Date post: | 29-Dec-2015 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | domenic-sanders |
View: | 220 times |
Download: | 1 times |
Characterization• How an author chooses to tell
you (the reader) about characters
• Authors may choose to tell you directly about a character.
or
• Authors may give you clues about what the character is like.
Direct Characterization
• The author tells the audience what the personality of the character is.
• EX: The patient girl sat quietly while waiting for her mother. What word
describes the girl?• EX: Tom’s violent behavior made
everyone afraid of him. What word describes Tom?
More Examples of Direct Characterization• Joe was motivated by money. He
had no use for love or family.
• This sentence directly states the character of Joe by telling us what motivates him: money.
• While Jill loved Bradley, she knew she was not the marrying kind.
• This sentence directly tells us that Jill is not the kind of person to make a long-term commitment.
Methods of Indirect Characterization
(STEAL)•Speech (something the char. says)
•Thoughts/feelings
•Effect on others, what they think/say
•Actions (something the char. does)
•Looks (the character’s appearance)
Indirect Characterization
Example:
Joe’s friend Tom laughed a lot. He always had a smile on his face. Tom is a ___________ person.
surprised silly happy
Indirect Characterization
Example:
Lisa’s little brother hid her skates under the bed. He hid her favorite book. He was always hiding something from her. He is ________________.
calm sneaky rude
Indirect Characterization
Example:
David read all the books about the forest that he could find. He also talked with the forest rangers to learn more.
David was ____________________.
gentle curious scared
Character Types: Flat and Round
• Flat character– Embodies 1 or 2 qualities, easily
summarized;– Not complex and thus easily
accessible to the reader;– Can be stock or stereotype
• a character who possesses the expected traits of a group rather than being an individual
Round – Complex and multi-
dimensional– Inconsistent and
unpredictable– Hard to summarize
and understand– Display internal
conflicts found in real people
Character Behavior—Do They Change or Not?
• Static character
– Doesn’t change as a result of what happens to him in the story;
– The reader’s knowledge of him does not grow.