Lit ELTC

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Literature for Secondary Schools, 2011

CHARACTER

H.W. Beecher

Dynamic vs. Static characters are often paired with the above

two. Dynamic characters are those who change and developduring the unfolding of the story. They learn something, undergo

something, or make changes that represents their internalstruggles and overcoming them.

Literature Component - Novels 1

Aflatcharacter,ontheother

hand,isonewhohasnotbeen

fullydeveloped.Heorshedoes

notrepresentafullyrealistic

character,althoughphysical

characteristicsmightbe

explained.

Aroundcharacterinliteratureisonewho

hasbeenfullydeveloped(thinkthree

dimensionalversustwo-dimensional).They

takeonrealisticidentitiesandencompass

complexcharacteristics.

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Activity 1: CHARACTER THROUGH VARIATION

Task

Pick up an object from the basket.

Imagine the owner of the object.

Write notes on the owner of the object on a memo paper (e.g.:- what type of person he

or she is?)

Volunteer your description of the owner by reading it out.

The facilitator will then ask the real owner to confirm the description.

A character is responsible for the thoughts and actions within a story,poem, or other literature. Characters are extremely important because

they are the medium through which a reader interacts with a piece ofliterature. Every character has his or her own personality, which a

creative author uses to assist in forming the plot of a story or creating amood. The different attitudes, mannerisms, and even appearances of

characters can greatly influence the other major elements in a literary

work, such as theme, setting, and tone. With this understanding of thecharacter, a reader can become more aware of other aspects of

literature, such as symbolism, giving the reader a more completeunderstanding of the work. The character is one of the most important tools available to the

author.

Flat characters are two-dimensional inthat

they are relatively uncomplicatedand

do not change throughout the course ofa work.

By contrast, round characters are

complexand


Whatdoesyourspecialbelongingsayaboutyouandyourcharacter?

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undergo development, sometimes sufficientlyto surprise the reader.

A static character (which is usuallyrepresented by your flat character) does

not undergo changes and remains thesame, despite perhaps, having undergone

some event.

A dynamic character is a major characterin a work of fiction who encounters conflict and ischanged by it. Dynamic characters tend to be more fullydeveloped and described. If you think of the charactersyou most love in fiction, they probably seem as real toyou as people you know in real life.

Activity 2: SEAL YOUR THOUGHTS

Task

In groups, study the trigger given. (They are all Grandas thoughts about Rorys father.)

Write a character sketch of Rorys father based on what you have read in the trigger,

individually. (e.g.:-What kind of father/ son do you think Rorys father is?)

Write out the description on the piece of paper provided.

Insert the description into an envelope and submit it to your facilitator.


Character-Imaginarypeoplecreatedbythewriterperhapsthemostimportantelementofliterature.

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Static characters are minor characters in a work of fictionwho do not undergo substantial change or growth in thecourse of a story. Also referred to as "two-dimensionalcharacters" or "flat characters, " they play a supportingrole to the main character,who as a rule should be round, or complex.

Stock characters draw from widely known cultural typesfor their characteristics and mannerisms, and are oftenused in parody. Every culture has its own set of stockcharacters. In Italian commedia dell'arte, for example,Scaramouche epitomized the unscrupulous andunreliable servant. In modern American culture,Thurber's Walter Mitty created the

mold for the hen-pecked husband anddreamer.

Read more:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_round_character_in_literature#ixzz1H1VtTK8g

Protagonist - major character at the center of the story. Antagonist - a character or force that opposes the protagonist.

Static character- a character who remains the same.

Dynamic character- a character who changes insome

important way.

http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/glossary/g/flatcharacters.htmhttp://fictionwriting.about.com/od/glossary/g/RoundCharacter.htmhttp://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_round_character_in_literature#ixzz1H1VtTK8ghttp://fictionwriting.about.com/od/glossary/g/flatcharacters.htmhttp://fictionwriting.about.com/od/glossary/g/RoundCharacter.htmhttp://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_round_character_in_literature#ixzz1H1VtTK8g

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Activity 3: DONT JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER

You would have now realized that it is not reliable to arrive at an accuratedescription of a character based on one source. In Activity 1, you drew a

picture of Rorys father based on what Granda has to say about him. InActivity 2, you guessed a persons character based on what he/she owns.

There are many ways to find out more about a character.For example, in Activity 1, you could form a picture

of Rorys father based on what Granda says and thinks about him.

