CHARACTER

CHARACTER TRAITS Special qualities, features, beliefs, and quirks that make characters distinct and realistic Often revealed through character’s actions Make the character act in a way that affects the development of a story Image courtesy of Google Images

CHARACTERIZATION How the author reveals the personality of a character Telling the reader directly what the character looks like Describing how the character looks and dresses Letting the character speak or act himself or herself Showing us the characters thoughts and feelings Image courtesy of Google Images

DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION The author tells the reader what the personality of the character is The author describes the character’s traits. Example: To this day, I find it hard to gaze directly at people like Hassan, people who mean every word they say. The narrator tells us directly that his friend is uber honest.

INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION The author allows you to see what the personality of the character is Speech What does the character say? How does the character speak? Thoughts What is revealed through the character’s private thoughts and feelings? Effect What is revealed through the character’s effect on other people? How do other characters feel or behave in reaction to the character? Actions What does the character do? How does the character behave? Looks What does the character look like? How does the character dress?

MOTIVATION The reason characters behave the way they do Stem from a character’s goals or desires “What does the character want?” Conflict is often tied to character motivation; to understand conflict, start by examining what a character wants Image courtesy of Google Images

TYPES OF CHARACTERS Protagonist The main character in the story The one who drives the action Antagonist The character who prevents the protagonist from getting what he or she wants

TYPES OF CHARACTERS Critics often use the following terms to refer to fictional characters: Flat Character is a two- dimensional character with only one or two key personality traits “Amy is exceptionally stubborn.” Round Character has dimensions of a person from real life, with many traits and complexities. Stock Character is one who fits our preconceived notions of a “type” (such as the mad scientist or the nutty professor).

HELPFUL SKILLS Making Inferences About Characters Intelligent guesses based on current evidence or prior knowledge Current evidence is the information that is in front of your right now Prior knowledge is what you already know Using clues along with your prior knowledge about human nature to decide what kinds of people these characters are

HELPFUL SKILLS Making Inferences About Motivation Intelligent guesses that try to understand why a character acts or speaks a certain way The underlying reason for a character’s actions is motivation Ask yourself: What does each character want? What does each character want to avoid? What conflicts do the characters face? What happens as a result of these characters change?

HELPFUL SKILLS Comparing and Contrasting Characters Writers often present characters that are similar or different (or both) to Create tension or conflict To highlight character traits Allows you to deepen your understanding of each character’s role in the conflict and lead you to a greater understanding of the story’s larger truth Image courtesy of Google Images

HELPFUL SKILLS Understanding Historical Context Historical context consists of social, political, and cultural forces of a story’s time and place In order to accurately, or fully, understand a character’s motivations, you must consider their situation in a specific time and place Image courtesy of Google Images

Rewrite the dialogue with correct punctuation: Kevin asked Why is Maggie so shy? Because she was scarred by the fire Kimberly answered. I think replied Morgan Maggie was intimidated by her sister and that is why she acted shy.

Group Work Imagine what happens after Dee leaves her mother and sister. Consider the following: What would Dee say to Hakim-a-barber as they are driving away? How might she explain her mother’s refusal to let her take the quilts? How would he respond? Your task: Write a dialogue between Dee and Hakim-a-barber that answers these questions.