Reading a longer story: setting and character clues
When we read a story, we ask where and when it happens: that is the setting. A writer may say what the place looks, sounds or smells like, and these details also create the mood, for example calm, busy or lonely. We also ask who the characters are. Writers often do not say that a person is hardworking or shy; they show it with actions and small clues. If a girl arrives early every day, she is probably hardworking. Read the actions, the words and what other people do, and ask: what does this tell me about the person? Then give a reason: She is hardworking because she arrives before everybody else. Stories also show values, such as honesty or patience, in what characters choose to do. In your reader, The Old Man and the Sea, read the Introduction on pages 3 to 5 and Chapter 1 on pages 7 to 12. Then look for setting and character clues in the way you learn here.
| Question | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Setting | Place and time words, sounds, smells |
| Mood | How the place feels (calm, busy, tense) |
| Trait | What the person does and says |
| Value | What the person chooses to do |
The workshop smelled of wet clay and warm stone. Amira had arrived before the sun was up, as she did every morning, and she was already sweeping the floor when Master Nabil came in. “You are early again,” he said. “Someone has to be,” she answered, and smiled. On the shelf above the wheel stood a row of bowls. One of them had a crack, and it was the only one she had made herself. Amira picked it up, turned it slowly and put it back in the middle of the row, where everyone could see it. The master did not say a word, but he moved the shelf lamp so that the light fell on it. Outside, the market was waking up. Inside, Amira rolled up her sleeves, sat at the wheel and began again.
Clue notebook. Choose a character from a story or a film you know. Write one sentence about the setting and two trait clues (actions or words), each with a reason that begins with “because”. Do not retell the story; only list clues.