from the outside world
• Isolation also represents loneliness, helplessness, and hopelessness which is how the Gladers feel
• It symbolizes isolation

Characters
People, animals, or creatures that take place in a story.

EXAMPLE OF CHARACTERS

• Thomas, an intelligent teenager
• Teresa, a mysterious girl
• Minho, the keeper of the runners/fastest runner
• Gally, a mean and rude teenage boy
• Alby, the leader of the Glade

Dialogue
The words that the characters speak.

EXAMPLES OF DIALOGUE

• "Nice to meet ya, shank," the boy said.
• "Welcome to the Glade," Alby said.
• "Let go!" Newt yelled struggling to break lose.
• "You think we're safe with these people?" Minho asked.
• "Get up, ya lug," Newt exclaimed.

Narrator/Narration
Narrator: the speaker or character who tells the story.
Narration: the writing that tells the story...characters don't say this.

EXAMPLES OF NARRATOR/NARRATION

• Narrator: Thomas
• Narration: Harsh sounds of chains and pulleys, like the workings of an accident factory
• echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls with a hollow, tinny whine. (Dashner 1)

Protagonist
The main or central character in the story.

EXAMPLE OF A PROTAGONIST

• Thomas because he is the centralized, or main, character
• He is also the good, helpful, and heroic character in the story

Antagonist
The person(s) who is/are in conflict with the protagonist... It is not always the "villain" in the story.

EXAMPLES OF AN ANTAGONIST

• The antagonist in "The Maze Runner" is the Grievers because they are in conflict with Thomas
• Another antagonist could be the maze because it is in conflict with Thomas,
• preventing him from escaping the Glade and escaping into the real world

Static Character
The character who doesn't change their emotions or personality through the story.

Example of a static character

• The keepeers of the Glade because they all think and feel the same way, confident that there is a
• solution to the maze and they all feel hopeful and optimistic.
• Their emotions dont change throughout the story.

Dynamic Character
The character who changes throughout the story. The character who changes because of a conflict.

EXAMPLE OF A DYNAMIC CHARACTER

• A dynamic character would be Newt because in the begining he is grumpy and unhappy
• and then at the end since his co-leader/friend, Alby, dies and he is very upset and wants to find a solution.
• Also, he never thought that they were going to escape the glade and then in the end, he fought through his
• limp leg and he trusted Thomas and because he cared and wanted to do it for Alby.
• He changed from being grumpy and unhappy to being happy and joyful.

Characterization
The method a writer uses to tell the readers about the characters
Indirect Characterization
Direct Characterization

EXAMPLES OF CHARACTERIZATION

• Thomas: an intelligent, happy, smart, joyful, responsible, and courageous boy
• Minho: fast, athletic, smart, helpful, kind, respectful, and caring
• Newt: a great leader, caring, thoughtful, grumpy at some points, and very muscular
• Alby: leader of the Glade, smart, crazy, hot-headed, nice, and can be mean
• Gally: a bully, arrogant, mean, disrespectful, angry, and not caring or joyful

5 Methods of Characterization
What the character:
Says
Does
Thinks or Feels
What others say/think
Looks like

EXAMPLES OF 5 METHODS OF CHARACTERIZATION

• Says: "Where are we going?" Thomas asked. He is skeptical.
• Does: Thomas volunteered to jump into the Griever Hole where all the Grievers live and try to save his peers.
• Feel: He feels bad for Chuck knowing that he promised him to see his parents, but Chuck died saving Thomas
• Others say/think: Teresa thinks Thomas is brave and nice, Chuck thinks that he is a hero and that he is smart
• Looks: Thomas looks like an orphan because of his raggedy clothes and his dirty, sweat-covered clothes

Conflict
The dramatic struggle between two forces in a story.
No conflict=no story

EXAMPLE OF A CONFLICT

• The conflict is between the Gladers and the Grievers over the battle to stay alive
• and escape into the real world.
• Person vs. Nature

Internal Conflict
A conflict that takes place within a characters mind, like a struggle of conscience.

EXAMPLE OF INTERNAL CONFLICT

• When Thomas couldn't decide whether or not to tell Newt that he
• knows the new girl from somewhere and if he should tell him that
• they can speak telepathically.

External Conflict
It involves a character's struggle with another person, animal, force of nature, or society.

EXAMPLE OF EXTERNAL CONFLICT

• Thomas and the other Gladers battling the Grievers in a clash of freedom
• would be external because it doesn't occur within a person.

4 Types of Conflict
Person vs. Person
Person vs. Self
Person vs. Nature
Person vs. Society

EXAMPLE OF 4 TYPES OF CONFLICT

• The conflict of "The Maze Runner" is person vs. nature because Thomas and the Gladers battle against the
• Maze, which is part of nature, to try to escape into the real world.
• The also battle Grievers which is another force of nature.

Tone
The clues in the story that suggest the writer's, or narrator's, own attitude toward elements of a story.
The feeling that you get from the writer's voice.

EXAMPLE OF TONE

• The tone would be dramatically suspenseful because of the deep description and
• cliff hanging chapters. It has a suspenseful plot because you never know what will happen.

Mood
The feeling of the story created by the setting.

EXAMPLE OF MOOD

• The mood of "The Maze Runner" would be fearful
• "A skinny metallic rod burst out of the Grievers moist skin, unfolding into a long appendage with three spinning
• blades, which moved directly toward Thomas's face." ( Dashner 343) is just one of the many examples of mood

Theme
The message that the author is trying to tell you. Theme's must be a sentence!
Universal truths suggested by the story
The stories main ideas.

EXAMPLE OF THEME

• The theme of "The Maze Runner" is
• Never give up because there is always a way.

Point of View
The perspective from which a story is told.

EXAMPLE OF POINT OF VIEW

• The point of view of "The Maze Runner" is first person
• It is because it is told through the eye's of Thomas
• "Where am I ?" questioned Thomas. (Dashner 5)
• It uses "I" so it is first person

Thanks For Watching!