"A Long Walk to Forever" Newt Catherine Henry "Lysandra's Poem" Lysandra Elaine Brett Lysandra's Mother Lysandra's Father "Where the Wild Things Are" Max Wild Things Max's Mother "Borders" Speaker Speaker's Mother Laetitia Laetitia's boyfriend Mel (store owner) 1
Characterization is the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character. Characterization is revealed through direct characterization and indirect characterization. Direct Characterization tells the audience what the personality of the character is. Example: The patient boy and quiet girl were both well mannered and did not disobey their mother. Explanation: The author is directly telling the audience the personality of these two children. The boy is patient and the girl is quiet. 2
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"The face of Elrond was ageless, neither old nor young, though in it was written the memory of many things both glad and sorrowful. His hair was dark as the shadows of twilight, and upon it was set a circlet of silver his eyes were grey as a clear evening, and in them was a light like the light of stars." Taken from The Lord of the Rings You can almost feel night gathering as you read that passage, from the gray of evening to the appearance of the night sky, and the overall impression is one of great age despite the claim of agelessness. "She's the twelve year old, the one who reminded me so of Prim in stature. Up close she looks about ten. She has bright, dark eyes and satiny brown skin and stands tilted up on her toes with arms slightly extended to her sides, as if ready to take wing at the slightest sound. It's impossible not to think of a bird." The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (page 98): A lot of the best character descriptions have action or a element of movement to them, so you not only see the character, you see her in motion. Here, we get Rue's physical details, but we also have an indelible sense of how she moves. 4
"If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins." Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling (page 8): The idea that Hagrid is "simply too big to be allowed" is fantastic it's the Dursleys' viewpoint seeping through, but also maximizes how big and unruly he seems. And his feet are like baby dolphins! It's comical and totally lodges itself in your brain. Indirect Characterization shows things that reveal the personality of a character. There are five different methods of indirect characterization: Speech Thoughts Effect on others toward the character. Actions What does the character say? How does the character speak? What is revealed through the characters private thoughts and feelings? What is revealed through the characters effect on other people? How do other characters feel or behave in reaction to the character? What does the character do? How does the character behave? Example: Instead of pulling into a parking spot, the rushing mother pulled alongside the entrance of the grocery store and turned off the engine. "You two stay here," she said, head in her purse, rummaging for her wallet. "I will only be a few minutes." Small and silent, the young brother and sister sat still, staring at their picture books. Seconds turned into minutes which turned into even longer than that; time didn't seem to phase the brother, who was much older and braver than his younger sibling. He looked at his sister whose wide eyes had begun to search the entryway of the store. He reached out and held her hand. "Don't worry," he said in his small, soft voice, "she'll be back soon. Let's read another book." The little sister smiled at her older brother and watched intently as he turned the page of her favorite fairytale. 5
Sample Character Descriptions Character Analysis Paragraph Some good beginnings for your topic sentence: In Thomas King's "Borders, the speaker, who remains unnamed, represents... In Kurt Vonnegut's "A Long Walk to Forever," is demonstrated through the character, Newt. 6
PPE Point What are you trying to say about the character? Proof How does the text support your point? Explanation Why is your point important? Example PPE1: Max is a temperamental young boy, torn between independence and the comfort of his mother's care. For instance, when his mother calls him a "wild thing," Max responds with a threat (Sendak 3). However, when away from his jungle, with the wild things of his imagination, Max returns to the safety of his mother, gladly (Sendak 6). This demonstrates that Max is still naiive and unsure of the world around him. 7