Reading Signposts A Signpost is something in a

Reading Signposts • A “Signpost” is something in a story that should make you STOP and think.

6 Fiction Signposts. (We will look at each one. ) • Contrasts and contradictions • Aha! moment • Tough Questions • Words of the Wiser • Again and again • Memory moment

Contrasts and contradictions • When a character does something that contrasts with what you would expect or contradicts his earlier acts or statements… • STOP and ask “Why is the character doing that? ”

Contrast and contradiction example from A Monster Calls: • Conor actually wanted to be punished. That contrasts with what most kids want. • So we ask “Why is the character feeling that way? ” • (Answer: He felt invisible AND guilty about wanting to let his mum go. )

Aha! Moment • When a character realizes, understands, or finally figures something out… • STOP and ask “How might this change things? ”

Aha! Moment example from A Monster Calls • Conor finally understood the meaning of the three tales that the Monster had told: humans are complicated. • So we ask “How might this change things? ” • (Remember the answer? He understood that it was okay for him to want his mum to live AND for it to just be over. )

Tough Question • When a character asks himself a very tough question… • STOP and ask “What does the question make me wonder about? ”

Tough Question example from The Outsiders • Ponyboy says “Why did the Socs hate us so much? We left them alone. ” • So we ask: “What does this question make me wonder about? ” • (Should make us wonder why the Socs even bother thinking about the Greasers at all… are they jealous of them in some weird way? Do they just hate people that are different from them? Do they have any good reasons? )

Words of the Wiser • When another character (probably older and wiser) takes the main character aside and offers serious advice… • STOP and ask “What’s the life lesson and how might it affect the character? ”

Words of the Wiser example from A Monster Calls • The tree monster is wayyyy older and wiser than Conor. When he finishes the first tale, Conor is confused about which character was the “good guy. ” The monster says “There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between. ” • So we ask: “What’s the life lesson and how might it affect the character? ” • (Answer: People are complicated. You can’t just put them in a box and label them. Later it affects Conor when he realizes that he is complicated. He wanted his mum to stay and go and the same time. )

Again and Again • When you see a word, phrase, or situation happening over and over… • STOP and ask “Why does this keep happening again and again? ”

Again and Again example from A Monster Calls • The book kept mentioning The Nightmare. It only gave us small hints, but as the book progressed, we got a clearer and clearer picture of what was going on. • So we ask: “Why does this keep happening again and again? ” • (Answer: It was foreshadowing the climax! We didn’t really find out the details of the dream until he was in it trying to save his mum. )

Memory Moment • When the author interrupts the action to tell you about a memory… • STOP and ask yourself “Why might this memory be important? ”

Memory Moment example from A Monster Calls • The narrator suddenly throws a flashback at us in the fourth chapter, Life Writing. This is the one where Conor remembers that really fun night with his mum. They ate Indian food and went to the movies. • So we ask: “Why might this memory be important? ” • (Answer: It shows us what their relationship was like before any of this happened. It also shows just how scared Conor must be to lose his mum. )

Signposts • 1. Memory Moment ___ • 2. Words of the Wiser___ • 3. Aha! Moment___ • 4. Tough Question___ • 5. Again and Again___ • 6. Contrasts and Contradictions___ • A. Oh, now I get it… • B. Flashback! • C. That’s not what I expected • D. That keeps popping up • E. Older guy explains something • F. That really makes me wonder…