Characterization

1. Characterization English 10 Miss Barron Mrs. DeVries Ms. Handley Mrs. Harkins 13 September 2011

2. Characters: The Actors in a Story Participation Point Opportunity! What are some of the different types of characters? (Flat character is one example . . . but you can’t use it!) Stories tell us about ourselves (how we feel and behave) through the use of characters, or the actors in a story.

3. How Do Authors Create Characters? • Traits: characters’ special qualities • Direct characterization: a writer tells us directly what the character is like. • Indirect characterization: writers reveal characters’ traits more subtly • Appearance • Dialogue • Private thoughts (esp. when that character is the narrator, or “I” storyteller) • Action • Effects of actions on other characters • The action of the story may provide clues about a character’s central desire and struggle • Remember: a character’s mood may be different from his/her basic personality

4. How Do Authors Create Characters? Participation Point Opportunity! Why might an author use direct characterization? Why might an author employ indirect characterization? Dramatic monologue: form of poetry in which a single character addresses one or more silent listeners Soliloquy: when a character in a play speaks his or her thoughts directly to the audience

5. Types of Characters Flat character: two-dimensional, with only one or two key personality traits Round character: has three-dimensional qualities of real-life people, with many traits and complexities Stock character: character who fits our preconceived notions about a “type” (allows us to imagine the rest of their personality)

6. Types of Characters • Protagonist: main character, with just enough strengths, weaknesses, and contradictions to remind us of ourselves • Antagonist: the character or force that blocks the protagonist from achieving his or her goal • Participation Point Opportunity! Define internal and external conflict. • Subordinate characters: other characters who may be less important, but may still reveal information about the main character

7. Types of Characters Participation Point Opportunity! What type of character would a protagonist most likely be, dynamic or static? Why? • Dynamic character: someone who changes in an important way over the course of the story • Capable of growing, learning, and changing • Change must be believable and is a clue to the story’s meaning • Static character: someone who is exactly the same at the end of the story as at the beginning (usually subordinate characters)

8. Why Did He Do That? • Motivation • Characters are more believable when authors show what motivates, or causes, them to act as they do • Usually, we have to find clues to infer, or guess, what these motives are (often as confusing as real people!)

9. Relationships Between Characters • Questions to ask yourself to help you figure out the relationship between two characters: • How do the characters speak to each other? Is their speech formal? Is it familiar? • How do the characters influence each other’s actions, if at all? Does one character have power over the other? Is there a struggle for power? • Does one character admire the other? Is there tension or conflict between them?