As you read Bone by Fae Myenne Ng, take notes on plot, character, point of view, and setting.
As a critical reader, this will help you to analyze elements of a work
and to consider how - and how well - the elements interconnect. Also,
consider the author's purpose in writing this story. Can you make the
connection to yourself? Does the author seem to be saying something
about loyalty and love?
Consider the following as you read: Plot
is the sequence of main events in a story. Plot involves conflict, as a
main character (protagonist) struggles with one or more opposing forces
(antagonists).
What happens in the story? Why?
Against whom or what is the main character struggling? Why?
How is suspense built into the story? How does the author reveal characters?
Are there any twists in the plot? What do they add to the story?
Characters
are distinguished as major and minor. The protagonist is the main
character. The antagonist, the force against the main character, may be
a major character or a conflict within nature, society, or himself.
How does the main character change from the beginning to the end?
What forces or circumstances make one of the characters act in a certain way?
Do the characters' actions seem believable within the story?
Who is vulnerable in the story?
Theme
goes beyond events to consider issues of meaning: What does the story
say about human nature, reality, or society? Theme abstracts from
specific events to make a general statement about life.
Is the story optimistic or pessimistic?
What universal situations and general values are involved?
Does the narrator or main character arrive at any insights?
Does the story leave you with any insights? How does the story make you feel?
Point of view refers to the narrator, the person who is telling the story.
Who is telling the story? How much does the speaker know and tell?
Can the reader accept the narrator's version of events and their meaning?
Setting, a story's placement in time and space, entails both physical and cultural context. It interconnects with plot and character.
How familliar are you with the cultural context?
Does the setting effect the action?
How does the setting illuminate the characters and events?
How would the story have to alter if set in a different place and/or time?
Finally, consider the following as you conclude your reading:
The title. Are you able to explain the author's choice for a title?
The style. Are you able to note where the author maintained her concentration: plot, character, setting, or theme?
The end. Are you able to explain these words: The heart never travels.
