Character Change: The Essay!

1. Character Change: The Essay! When BAD becomes GOOD!

2. This is theCOMMON ASSIGNMENT for PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS So don’t feel bad! Everybody has to do it!

3. ...and the assignment is: From a work of literature that you have read select a characterthat either experiences a change or causes a changein others. Analyze the effects of that change upon the characteror on those around him or her. Then writer a paper in which you discuss the effects of change.

4. Huh? What does that mean?

5. Well, first off, what’s CHANGE anyway?

6. What kind of change does this guy want?

7. What about this kind of change?

8. What kind of change is this?

9. We can probably rule out this kind of change, right?

10. The CHANGE we’re talking about is CHARACTER CHANGE!

11. Remember Dallas Winston from The Outsiders?

12. Dallas had the kind of character change we’re writing our essays about.

13. Remember in the beginning? When he’s cool, calm, and collected? Nothing can hurt or phase him, because he doesn’t care about anybodybut himself.

14. But through a SERIES OF EVENTS… • THE MURDER • THE FIRE • JOHNNY’S DEATH

15. Dallas loses it, and his character changes. He becomes sad, vulnerable, scaredand self-destructive.

16. In the short story we read, the character of Matt Kaizer changes from a troublemaking, daredevilhooligan with little compassion for others…

17. …to a SPIRITUAL, SOMBER, SERIOUS and ANGELIC boy who dresses only in a white suit and helps others.

18. So, how do you write this essay?

19. PARAGRAPH ONE:The INTRODUCTIONImagine that you’re writing a movie trailer.You don’t want to give away too much, but you want to give your audience a sneak peak of what to expect. Twilight Movie Trailer.flv .

20. These words were taken from the movie trailer. They bear an eerie resemblance to an INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH,don’t they? “In the small town of Forks, there is a secret that is told as a legend. It is the story of a family that lives forever. The secret will be revealed and a romance between vampire and human is told. It is a romance that will last an eternity.”

21. See, the directors of Twilightknew what they were doing. They wanted to give the viewer a glimpse, but still leave them wanting more. It’s important that the viewer still wants to watch the rest of the movie. (Or in your case, read the rest of your paper.) The directors of Twilight were successful in writing their “opening paragraph”, by sticking to these rules.

22. I mean, you went to see it, right??? (yes, Karey, I’m talking to you)

23. PARAGRAPH TWO:CHARACTER TRAITS IN THE BEGINNING Here is where you give the reader those details you were holding back in the introduction. For Example: In the beginning, Matt Kaizer is a daredevil, a liar, and a troublemaker. He is a minister’s son, and he consciously rebels against his upbringing, making a point to be the baddest of the bad. (This is your TOPIC SENTENCE.)

24. WARNING! CUIDADO! DON’T JUST LIST PHYSICAL TRAITS! These need to be CHARACTER TRAITS. Although Matt’s physical traits should be mentioned, as they do change dramatically from the beginning (big white t-shirts, long hair) to the end (white suit, short hair), they shouldn’t be dwelled upon, only mentioned.

25. Then you describe these character traits in more detail, giving TWO EXAMPLES or DETAILS from the story for each trait.

26. DETAIL 1: He is a known troublemaker because he likes to flick boogers, pull wedgies, and take any dare that’s given to him.

27. DETAIL 2: He becomes the ultimate troublemaker when he agrees to go see his classmate’s dying father on a dare, thinking it will be cool to see a dead body.

28. Now, describe the second character trait, giving examples/details: DETAIL 1: In addition to being a troublemaker, he is a despicable liar, which is far worse. He lies to Mary Beth when he tells her that he was elected to the class to bring her dying father flowers.

29. DETAIL 2: He also lies to himself about being bad. He knows deep down he is good, but does everything he can to convince himself and everyone in his life that this is not true.

30. MAKE SURE TO USE YOUR TRANSITION WORDS/PHRASES! (that way, the reader knows you’re moving on to your next topic. These are listed at the top of your rough draft worksheet.) FIRST, ANOTHER, NEXT, THEN, ANOTHER EXAMPLE, IN ADDITION, FINALLY, EQUALLY IMPORTANT, LATER ON, MEANWHILE, AFTERWARD, AFTER THAT, WHICH LEADS ME TO…

31. PARAGRAPH THREE:EVENTS THAT CAUSE CHANGE Here is where you talk about the events that caused Matt to change. You should have TWO to THREE events. For each event explain why it’s important.

32. Example of Paragraph Three: EVENT 1: The first event that set Matt’s catapulted Matt forward towards his path to enlightenment was Marley, the narrator, daring him to go see Mr. Bataky in the first place. If he hadn’t have gone to see Mr. Bataky, he never would have changed.

33. What would have happened if he had not gone to see Mr. Bataky?

34. He never would have changed. That’s how we know this is an important event.

35. EVENT 2: Matt’s dad, Reverend Kaizer, dares him to go back to visit Mr. Bataky again. Matt, who cannot turn down a dare, has no choice but to take it. If his dad hadn’t dared him to return, Matt never would have.

36. EVENT 3:Visiting Mr. Bataky and listening to his sins was the event that caused the most change in Matt’s personality. This is because he realized that he wasn’t such a derelict after all. What did Matt realize once he heard all the immoral and awful things Mr. Bataky had done in his life?

37. What did Matt realize once he heard all the immoral and awful things Mr. Bataky had done in his life?

38. That he wasn’t such a bad kid after all. In fact, he was downright GOOD.

39. PARAGRAPH FOUR: CHARACTER CHANGES Here is where you list how these events have changed Matt. Make sure you have a good TRANSITION. For each CHANGE or NEW CHARACTER TRAIT, list an example. You should give at least TWO to THREE changes.

40. CHANGE 1: After his experience with healing Mr. Bataky, Matt begins to believe he is not only good but that he is truly an angel. He changes the way he dresses. He begins to dress in an immaculate white suit, shoes and tie. He even cuts his hair and wears it short. In essence, he begins to look more like an “angel”.

41. CHANGE 2: He also changes his demeanor. He is no longer a wedgie-pulling,booger flicking prankster, but instead he is a somber, serious, and thoughtful boy, the very image of a good minister’s son.

42. PARAGRAPH FIVE: THE CONCLUSION.Here is where you’re going to want to RESTATE YOUR THESIS AND ELABORATE ON WHAT YOU LEARNED from the CHARACTER CHANGE experienced by Matt Kaizer.

43. First, I’m going to restate my thesisstatement in a different way: The narrator Marley says at the end that when a guy turns good, it’s rough, that when Matt “went angel” the whole gang fell apart without the leader of their pack. Matt changed from being a lying, inconsiderate ruffian to a helpful, spiritual and kind individual.

44. Then, I’m going to discuss what I learned from the story: • When a guy turns good, it’s not rough, it’s lucky. Matt’s character went through a change that was positive. It was a positive change for himself, and for the gang as well. Otherwise, Matt may have turned out like Mr. Bataky, a dying man with nobody to tell his sins to, and he may have lead the gang into more serious trouble in the future

45. Wait! Remember! • Capitalize the beginnings of sentences! • Don’t have run-on sentences! • Use commas! ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Indent when you start a new paragraph! • Have sentence variety so your reader (ME!)doesn’t get bored! • And use the right THEIR, THERE, or THEY’RE!

46. THE END! Good Job! Now go write those essays!(and maybe we can watch Twilight in class!)