AP English Literature Unit 4 Cheatsheet: Character, Conflict, & Storytelling in Short Fiction

What reveals character significance:

• Specific choices in speech, action, and inaction
• What characters value emerges through their decisions
• Nuanced descriptions of how they speak and act

Protagonist vs. Antagonist:

• Protagonist: main character driving the narrative
• Antagonist: opposes protagonist; may be another character, internal conflict, society/collective, or nature
• Often represent contrasting value systems

Character relationships:

• Conflict arises from different value systems
• Textual details reveal nuances and complexities in how characters relate
• Look for tensions between what characters prioritize

How perspective shapes tone:

• Narrator's background and perspective shape the tone they convey about subjects and events
• Tone = attitude toward an idea, character, or situation
• Emerges from narrator's perspective

Diction reveals perspective:

• Adjectives and adverbs not only modify but convey a perspective toward what they describe
• Word choice signals approval, disapproval, bias, or emotional investment
• Descriptive language often carries perspective, tone, or judgment, even when it appears objective

Reading for perspective:

• Identify which details the narrator emphasizes or omits
• Notice emotional language and loaded word choices