In your groups, look at the different ways to know about a character.Study closely the pages assigned to you. What information can you extract about Rory?


Who the character is...

Biographical informationincluding age, physical

description; and occupation isinvolved here. Questions that can

be answered by these kinds of

details are Who is thischaracter? What does this

person do for a living? Whatkind of past has this person

had? What is the characters

family background? and Whatare the characters goals?

What others say to the character

and what others say or think

about him or her

Consider the reaction of others tothe character, as revealed in

their speech to the person. Thenconsider what they may say

about the character when he orshe is not present, or what theymay think about the character.

With what the character surrounds

him or her...

This kind of detail can reveal agreat deal. In daily life, you can

categorize people by how they dress,

what kind of car they drive, wherethey live, how neat or messy they

are, and what objects are preciousto them. You can consider the sameinformation when you are learning

about fictional characters.

1

3

2

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the way an author presents characters


NOVELGroup Pages

1 13, 29, 302 95

3 13

4 13, 74

5 26

6 67

7 69, 70

Who the character is...

Biographical informationincluding age, physical

description; and occupation isinvolved here. Questions that canbe answered by this kind of detail

are Who is this character?What does this person do for aliving? What kind of past has

this person had? What is thecharacters family background?

and What are the charactersgoals?

What the character says

Look closely at the dialogue inthe story. Consider not only

what the character says, but alsohow he or she says it (in dialect,slang, formal English) and to

whom he or shesays it. (Is the character

expressing the same feelings todifferent people, or is the

character acting as a different

person with different people?)

What the character does

In a short story, all action can be

significant. So whatever acharacter does can be crucial to

the readers understanding ofthat character. Consider,

particularly how the characteracts toward others, but dontforget to examine how thecharacter treats himself or

herself and how the characterachieves goals.

What the character thinks

Characters not only act; they

think. Thought is as revealing asaction. When a writer brings the

reader within the charactersmind, the reader has the

opportunity to explore thecharacters needs and desires,

fears and conflicts, motives andgoals.

Why the character does what he or shedoes...

Without proper motivation (that is, areason for actions), a characters

believability can fall apart. A good storyincludes, however subtly, clues as to why

the characters act the way they do.These clues may be found in such

elements as a characters background,education, or social position, or in a

characters own words. Withoutmotivation of character, a story can lack

coherence and order; it can become amere string of incidents.

6

7

5

4

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Activity 4: CHARACTER HOT SEATING

In this activity you will have the opportunity to ask questions toRory and Granda about their actions, motives and feelings in the

novel. This activity compels you to think about the actionsof the characters and to analyze their characteristics. It will helpyou to have a better understanding of the forces that drive thecharacters in this novel.

Mahatma Gandhi

A character is questioned by the groupabout his or her background, behaviour

and motivation.The method may be used for developing a rolein the drama lesson or rehearsals, or analysing

a play post-performance.Even if done without preparation,

it is an excellent way of fleshing out a

character.Characters may be hot-seated individually, in

pairs or small groups.The technique is additionally useful for

developing questioning skills with the rest of

the group.

Task A

One volunteer is to play the role of Rory.

Sit on the hot seat in front of the class.

In groups of 5, generate questions to elicit information and opinion on their actions,motives or feelings related to the events in the novel.

(Each question should seek to help understand why the characters were involved incertain actions or why they said certain things.)

Take turns to ask questions to Rory


1

HOT

SEATING
http://www.dramaresource.com/strategies/hot-seatinghttp://www.dramaresource.com/strategies/hot-seatinghttp://www.dramaresource.com/strategies/hot-seatinghttp://www.dramaresource.com/strategies/hot-seatinghttp://www.dramaresource.com/strategies/hot-seatinghttp://www.dramaresource.com/strategies/hot-seatinghttp://www.dramaresource.com/strategies/hot-seatinghttp://www.dramaresource.com/strategies/hot-seatinghttp://www.dramaresource.com/strategies/hot-seatinghttp://www.dramaresource.com/strategies/hot-seatinghttp://www.dramaresource.com/strategies/hot-seatinghttp://www.dramaresource.com/strategies/hot-seatinghttp://www.dramaresource.com/strategies/hot-seating

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No repeated questions are allowed.

Task B

Repeat Task A. This time with another volunteer for Grandas character.

Activity 5: LIFES RELAY

Theme is the central idea or message in a literary work.It is not the subject of the work (students often get thetwo definitions of theme confused). It is a perceptionabout human life.

