Writing the Character Analysis Essay Your Ticket to a Great Essay

Where to start? 1.Select a story you like. 2.Choose a character you would be interested in writing about. 3.Consider what you would like to say about this person. (Hint: You’ve got two choices here) 1. Discuss the character’s greatest character trait or 2. Discuss the development of the character through the whole story.

Now What?: Writing the Thesis The thesis is the core of your paper and should be a one sentence response to your question. Weak thesis = weak essay Must be a statement of opinion Must be one statement, one point

Before You Start: Find Quotes! Take some time to find 3 quotes that support your thesis Should be long enough to analyze Don’t have to be actual piece of dialogue between characters If necessary, reread! Don’t forget to include the page numbers after the quote. Ex: Rainsford said, “Hey, I’ll kill anything that moves” (243). Oh, fiddlesticks! If only I had taken Mr. Duffy’s advice and not waited until the night before to write my essay!

Formatting the Body Paragraph: Like Madlibs but not… What is Madlibs? How is writing a body paragraph like Madlibs? Where do I begin?

Parts of the Body Paragraph: 1. Topic Sentences The topic sentence tells the reader what the WHOLE PARAGRAPH will be about. It must provide clear support to the thesis. It must begin with a transition word (like first, next, then, last, etc.)

Parts of a Body Paragraph: 2. Context for a Quote The context for a quote includes a brief description of what is happening in the story at the time the quote appears. It should also indicate who is talking, and, if applicable, to whom is being spoken.

Parts of a Body Paragraph: 3. The Quote Quotes are like gas in a car. You want the one with the most octane to get the most “juice” out of it. Using emaciated, meager, paltry, rinky-dink quotes gives you little to work with. Avoid them! Ex: Rainsford said, “oh, no” (214).

Parts of a Body Paragraph: #4. The Analysis When analyzing, simply tell why you’ve chosen this quote Avoid simply restating what the quote already says

Parts of a body paragraph: 5. Connect back to the thesis After all this work, it’s important to bring it all back home Make sure to clearly articulate why this supports your thesis Not doing this will result in lack of focus Wow! With all this new knowledge, I’m going to go out and write on my favorite story, The Most Dangerous Game ! If only I could talk…

Things to Avoid You must follow this exact order Failure to write in this order will result in illogical, scattered, difficult to read paragraphs Mastery of this format will make your future years in English class a cake walk!

Example: Can you identify the parts? Thesis: Mr. Rainsford’s greatest character trait is that he never gives up. First, Rainsford is a survivor. At the beginning of the story, Rainsford is talking to Mr. Whitney about hunting jaguar in the forest of Belize. But after falling off his yacht, Rainsford mutters, “I will try as hard as I can to get back to my ship, even if it’s the last thing I do!” (253). Rainsford is determined to get through this difficult situation, even if it means having to endure being hunted on an island by a crazed lunatic like General Zaroff. Because of his determination, Rainsford never gives up trying to survive.

Your Assignment: By the end of the hour, you should generate your own thesis statement. You should also be able to complete writing at least two (if not all three) body paragraphs toward your rough draft