Focus Question: How does knowing about literary elements impact understanding of a story?

     I really enjoyed reading the novel "The Higher Power of Lucky". Because I had been exposed to the Literary Elements before reading the novel, I feel I was able to find a higer respect for the story. Throughout the article writen by Peterson and Eds, I felt as if they were giving deeper meaning to every story I had ever read. I believe that once a student is exposed to these "literary elements" he or she is going to find a different sense of understanding within the stories that they read. By discussing what different elements such as: character, setting, mood, plot, etc..., bring before actually reading the story, the reader can mentally prepare for what he or she is going to experience. If a reader knows that the mood of the story can change based on the presencse of something as simple as a cookie, the reader can be more aware and detailed when reading. I also believe that discussion of these literary elements are key when reading novels. The literary elements give students something to start their discussion with. Once they start the discussion on something like setting as a character, who knows where their conversations and discoveries will end.
     It seems that most students are going to focus on plot and characters. These are the two outer layers of the book. Without explaining and discussing the different elements such as point of view, colors, etc... our students will not know how to look for them. I can remeber always summarizing a story. We would have to write out the main idea and then give supporting details for the story. Although this can be a great tool for students to use when beginning their literary journey, I think we as teachers need to provide the resrouces for students to delve deeper, into the themes and controversies that the authors want us to reveal.