Name: _______KEY________________________________ Mods:______________ Date:_______________
Short Stories Applied Notes
Story Title:_____ “War”__________________________ Author:___Jack London______________
I.PLOT –
A. Plotline
Exposition Young scout; tense atmosphere, trees & brush; hints of war
Complication “catlike and tense”
Rising Action all events from leading the horse down the slope to gathering apples
Climax the chase and shot of the ginger bearded man
Denoument (Falling Action/Resolution) soldier falling from the horse, apples spilling, laughter of the
men, applause for the long shot
B. Plot related terms & concepts
Reconstructed Past that the ginger bearded man must have smiled a lot, as evidenced by his laugh lines
Flashback
Foreshadowing pg. 42 “One thought persisted maddeningly…”
Epiphany
Turning point at the first hint that there may be a long shot that hits the soldier.
Projected future
C. Conflict
Character vs. Character Young soldier vs. ginger bearded man
Character vs. Nature
Character vs. Society war itself
Character vs. Self
II. CHARACTER
A. Character terms
protagonist the young soldier
antagonist the ginger bearded man
flat
the other soldiers
round ginger bearded man and soldier
dynamic
static
foil
B. Characterization
Direct – physical descriptions of young soldier & ginger bearded man
The young soldier has only the courage “of the average civilized man”.
Indirect – The young soldier is compassionate. = He does not shoot his enemy; he gathers apples for
comrades.
List main characters. Identify major traits.
Character
Traits/Notes
Soldier
Average courage; physical description; compassion.
Ginger bearded man
Good shot; good-natured; at stream, is anxious and weary
III. SETTING
Time mid-19th Century (carbine, soldier riding a horse)
Place any country with trees, brush, hills, streams, farms, apples, chickens, cows
Atmosphere tense
IV. POINT OF VIEW _____ 1st Person
__x___ 3rd Person Limited
_____ 3rd Person Omniscient
V. THEME War is not fair. War destroys civilization, makes civilized men act in uncivilized fashion.
Literary devices
Simile “catlike and tense”
“buzzing and humming like some incredible insect”(43)
Metaphor “Wall of trees”
“quail, exploding into flight” (p.39) “So tensely was he strung” (39)
“The pulse of war that beat from the west” (39)
“He grinned sheepishly” (39)
Imagery
Irony The man whom the soldier spared ends up taking the soldier’s life.
Allusion The ginger bearded man ===(possibly)=== The Gingerbread Man
A childhood favorite character, as opposed to this man who takes our protagonist’s life
Personification “The pulse of war that beat from the west suggested the companionship of battling
thousands.”(41)
“The woods sprang nearer.” (41)
Symbolism Apples = life;
water = life
Alliteration “Man and horse were littered with leaves.”(39) “incredible insect”(43)
“His task was to find what he feared to find.”
Onomatopoeia “A rifle cracked.”(43)
“buzzing and humming”(43)
Hyperbole
Symbol –
Established water = life
Created apples = life
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
No names for the war, the young soldier, or the ginger bearded man = universality
Respect / Lack of respect
Corpses not buried
Laughter at the soldier’s fall from horse