Character

1. Character Characterization

2. Characterization • Characters are the “people” of the story. • Characterization is of two main types: • Direct characterization occurs when the author (through narration) explicitly tells the reader what a particular character is like. • Indirect characterization is more subtle. The author gives certain information and lets the reader draw his/her own conclusions regarding the character.

3. Indirect characterization is achieved using the following methods: • The character’s name. (E.g. Old Man Warner in “The Lottery” warns people.) • The character’s appearance. • What the character says (or thinks). • What the character does. • What others say or think about the character, including other characters or the narrator.

4. To analyze a character, look at the character’s dialogue, appearance, actions, environment, character type, and motivation. Also note if there are ironies or discrepancies, i.e. does the character say he believes one thing, but act the opposite way? Do other characters say things about him that you do not see as true?

5. “Two Kinds” – Vocabulary conjunction – a part of speech used to connect and relate words or sentences. Common conjunctions are and, but, for, or, so, and yet. Normally, conjunctions should NOT be used to start sentences. In “Two Kinds,” Amy Tan uses conjunctions to begin many sentences. What is the effect of this?

6. “Two Kinds” Crossroads 10 pp. 198-209. Complete “Responding to the Story” p. 210.

7. “Two Kinds” – Character Development Character development occurs when a character changes throughout the course of a story. 1. What was your initial reaction to the mother? How did you feel about her by the end of the story? 2. What was your initial reaction to the daughter? How did you feel about her by the end of the story? When you write your own stories, keep this in mind!

8. “Two Kinds” Assignment-- Thinking Outside the Text • What pressures are there on people to be “successful”? • What is “success”? • What images does society use to stand for success? • Do you think that success is important? Why? • Should everyone want to be “successful”? Why or why not? • Can everyone be successful? • What is “character”? How does character relate to behaviour?

9. “Two Kinds” – Descriptive Paragraph Everyone wants to be “successful”, but people have different ideas about what success is. How will you know when you have achieved “success”? What would success look like in your own life? Write a descriptive paragraph in which you describe yourself in 10, 15, 20, or 25 years – when you are successful, according to your own definition of success.

10. “Two Kinds” – Letter of Apology Have you ever felt badly about something you once did, but you never apologized for doing it? Well, here’s your chance! Write a letter to that person explaining what you did and why you have to apologize. Will you send your letter? You decide!

11. Dear Mr. Crowell, I hope everything is well with you. It has been a long time since we last spoke, so you’re probably wondering why I am writing now. I feel a need to apologize for something I did when I was in your grade 7 science class. In the spring of that year, we had to do a big poster project about something scientific that we researched ourselves. When the time came to hand them in, I had not finished the assignment. I then promptly forgot all about it. A few weeks later, you returned the projects to the class. Knowing that my mark would suffer because I did not hand it in, I asked you where my project was, and pretended that I was angry because I had handed it in and you lost it. I was not a good liar, so I did not keep up the charade for long, and you were well-organized and knew the truth. I want to apologize for that lie now. I know that my accusation made you look like either an incompetent teacher or a liar in front of our class. It was unfair of me to basically accuse you of failing to do your job. For the lie, I truly apologize. Sincerely, Toby K. Smith

12. Character Character Sketch

13. What is a Character Sketch? A character sketch is a write-up about a specific character, giving the character’s main personality traits and physical attributes. It should include the following: • Identifying the Character (1 paragraph) • Physical Description (1 paragraph) • Personality & Characteristics (1-2 paragraphs) • Importance of the Character to the Story (1 paragraph)

14. 1. Identify the Character This paragraph could be the introduction. Tell who the character is by naming the character and what role he/she plays in the story. Give the title of the novel/story/play. Tell whether he/she is a major, secondary, or minor character.

15. 2. Physical Description Tell what the character looks like. Use evidence from the novel – be specific! Look for the best quotes you can – note characterization methods!

16. 3. Personality and Characteristics Explain what the character “is like”. This could include: • His/her likes and dislikes • His/her good and bad qualities • His/her strong and weak points • His/her attitude and opinions • Basically, any personality characteristic that is shown through characterization.

17. 3. Personality and Characteristics cont. IMPORTANT: Whatever statements you make about a character, they MUST be backed up (proven) by evidence from the story! Give examples, quotations, and references from the story to prove what you say.

18. 4. Importance of the Character to the Story Explain the importance of this character and his/her role in the story. Consider how he/she added to the story and speculate on how the story might have been different had he/she acted differently.

19. What is a Character Trait Essay? Character sketches can take many forms. The most common is the Character Trait Essay. Character Trait Essays can be longer than 5 paragraphs, but are structured the same way: Introduction, main body, and conclusion.

20. Personality Words Exercise Each class member will be assigned a letter. Working with a partner, take a few moments and brainstorm words that describe peoples’ personalities that begin with your letters. You should have at least 5 words for each letter. You will share them with the class.

21. Personality Words Aggressive Ambitious Anxious Bitter Boastful Cautious Clumsy Concerned Confident Considerate Courageous Courteous Cowardly Cruel Curious Dependable Disorganized Easy-going Eccentric Excitable Faithful Friendly Generous Gentle Gloomy Greedy

22. Personality Words Grouchy Gullible Helpful Honest Humble Hypocritical Ignorant Ill-tempered Imaginative Impatient Independent Ingenious Insecure Insistent Intelligent Inventive Irrepressible Jealous Lazy Lonely Loving Loyal Miserly Moody Nervous Obnoxious Optimistic Outgoing Outrageous Pessimistic Polite Proud

23. Personality Words Relaxed Reliable Romantic Rude Sarcastic Scatterbrained Secretive Sensitive Shy Sly Sneaky Sophisticated Spontaneous Stubborn Superficial Suspicious Tactful Timid Tiresome Treacherous Uninhibited Unintelligent Unpredictable Unreliable Vague Vain Virtuous Vital Vulnerable Witty

24. Character Types of Characters

25. Types of Characters Characters can be described in several ways. Two main ones are: “Flat” v. “Round” “Major” v. “Minor”

26. Flat v. Round Characters Round (or dynamic) characters change and grow throughout the course of a story. The change might be emotional, spiritual, or intellectual. Through encountering the conflicts and crises in the story, they illuminate the message(s) the author is sending. Flat (or static) characters do not change and grow throughout the story.

27. Major v. Minor Characters Major characters are important to the story. They tend also to be round. Protagonist – The central character of a literary work. Antagonist – The rival or opponent against whom the main character (protagonist) is contending.

28. Major v. Minor Characters Minor characters tend to be flat, but are also important to a story in that they serve particular purposes, which may include: • Giving the author a way to provide background information • Act as a foil (a contrast character) or alter ego (a comparison character) to a major character • Foreshadow events • Advance the plot • Illuminate theme • Enhance the setting • Establish mood

29. Stereotypes Sometimes, characters are stereotypes – characters that reflect expectations of behaviour from particular groups, rather than a fleshed-out personality. Stereotypes can serve a purpose in a story as a minor character, but as major characters they are usually simply a sign of weak writing.

30. Write a Character Sketch – Pre-writing Choose a character from a story you know well or a television show that you know very well. Brainstorm everything you know about that character (appearance, personality, and events/etc. that demonstrate their personality). Take a few minutes to do this.

31. Write a Character Sketch – Drafting Write a character sketch of the character you chose. Note: If you chose a television or film character, you must know the show or film well enough to be able to provide concrete examples that prove what you say! Your character sketch is due Tuesday, Oct. 18th!