Themes are rarely stated directly. They usually mustbe inferred.

The theme is revealed by the way characters changein a story, conflicts in the story, and statements madeby the narrator or characters.

Understanding themes involve understanding plot, characters, and setting.

In Catch Us If You Can, Granda describes the experiences he and Rory encounter as if

participating in a relay the people they meetare described as Passing [them] like thebaton in a relay race. Rory and Granda are the batons in the race to escape the police, toget to Liverpool.


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The table given lists the people Granda and Rory meet in the journey towards their desiredfreedom. Based on the description of the characters, decide whether the characters the twomeet during their journey as helpful or not.

Task A

Select a blue cutout if you think the person or persons are helpful.

Select a red cutout if you think the person or persons are not helpful.

Write the name of the person or persons on the cutout.

Now arrange the cutouts on the poster sheet to map out their journey.

Summarize Grandas and Rorys experiences on the journey in one sentence. Writeit on the poster sheet.

Explain your theme.


People then cared

about each other.

Looked out for each

other. Now nobody

cares about anybody

themselves. Its a

horrible world, Rory

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Character What they did to Rory and Granda

Darren

Ruby andSammy

Annie and Rob

Norma andNichola

Dr. Nicol

Val Jessup


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The man at thepetrol station

Young man

ACTIVITY 6: IS IT HIM?

Task (a)

Read the excerpts below. The first one tells you about what Rory thinks of his dad, JeffMcIntosh. The second one is how Jeff McIntosh describes himself.Now look at what you did in Activity 1.

How do these two excerpts match the description you wrote in Activity 1?

Did you paint Jeff McIntosh as a positive or negative character in Activity 1? Would you like tochange your mind? Why? Why not?

Excerpt 1

Excerpt 2


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Source: MacPhail, C. (2010). Catch us if you can. Sarawak: PearsonMalaysia

(Page 159, Chapter 33)

SETTING

The setting is the backdrop of a story. It can define the actions of the characters, as well aspaint an inspiring canvas against which the characters relate, move, and deal with theirconflicts and problems. Setting also contributes to the mood and atmosphere in the story. Itgives reader clues about the emotions or feelings attached to the setting.


The setting encompasses a number of

different, but linked, elements: Time - day or night; summer or

winter; the historical period (anactual date)

Place - inside or outside; country orcity; specific town and country; realor fictional

Social- status, costumes, property,family background

Mood & Atmosphere - eerie;dangerous; menacing; tense;

threatening; relaxing; nostalgic;happy; light-hearted

The setting of a novel is like flour in a cake: perhaps less

compelling than the nuts and dried fruit, but if you forget to

include flour in the recipe, you will have no cake.

(From: Watts, N. (2006). Writing a novel. UK: Hodder) )

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ACTIVITY 6 : SEEING THROUGH

Task 1

Read the excerpt below. This excerpt is taken from the novel A Tale of Two Cities by CharlesDickens. Identify the elements in the settings that are illustrated in the excerpt below.

1 It was a heavy mass of building with a large stone court-yard

2 before it, and two stone sweeps of staircase meeting in a stone

3 terrace before the principal door. A stony business altogether, with

4 heavy stone balustrades, and stone urns, and stone flowers, and

5 stone faces of men, and stone heads of lions in all directions. . .

6 Other sound than an owls voice there was none, save the falling of

7 the fountain into its stone basin; for it was one of those dark nights

8 that hold their breath by the hour together, and then heave a long

9 low sigh, and hold their breath again.


From A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

What is Imagery?

Imagery is language that appealsto the senses (sight, hearing,

sound, smell, touch). Authors use

sensory words and phrases topaint pictures in a readers mind

so she/he can vividly imaginewhat is written. Imagery helps

create setting, establish a moodor show a character. Metaphors,similes and personifications are

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Task 2

Read the excerpt from the novel Catch Us If You Canby Catherine MacPhail. The excerpthas its lines numbered for the task below.

Task 2a

In groups,

highlight words or phrases that are embedded in the excerpt that describes- the place and time of the story- the imagery use

use blue marker pen to highlight words or phrases that are related to place and time ofthe story and red marker pen for words or phrases related to imagery.

based on the description of the place and time and the imagery used, state the feeling(e.g. atmosphere and mood) you think the author tried to create

Task 2b

In groups,

reconstruct the setting in the excerpt by replacing the words and phrases that you havehighlighted to create a different atmosphere and mood in the setting

write out your new version of setting for the excerpt above in a poster sheet

Task 3

Read the other excerpts taken from Catch Us If You Can, a novel by Catherine MacPhail.

