"Mr Francis entered the room. There was a piece of paper on the floor"

Why is the inclusion of the detail of the paper on the floor important?

The inclusion of the detail of the paper on the floor is important as it was purposely written into the story by the narrator. Therefore it must mean something and be of some significance to the plot otherwise the writer wouldn't have included it, the paper isn't on the floor by accident, the author has intentially placed it there for whatever reason.

The paper on the floor could be used to set the scene, for example it could help illustrate that the room is messy and untidy. It could also be representative of the fact that the character or "Mr Francis" is not in control of the situation as he can't keep his room tidy, or it could suggest that his students are unruly and he can't control them.
It could also be used to describe his character, for example he is messy and leaves things lying around, or it could be a sign about the character's life. Perhaps things are never where he wants them and this could symbolise that he is never where he wants to be in life. Also the fact that the paper on the floor is the first thing "Mr Francis" notices, or the first thing the reader is told about the room, could represent the fact that the character always looks for the worst in things. So it could tell us that he has a negative personality.

The paper could also be significant in creating a certain atmosphere. The paper on the floor could be a sign to the reader that things are not as they seem, for example someone has been into the room and moved things around, perhaps searching through things they shouldn't have been. So the description of the paper being out of place on the floor could be used to aid the narrator in creating suspense or tension in the story. The paper being on the floor could also trigger a reaction in the character that is important to the plot, for example "Mr Francis" could become very angry about the paper as it could be the last straw in a terrible day he's had, etc etc.

What is on the paper itself could also be important for the plot to progress. The fact that the paper is on the floor could be to grab the characters attention so they look at it immediately rather than just tossing it aside. The paper could contain infomation vital for the plot to move on, for example an important letter or a note from another key character, it could be a list, a bank statement, a document, anything.

Finally the paper could be symbolic of something, and may reflect an important or reaccuring theme within the story. For example if the paper was scrunched up it could be symbollic of how the character is feeling at the time. He could be feeling defeated, his confidence knocked so he wants nothing more than to just lie on the floor by the paper and collapse. Or it could mean that the character is feeling defensive and scared so he has metaphorically scrunched himself into a ball, just like the paper, to hide his feelings or emotions.

Overall the inclusion of the detail of the paper on the floor is important as it must be key in one way or another to the plot as the narrator has included it. The narrator isn't describing a real scene in which things are there for no reason, the narrator has created this scene and therfore the paper on the floor must be there for a reason, regardless of how important this reason is.

Hope this is along the right lines sir! I rambled on a little bit but that's what I've been doing all my life and it seems to have worked so far!