Recap
A narrative is delivered through events (episodes, encounters, scenes) that relate to a conflict. An event’s significance depends on its relationship to the narrative, the conflict and the development of characters. Test it by imagining the event removed. Explain an event by what it causes, what it changes and its function.
Key relationships
| Idea | What it means | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Episode | A self-contained incident | What does it add to the whole? |
| Encounter | A meeting between characters | What does it reveal or change in their relationship? |
| Scene | A continuous unit in one place and time | What is its turning point? |
| Cause and effect | An event leads to the next | What depends on this? |
| Turning point | An event after which things cannot return | What changes permanently? |
| Function | What an event does for the narrative | Introduce, develop, reveal, turn, resolve or mirror? |
What you may assume
- Not every event is equally significant.
- An event can be significant because it is a refusal, silence or decision, not only an action.
- Your judgement must rest on the conflict and the characters.
Mistakes to avoid
- Retelling events instead of explaining them.
- Calling an event “important” without saying why.
- Treating the loudest event as the most significant.
- Naming the climax and ignoring what causes it.
- Forgetting the conflict.
Key terms
- Event: an episode, encounter or scene in the plot.
- Significance: the weight of an event for the narrative, the conflict and character development.
- Turning point: an event after which things cannot go back.
- Function: what an event does: introduce, develop, reveal, turn, resolve or mirror.
Sentence frames
- “[Event] is significant because it …, which leads to ….”
- “The event changes the conflict from … to ….”
- “If [event] were removed, … would lose its cause.”
Mini-example
Event: Wren opens the forbidden cupboard to save the light. Conflict: obedience against conscience. Function: turning point; leads to the relighting and her confession.
How questions ask about this
- “The function of the event in lines … is to …”: say what it causes, changes or reveals.
- “Which event most directly results from …?”: check cause and effect, not just order.
- “If this event were removed, what would be lost?”: name the later events and meanings that depend on it.
- Constructed response: name the conflict, describe the event briefly and explain its function.
Quick self-check
- State the test for whether an event is significant.
- Why is Mercutio’s death a turning point in Romeo and Juliet?
- Why is the discovery of the notebook more significant than the storm in The Long Table?
Answers.
- Remove it in your mind and ask what later events would lose.
- It leads Romeo to kill Tybalt and so to exile, so the feud directly threatens the lovers.
- It changes the conflict from sell-or-keep to trust-or-distrust, while the storm only develops the relationship.
Full explanations are in the study guide. Try the practice questions next.