Identify the elements of setting in these excerpts. Why do you say so? Locate theevidence from the excerpts.


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Look for words or phrases in these excerpts that help to create a strong sense ofimagery in making the setting come to life.

Except 1

___________________________________________________________________________

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Excerpt 2


The caravan was luxury. Only the best for Darrens mum. There were twobedrooms and a fitted kitchen. There was a bathroom with a shower. I openedthe cupboards. Just as Darren had told me, there were crammed full of tinsand packets. There was tea and coffee and sugar and cereals and dried milk.

Page 73, Chapter 16,

The man took a step in front of the boy. He had a weather-beaten face, and hisclothes looked scruffy a black jacket that had once belonged to a suit andpale, faded jeans. The boy seemed to be about the same age as me. His blackhair was curly and his eyes bright blue in an unwashed face.

Page 73, Chapter 16,

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___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Excerpt 3

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________________________________

Excerpt 4


I took one last look around the caravan. How I wished we could have stayedhere. Away from the world, away from everything. Outside, it was cold anddark. Unknown. I didnt know where we were going. Anywhere, away fromhere. Anywhere was safer than here now.

Page 78, Chapter 17

This van was so unlike Darrens mums. Brightly covered shawls were thrownover the seats, and the lamps threw out a soft warm, orange glow. And thesmell . . . it was of spices and cinnamon and garlic. It was as if we had beencatapulted into another world.

Page 84, Chapter 18

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STORY


___________________________________________________________________________

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___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

PLOT

ACTIVITY 1 :a) Lets watch a video. What do you think of the video?

b) Using the examples from the video, what do you think these terms mean?

i.

ii.


PLOT

Did you know?

In the year 1007, a Japanese noble woman,Murasaki Shikibu, wrote the worlds first full novel. Called The tale of Genji, ittells the story of a prince looking for loveand wisdom. In its English translation itcovers 54 chapters over 1000 pages of text.

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iii.

c) In order to know what we are going to focus on this session, try to decode the following

anagrams.

O.V.E.R.A.C.T.I.V.E R.A.I.N

Answer: _______________________________________________________

R.E.D.U.N.D.A.N.T L.O.N.G P.I.T.S

Answer: _______________________________________________________


NARRATIVE

An anagram is a type of word play, the result

of rearranging the letters of a word or phraseto produce a new word or phrase, using all the

original letters exactly once. For example:

Orchestra = carthorse,A decimal point = I'm a dot in place.

AN

R E E

T
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_playhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_play

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ACTIVITY 2 : TYPES OF NARRATION

a) Read Excerpt A and Excerpt B on the next page.

i. Identify the type of narrative voice in Excerpt A and B.

Excerpt A:

Excerpt B:

ii. What sort of knowledge does the narrator have?

Excerpt A:

Excerpt B:

iii. In your opinion, how much knowledge does the narrator in one excerpthas compared to another?

Excerpt A:

Excerpt B:


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Excerpt A

Excerpt B


Even before they reached the haunted house, the night had turned wild. Theface of the minibus driver flickered from blue to white under the lightning. Eachpeal of thunder made the map in Mr. Plumleys hand shiver. And the five leftover

pupils from Stagfire School peered anxiously through the rain-spattered windowsinto the storm and the black night.

There!Where?

Over there. See? Up that overgrown driveway.

As the driver swung the minibus into the looming hole between thewrought-iron gates, the three on the right-hand side of the bus read out thewords on the peeling sign.

Old Harwick Hall

Absolutely private.No hawkers. No circulars.

Colin, who had been so quiet the whole journey, suddenly spoke.

Extract taken from Step by Wicked Step

And I knew then that shed be seeing him later, to say goodnight. Eitherhed fib to Granny and say he had to go back and check on things at the caf. Or

hed make some excuse to go out for a while after I was asleep. And I feltcheated, because Id only been persuaded to come to Grannys house because ofhim, and somehow, if he was slipping off to see Stella later, it made me sort of

second-best, and not important as if I really didnt matter much, and might just aswell stayed home with Mum, where both of us would have been happier.

Extract taken from Ste b Wicked Ste

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ACTIVITY 3 : RELIABILITY OF THE NARRATIONS

a) Get into your groups.

i. Choose a well-known fairytale. Most fairytale would be written in the third personnarration.

ii. Translate the fairytale that you have chosen into a first person narration whilepreserving the originality of the storyline. Include the details of what the charactermight see, feel, hear etc.

iii. Present your new fairytale to the class.


