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I. What is the Resolution?The resolution, also known as the denouement, is the conclusion of the story’s plot. It’s where any unanswered questions are answered, or “loose ends are tied.” Interestingly the phrase denouement comes from the French word dénouement meaning “to untie.” A story with a complete ending is said to have a strong resolution. The resolution is the last of the five main elements of plot. General plot structures are arranged as follows:
The resolution allows a story to end without trailing off or leaving the reader confused or unsatisfied. For examples of resolution, consider the short stories below. Example 1Kim was angry at her brother Brandon for stealing her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches from the fridge before school. To teach him a lesson, she loaded hers with hot sauce. Sure enough, at lunch, Brandon’s eyes began watering and he asked her, “What did you do to this sandwich?” “Teach you a lesson!” she replied. Brandon never stole another sandwich again. In this example, the exposition explains that Kim is angry at her brother for stealing her lunches. The rising action occurs when she plans to teach him a lesson. At the climax of the story, he eats the sandwich and discovers what she’s done. The falling action is when she reveals what she’s done. Finally, the resolution occurs when we learn that Brandon will never again steal another sandwich. This ties up the story and notifies the reader of exactly how it ends. Example 2My dog Brady was acting strange and running to the shed and back to the house. I asked him what was wrong and followed him to investigate. Inside was a black and white cat with four kittens! I got the cat and her kittens a blanket and took them inside to keep them warm. I had five new pets! In this story, the exposition introduces a mystery: why is the dog acting so strange? The rising action is the decision to find out. The climax occurs when I discover the kittens, and the falling action occurs when I begin taking care of them. Finally, the resolution concludes that I have found five new pets and will adopt the cat and her kittens. Example 3Bobby was upset about his poor grades. He asked his mom for a tutor. After working with a tutor for about a month, he took a major math test. He aced the test! Thanks to hard work and studying, Bobby was becoming a star student. In this example, the conflict is introduced in the exposition: Bobby has poor grades. The rising action is asking for a tutor and studying. During the climax, Bobby faces his problem and aces a test. The resolution is that Bobby has begun to become a great student thanks to positive decisions. As these examples show, the resolution is often simply the ending. It is when the story closes and the reader is aware that the plot has come to its natural conclusion. III. The Importance of Using ResolutionIf a story ends weakly or feels as if it hasn’t ended with the last sentence and the last word, the reader is left feeling discontent, confused, or even betrayed by the writer. Although not all denouements or resolutions are happy or satisfying, they should allow the reader to feel as if the story has come to a proper conclusion. This is why the resolution is so important: a story must have a clear beginning and conflict, rising action, exciting climax, falling action, and lastly, a clear ending. IV. Examples of Resolution in LiteratureThe resolution is a necessary component of plot in both poetry and prose. Below are a few examples of resolution in famous compositions. Example 1
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous ending to The Great Gatsby, the narrator muses on the protagonist Gatsby and his development over the course of the story as well as larger ideas like humankind’s smallness in the face of passing time. Example 2
Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s ending to Crime and Punishment is perhaps one of the most classic and straightforward examples of what a resolution should do: notify the reader that the story has ended. Example 3
In his brief poem “Those Winter Sundays,” Robert Hayden examines his father’s silent kindness to him as a child, heating the house, and concludes as an adult that he did not understand just how loving his father had been. His resolution ties together the poem as a reflection on his father’s love. V. Examples of Resolution in Pop CultureThat’s all folks! Just as stories and poems have clear endings, so do TV shows, advertisements, movies, songs, and other forms of storytelling. Here are a few examples of resolution in pop culture. Example 1Planet of the Apes ending: PLANET OF THE APES (1968) - Lady Liberty Destroyed The film Planet of the Apes has a very dramatic and clear resolution. Throughout the movie, astronauts have believed they have landed on a foreign planet in the future. As the ending scene reveals, though, they have truly landed on the earth of the distant future, as the Statue of Liberty has been destroyed and is one of the few vestiges of the past. This is an example of a surprise ending. Example 2Spellbound Short Film: CGI Animated Short Film HD: "Spellbound Short Film" by Ying Wu & Lizzia Xu This short film has a more typical happy ending or resolution: the brother apologizes for his bad behavior and the sister appears to accept it. The story ends beautifully, cleanly, and happily. VI. Related TermsClimaxThe climax is at the center of the plot when the protagonist of the story faces the conflict in the most exciting, emotional, and dramatic scene of the entire story. Here, everything changes. Sometimes the climax and resolution are confused, as the climax is quickly followed by falling action and then the resolution. Other times, the climax and resolution occur at nearly the exact same time, since the climax allows for the resolution. The difference between the climax and the resolution is that the climax is a period of intense change and action, whereas the resolution is simply the story’s end. For an example of climax versus resolution, consider this story: Story: Two football teams, Bearden and Farragut, are known to be great rivals. After training all season long, they finally face off in an intense game. The game goes into double overtime when, at last, Farragut wins with a nearly miraculous touchdown. Happy to have won, Farragut marches off the field in a school-wide celebration. In this story, the climax and resolution are two distinct occurrences, though the resolution occurs immediately after the climax. Climax: At last, Farragut wins with a nearly miraculous touchdown. The entire story has been leading to the climax: either Farragut or Bearden wins the game. Here, Farragut succeeds, ending the story’s conflict. Resolution: Happy to have won, Farragut marches off the field in a school-wide celebration. In this example, the resolution is simply the happy team celebrating its glorious victory. ConclusionConclusion and resolution are very similar devices in that both patch up a composition and allow it to end. Whereas the resolution is the end to a narrative structure, the conclusion is the end to a formal essay or paper. Here is an example of a conclusion versus a resolution: Resolution: The team happily celebrated their victory after a challenging face-off with their rival. Here, the resolution marks the end of a story. Conclusion: In conclusion, football is a sport which encourages the development of both teamwork and school spirit. This formal conclusion is an example of the ending for a paper written about how football allows schools to develop unifying traits like teamwork and school spirit. VII. In ClosingThe resolution, or denouement, is a necessary component of any good story, from songs to poems to prose to movies. Just as stories need interesting beginnings and exciting events throughout, they need strong endings which tie together the plot and leave the reader feeling finished. What is the exposition rising action climax falling action and resolution of a story?There are usually considered to be five elements in a plot line: exposition or background information, rising action (that which complicates the story), climax or crisis, falling action, and resolution. The plot describes the structure of a story. It shows arrangement of events and actions within a story.
What is an example of rising action in a story?For example, in a suspense or crime novel, the rising action could be the protagonist going on a journey to solve a mystery or crime. But in a romance novel, the rising action could be the characters' journey to falling in love.
What is a falling action of a story example?The story begins to move to the conclusion, or the resolution, at which point everything will be tied up and resolved. For example, in a hero tale, the hero's journey home after defeating the villain would be the falling action.
What are the rising action climax and falling actions in a plot explain each one?The Rising Action culminates at the Turning Point, where the climax occurs, at which point the conflict is resolved. Then it becomes a Falling Action, where the story starts to wind down, and consequences come into play.
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