Literary+Elements

=Literary Elements=

Direct Characterization: Telling the reader directly what a character is like. "Taking his comb, he parted his straight blonde hair down the middle, confronted the mirror, then combed it straight back, like the models in GQ" (5). This example gives the readers a description of Brent's appearance without them having to infer this information on their own.

Internal Conflict: A struggle between opposing needs/desires within a character. "There's no need to go home, said the voice. No need to go back to school on Monday. No need to go there ever again... You have the power to end you life. Now" (17). Inside Brent's mind he is contemplating about killing himself. Nobody is forcing him to lift his hands off the steering wheel and close his eyes excluding himself. There were some external situations earlier at the party that were challenging for Brent, but ultimately this event that took place was all based off of his own choice. That choice is a great example of an internal conflict which turned out to be a choice that would shape the rest of his life and thus create a "Ripple Effect."

Epiphany: A moment of revelation experienced by a character in a literary work. "...'This I tell you, who have the permit for learning. I'm old. I have the permit for teaching.' I leaned across and threw my arms around her" (114). At this moment Rachel it taught by her grandma that there are still good people in this world even in Germany, as if by revelation. She is also reminded of how much she truely loves her grandmother. This epiphany which Rachel experiences was caused by a perpetual "Ripple Effect" that Brent started by creating a whirligig.

External Conflict: A struggle between opposing wants among characters or physical needs. "...the snickers, the alcohol, all mixed and detonated inside Brent. He stopped, whirled, throwing off Chaz's hands, and swung with all his might." (17) This is a physical result of a mental situation. Because of the internal conflicts Brent was feeling, he just snapped. The external conflict between him and Chaz had grown to a point where he couldn't take it anymore, causing him to react physically.

Allusion: a brief reference to a person, event, or place, real or ficticious, or to a work of art. "The Bulls in basketball were different. They won." (12) This example of an allusion brings a real world franchise into a fictitous story. In gives a sense of relatability and reality to the story.

Imagry: language that evokes one or all of the five senses: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching. "He stared into her cheerful brown eyes, knowing she would never look back at him but always off to the side." (44) This line allows he almost see her face myself. It evokes emotions in the reader by affecting their senses. This is a great example of imagery.