Did you know?

In the original version of "Sleeping Beauty", the prince's

mother was an ogress and loved to eat children.

In the original Snow White, the queen eats the heart she

believed belonged to Snow White.

The Brothers Grimm has written exactly 211 fairy tales.

The flying carpet in one of the most enduring images in The1001 Arabian Nights and it is affiliated with many stories,

but contrary to popular belief, Aladdin never flew on the

magic carpet. Prince Housain in The Three Brothers is the

only person to fly on the magic carpet.

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a) What do you think of the new story? How does the story change?

b) Does the story sound more reliable in the first version or in the latter version?

c) Return to the previous excerpts from Activity 2:

i. Analyze the reliability of the excerpts.

ii. Do you think that one excerpt is more reliablethan the other? Why?

iii. What are the factors that contribute to thereliability of the story?

ACTIVITY 4: READERS POINT OF VIEW - EVALUATING NARRATIVE VOICES

a) Two Truths and a Lie

i. Create two personal truths and develop one lie.


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ii. Read your statements to the class and ask them to choose which of the statements is false.

iii. Respond to these questions:

a. What made you choose one statement as a lie over another?

b. Which statements were easy to pick as lies? Why?

c. Was it hard to lie convincingly?

d. What are the characteristics of true and false statements?

e. Read the extract below. In groups, discuss the importance of readers point of view.Share your ideas with the class.


Like many of the metaphorical terms used to describe aspects ofnarrative, such as focus, perspective, the term point of view comesfrom a way of seeing, and seeing is itself often used metaphorically todescribe understanding. Recognising whose point of view is beingplaced in the foreground of a story gives the reader a greater sense ofhow the story can be understood and responded to.

The term point of view has several uses, both in everyday speechand in the study of narrative. When we say something like it dependsupon your point of view, we can mean, (a) it depends upon whereyou are positioned in the argument (i.e. are you an employer of anemployee?) and (b) it depends upon your personal beliefs and values.Both of these meanings of the term can be applied when looking at itsrole in narrative. It refers to both where the narrative is focused at anygiven time and the readers responses to what is being presented.

Adapted from Beard (2003), The Language of Literature

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3. In your group, choose a chapter from Step by Wicked Step. Review the text critically andfill in the details as follows:

Character:

Characters point of view:

Action 1 Action 2 Action 3

Supporting Details (line &page)



Evaluation of the characters actions: Do you agree with the characters actions?

Speech? Why and why not?


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ACTIVITY 1 : PLOT STRUCTURE


When youre watching your favorite show on television whether its The

Simpsons or even American Idol have you ever noticed how the storyseems to unfold? First, you see where your story takes place and meet some

main characters. Then, those characters encounter some kind of situation or

problem that spurs them to action. Then, slowly as they start to face the

problem, they encounter more and more difficulties, until finally their problem

comes to a head and our hearts start pounding as we wait to see how the

hero will work her way out of this dilemma. After that, and because its TV, we

usually get a neat and tidy conclusion, and our hero is a winner. She has

conquered her problems, and we all feel happy for her ( Again, this is

assuming a Hollywood ending! Sometimes the hero can and does lose). Not

surprisingly, television producers didnt invent this pattern for good stories.Its actually been around as long as stories have been told. Its a pattern

called plot structure. If you were to chart it, plot structure would look

something like this:

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In your group, pick one story from the list of these well-known tales or any other that

you are familiar with.

Cinderella

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Jack and the BeanstalkLittle Red Riding Hood

Pinocchio

a) Create a cartoon of that storys plot structure, using the chart on the next page. Go for

the basics without worrying if you forget some details.

b) Then, your group should also prepare a dramatic reenactment of the story (yes, playing

all the parts). Your reenactment should be between one and two minutes no longer!

Present it to the class.

and the plot thickens.

Adapted from: http://www.meettheintroverts.com

http://www.meettheintroverts.com/http://www.meettheintroverts.com/

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Activity 2: Plot Skeleton

a) In your group, select one chapterfrom Chapter 3 7 of the novel Step by Wicked

Step.

b) Based on the chapter you have selected, discuss the main characterin that particular

chapter. Then, fill out the plot skeleton chart on the next page based on the main

character.

c) Using a poster sheet, create your groups plot skeleton chart and present it to the

class.

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