Creating a plot diagram not only helps students learn the parts of the plot, but it reinforces major events and helps students develop a greater understanding of literary structures, like five act structure. Students can create a storyboard capturing the narrative arc in a work with a six-cell storyboard containing the major parts of the plot diagram.
In this activity, students will create a visual plot diagram of major events in Long Way Down. Students should identify major turning points in the novel such as the Exposition, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution. The example in this activity is meant to replicate the imagery of an elevator traveling down to the lobby, but students may also complete their plot diagram using the traditional plot diagram template provided!
Exposition
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is an award winning 2017 novel. Poignantly written in free verse, it is about a young man faced with a difficult decision. Will Holloman has grown up knowing the "Rules" of his neighborhood: #1 No Crying, #2 No Snitching, #3 Always seek revenge on the person who has hurt someone you love. After he sees his only brother shot and killed, he feels compelled to follow rule number 3.
Conflict
Will swears his story is true but doubts anyone will believe it. Will is 15 and was hanging with friends when shots rang out. They slammed to the ground and when Will looked up, his brother Shawn had been killed. Their mother is beside herself with grief. Will is too, but he can't cry: that's Rule #1. When policemen ask questions, they remain silent. That's Rule #2. Will thinks about Rule #3 and discovers a gun hidden in his brother's middle drawer. He takes it and goes find Carlson Riggs.
Rising Action
Riggs was Shawn's friend and a gang member. Will is positive he's the killer. In the elevator, Will presses L for Lobby. On the next floor, a man gets on. Will is shocked to see Buck, Shawn's mentor who was shot and killed. Cigarette smoke fills the elevator. Buck wants to check on the gun he gave Shawn. One bullet is missing. A young woman gets on: Dani, his childhood friend. Dani was killed when she was 8 by a stray bullet when they were playing at the park. Dani asks, "What if you miss?"
Climax
Will's Uncle Mark gets on, his dad's beloved brother whose life was cut short when he was killed. Next, Will's father, Pops, gets on. Will was told Pops died of a broken heart. In truth, Pops avenged his brother's death and then was killed in retaliation. Will feels like he should follow the rules like his father. Pops reveals that it was all in vain. He killed the wrong man. Will's father embraces him and suddenly pulls the gun out of Wills hand and puts it to his head!
Falling Action
Will is so scared he wets himself. Next, a young man named Frick gets on. Buck recognizes him as his killer. Frick had been trying to rob Buck and accidentally killed Buck. Shawn loved Buck like a brother, and Buck’s murder, Shawn killed Frick. Will is certain that Riggs killed Shawn and believes it was to avenge Frick's death. But Frick says, "Who?" Doubt creeps in.
Resolution
The last person on the elevator is Shawn. Will embraces his brother and confesses his plan to kill Riggs and how scared he is. Shawn surprises Will by crying. Will was always told to follow Rule #1 and never cry, but seeing his brother cry makes him realize that maybe the Rules are wrong. The elevator reaches the lobby and the doors open. Shawn turns to Will and asks, "You coming?"
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Due Date:
Objective: Create a visual plot diagram for Long Way Down.
Student Instructions:
Help the students analyze the already existing ending of the story. Ask the students questions such as does this resolution solve all the conflicts present in the narrative? Or what is the current audience reaction to this resolution? Students can also examine the connection between all the events in the story to make further sense of the resolution.
Initiate a discussion on the current ending and how students themselves feel about that ending. Encourage the students to express their opinions and interpretations of the resolution and how they would like to make it different. Guide the students to think from the perspective of the author as well as the characters and find a middle point to execute their vision.
Students can look for new ideas for the ending with the help of brainstorming sessions. These sessions can be individual or in a group format so the students can build on each other’s ideas. Encourage the students to be creative but keep the central ideas and themes of the story in mind while thinking of a new ending.
Once the students have decided on their alternate ending or an extended ending of the already existing narrative, students can create storyboards to showcase their creativity and interpretation of the central ideas. These storyboards can include connection of the ending with the overall narrative, interesting visuals, and short descriptions of the main events.
Ask students to consider the decisions they made when developing their alternative option. What effects on the narrative and its themes did these decisions have? This kind of introspection can help them grasp narrative and creative problem-solving in a more comprehensive manner.
The novel's unexpected conclusion raises questions about readers' preconceptions and forces them to reconsider what happened in the elevator, all without giving too much away. It gives the narrative an additional level of complexity and provokes thinking about the larger issues of bereavement, retaliation, and the decisions we make.
"Long Way Down" has several connotations. On one level, it alludes to the actual journey down the elevator that serves as the novel's framework. More profoundly, it represents the rough and demanding path that the characters, especially Will, have to go down in light of their circumstances.