Secret Values In Short Story

Secret Values In Short Story

Short story is a compilation of human nature in form of paragraph. It contains many beneficial things which are actually really paramount for our lives. It’s derived from the most noble values of society and compiled into a simple paragraph. According to the Cambridge Advance Learner’s Dictionary, short story means an invented story which is no more than 10,000 words in length. From the meaning above, we can conclude that basically the short story is compiled in a shorter from than novel while the purpose of the compilation is the same; entertaining.

Short story sharpens your sensitivity and maturity. Every single paragraph in the short story is designed to have the simpliest value which is derived from the most complicated values within the writer’s society. The values could be in form of the most rebellious to the most obedient one depends on the writer’s ambiance that will effect your sensitivity towards your society and your self-maturity. There are no specific materials needed to find the values in a short story but your sincerely to open your heart to the new values contained by the short story. In order to have the whole values in a society, there are some methods that will help you to find the values of the short story completely. They are skimming the short story continued by reading the short story carefully, identifying plot, defining characters and characterization, relating symbolism, and forming values.

Depict your map before you undergo the war. It’s really important for you to have a kind of depiction of the short story so that you know where is actually the short story is trying to bring you. You can identify the flow of the short story by skimming the short story it self such as considering the expository part, conflict, and the ending of your short story so that this depiction will help you to know what’s actually the main issue upheld by the short story. After skimming your short story and finding the simple plot, you can start reading the short story carefully. While you are reading, it’s fully suggested to the readers to point out and emphasis every single words which affects the whole flow of the short story. The characteristic of the words which are influencial to your short story is repeated, using figure of speech, and usually related to our nature. Finding the influential word (from now on reffered to symbolism) is very important for you to know the whole story well because some times the symbolisms determine the flow of the story.

After you skim and read carefully your map, makes your map become clearer by identifying the plot. Plot in a short story helps you to know the flow of the short story clearer. Basically the plot of a short story consists of five parts. They are introduction/exposition, kick-off, rising action, climax, faling action, and denoument. By identifying the plot you will know every part of the story which makes your reading become more worthy since you know every single important things of the story. One of the important parts of the plot is kick-off. Knowing the kick-off of the story is important. It makes your plot identification become easier and faster so that you won’t waste your time while you are identifying the whole story plot. In term of function, kick-off is a part which is apparantly the same if we compare it to a bridge. It functions as a bridge from the exposition to the conflict of the short story so that by finding the story kick-off you could determine two parts of the plot directly and quickly.

After you identifying the plot, defining character and characterization makes your map become more definite. Defining character and characterization are as important as defining the plot. Defining character means that you are pointing out which characters belong to major characters and which characters belong to minor characters. By pointing out the major and minor characters of the story, you will know which characters have the biggest influence of the story that sometimes could influence the flow of the story enemously. Characterization is the characters characteristics. According to Dewey Hensley, actually there are eight ways of revealing characters’ characteristics. They are actions, dialogue, physical description, idiosyncracies, objects/possession, reaction, thoughts, and background information. Action is a way to reveal the characteristic by considering the action of the characters. For example action of smiling reveals happiness, enjoyment, etc. Dialogue is a way to reveal the characteristics by considering the dialogue between the characters. Physical description is the esiest way to reveal the characteristics. To identify the characteristics from physical description, we could be easily point out the characteristics since they are clearly stated by the writer within the short story. Idiosyncracies is a way to define the characteristics from the unusual habit done by the characters i.e walking quickly reveals some one who is busy. Object/posession is the way to know the characteristics by looking at the things which are had by the characters. Usually in some short story, a certain character might have a special things in his/her life which reveals his/her characteristics secretly. Reaction is a way to know the characteristics of a character by considering the character’s reaction towards other characters’ reaction. Thoughts is a way to know the characteristics of a character by finding the thoughts of the characters. The thoughts might be good or bad depends on the character it self. Background information is the way to know the character’s characteristics by knowing the information of the character’s life. Some times, it’s important for you to know the background information of the characters because it will affect your understanding towards the short story. By knowing the characters and their characterization, you could identify the tone of the story easily as well as sharpen your sensitivity to know some one’s characteristics.

After you define the characters and characterization, the next step before you form the values is finding the symbolism. Symbol is an idea or image that suggests something else. It is a little thing that touches a larger thing. The symbolism is actually devided into two kinds. They are conventional and universal. Conventional symbols are those recognized by people who share certain cultural and social assumption. For example McDonald’s symbol symbolizes happiness, fun, etc. Universal symbols are those likely to be recognized by people regardless of their culture. For example, spring symbolizes growth, new life, etc. By knowing the symbols of the short story, you will understand the whole short story correctly since you are able to point out every single secrets in that short story.

The last step of knowing the story identification is forming values. This is the part when every single step above done by the readers. The readers will form values from the short story as their reflection of the short story toward their lives. Some people believe that this is the most important part which shapes the readers maturity toward their lives and society. It’s a reflection which is revealing the paramount things of the story in form of values that will affect readers’ maturity as well as readers’ sensitivity.

Those are the step of identifying a short story in order to get the main values of the short story which shapes your maturity and sensitivity. The steps starts from skimming and reading, indentifying plot, defining characters and characterization, finding symbolizm, and forming values. Those are the steps which helps you to understand the short story deeper besides enjoy it. By doing so, you are able to find the secrets meanings of the short story while entertaining your self.