Writing a good Character Analysis Who is this character? What does he teach the reader?

1) Start with the Thesis The thesis must tell your reader exactly what you’re going to be proving. The thesis must state what the character teaches Examples: Elizabeth Proctor teaches readers to be selfless. John Proctor shows man can be redeemed even after sinning.

2) Body Paragraphs The first few body paragraphs need to discuss who your character is. Look over the brainstorming questions and choose the most important information. The last few body paragraphs need to explain how the character teaches a certain lesson or value. Cover all four brainstorming questions.

3) Find Evidence Think about the claims you are making in each body paragraph. How do you know your claims are true? What evidence from the play can you use to convince a reader your points are true? For every claim, you need at least one piece of evidence. For each new claim, you need a new paragraph. Use your study guides to find the page numbers where the evidence will be. Insert your evidence into your body paragraphs; flow into your quotes; cite correctly.

4) Finish Body Paragraphs A) First sentence = Topic Sentence (CLAIM) This is your main idea. It should answer the question: “What is the point of this paragraph?” B) Middle of the paragraph = Evidence. Evidence can be either a paraphrasing of what happened followed by an in-text citation, or quotes from the work. You need to use at least FOUR DIRECT QUOTES. EVIDENCE must clearly prove the claim in the topic sentence. Introduce(“set up”) all quotes. If you have more than one piece of evidence, transition smoothly. C) Final sentence = Warrant Clearly state how the evidence proves the claim. This is the “analysis” part.

5) Introduction A) Start with a HOOK. Hooks are broader than the subject (in this case, broader than the play we read); the hook should not even mention the work at all. Get the reader’s attention with some creative, clever, or interesting comment or idea; talking about Puritan times and/or the Red Scare could be a good idea. B) Next, mention the WORK and the AUTHOR. Be sure you are blending nicely from the hook; use transition words/phrases! At this point, you can mention characters/events/subjects from the novel that are relevant to the hook and the thesis. C) END with your THESIS.

6) Conclusion Restate the thesis – restate means say it in a fresh way; do not copy and paste. Briefly summarize main points (only do this if your paper is longer than 3 pages). Broaden out. Make an interesting statement that helps show how your topic is relevant, interesting, or useful to everyone. NO NEW CLAIMS OR EVIDENCE IN THE CONCLUSION! It can be nice to link back to the idea(s) in your hook as you broaden out (human beings really respond to this kind of closure – they really like when things “come full circle”).

Step FOUR: Revise & Edit Re-word vague and awkward sentences. Take out ideas that go off-topic. Make sure the essay follows the basic structure rules. “EDIT” Fix any grammar or punctuation mistakes. Make sure there are no MLA formatting mistakes. Look for typos! READ YOUR WORK ALOUD BEFORE PRINTING.