Character and Characterization

1. Character and Characterization GroupTwo: Jacob Arthur, Grace Goddard, Jessica Gault, Elena Budinsky, Taylor Fegan

2. Round vs. Flat Characters are either ROUND or FLAT Round: *fully developed *many describing traits *very convincing *lots of background info Flat: *under-developed *few describing traits *usually symbolic *not many details

3. Round vs. Flat Connections to “The Most Dangerous Game” Flat Rainsford on the other hand was a very round character. There were many personality traits introduced about Rainsford. He was very smart and could think straight in a mentally disturbing time. It was shown that his character was very deep; he contemplated things, yet could think of amazing escapes on the spot. Whitney would be considered a “flat” character because she was hardly introduced into the story and her character was not expanded on. Whitney was in the story to provide conversation to explain the situation Rainsford was in. Round

4. Methods of Characterization Methods of Characterization: • Showing characters appearance • Showing the characters actions • Showing the characters thoughts • Character speaking • Reaction to the character from others Characterization: the method used by a writer to develop and explain a character

5. Methods of Characterization Direct: the character is described by the author, narrator and other characters. The Most Dangerous Game Connections: • An example from The Most Dangerous Game is when Rainsford first heard the gunshots from the islands. “An abrupt sound startled him. Off to the right he heard it, and his ears, expert in such matters, could not be mistaken.” This is the author DIRECTLY telling us about Rainsford’s good hearing, there’s no inferring or assumptions here, so it’s Direct characterization. • Another example from The Most Dangerous Game is a few of Zarrof’s lines. . "I had to invent a new animal to hunt,""I wanted the ideal animal to hunt," explained the general. "So I said, `What are the attributes of an ideal quarry?' And the answer was, of course, `It must have courage, cunning, and, above all, it must be able to reason."'"But no animal can reason," objected Rainsford."My dear fellow," said the general, "there is one that can.“ These lines all hint at a core character trait of Zarrof: He hunts people. This is indirect characterization, because the author does not just come out and tell it to us. Indirect: the characters traits are revealed by his/her actions and traits.

6. Dynamic vs. Static Static: *do not change throughout the story *typically minor characters *play supporting roles Dynamic: *change throughout the story *face conflicts, adventures, and events *developed main characters

7. Dynamic vs. Static Connections to “The Most Dangerous Game” Ivan was a static character because he did not change throughout the story and was a supporting role. Rainsford was a dynamic character because he used to be a hunter thinking that his prey had no feelings and when he in turn was being hunted his views on hunting changed. He changed throughout the story.

8. Sources: http://www.tnellen.com/cybereng/lit_terms/ http://www.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/general/glossary.htm http://www.virtualsalt.com/litterms.htm http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/lit_term.html http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/lit-elements/overview/