Character

1. Language Symbols Setting Narrative Conventions Point of View Character Plot

2. END SHOW Click to forward to choice Narrative Conventions Character Setting Language Point of View Plot

3. CHARACTER A grim figure, Darth Vader stalks the corridors of the Imperial Navy. Vader has risen in power to become a feared military leader. Once a great Jedi warrior, Anakin Skywalker went down the path of hate and anger that is the dark side. Having done this, Anakin ceased to exist, and his life as Darth Vader began.

4. The techniques used to construct characters in texts and to influence our response to them include: • Appearance and body language • Behaviour • Reactions by other characters • Dialogue • Narrative The way readers respond to characters can influence the way that they respond to the text as a whole.

5. Appearance and body language What a character looks like and the manner in which they move are often important in establishing our initial impressions of a character. Behaviour This refers to what a character does. Reactions by other characters Other characters’ reactions can have an important influence on the way we interpret a character. How they influence us will depend partly on our attitude towards the character whose reaction we are witnessing. Narrative This refers to comments made about a character by the narrator of the text. Dialogue and thoughts What characters say as well as how they say it – language and tone - can influence the reader’s response. The words given to characters is vital in effective writing. Many novels and stories include both direct speech and indirect speech. Indirect speech occurs when the writer reports what a character said, without providing exact words. No speech marks are used, e.g. Bruce said the shark was 5 meters long. Direct speech occurs when the writer quotes the words spoken by a character.

6. The place in which we first see a character and the object he or she is surrounded by can also affect our initial impressions. Driving a Mercedes Benz convertable In an office on the top floor of a glass tower in a busy city In a room in derelict building At the beach with a surf board

7. Along with the techniques used to construct character, as readers of texts, we must also consider WHY we react to characters in the way that we do.

8. Characters can have an effect on the way in which we think about the world. Certain forms of appearance, body language and behaviour may be interpreted very differently by some readers depending upon the experiences, expectations, values and attitudes of the reader. Depending on whether we are children or adults, certain forms of behaviour may be accepted or be seen as inappropriate. Whether we are male or female can also effect our reading of a character. ALSO, through characterisation, texts promote particular attitudes and values.

9. SETTING

10. In the breathless stillness of a tropical afternoon… It’s curious how safe and normal things seemed… I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills. At its most simple level, setting refers to the time and place in which the plot occurs. The setting of any text becomes evident through direct information provided by the narrator and through mention of contextual clues, such as people riding horses, or travelling in carriages, on steam trains, sailing ships or on Concord.

11. Place may be described in intricate detail, and can be used to contribute to the overall effect of the piece. A horror story, for example, could provide careful description of a haunted house to provide the backdrop necessary to create fear and anxiety in the reader.

12. Setting may also help in the development of character. Certain objects and places have acquired coded meaning in our society. e.g. We may associate Paris with romance and fashion; we may associate a cigar with a certain ‘type’ of person. A character’s home, the country in which they live, the time in which they live, the objects that surround them can all contribute to our understanding of character.

13. Often time and place may account for why a character is behaving in a particular way. Social expectations and patterns have changed over time and vary from culture to culture. What is considered appropriate in a certain time or place, may not be considered so in another time or place! Knowing about the setting, therefore, can be crucial to our understanding of the values, attitudes and beliefs that shape the characters and their world.

14. plot

15. Plot – or Narrative Structure –refers to the order in which events or information are presented. A common way of doing this is to start at the beginning and proceed in the order of occurrence. However… You may have seen or viewed texts where the end is shown at the beginning.

16. exposition rising action/complication the crisis/turning point the climax the falling action/‘denoument’ the resolution The Plot of any narrative includes….

17. TYPICAL plot structure….which may not always be followed! CLIMAX TENSION Falling Action Crisis – Turning Point Resolution Rising Action Exposition SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

18. The exposition of a narrative consists of the first few pages &/or chapters of the story. It is the part of the story in which we learn who the main characters are, where and when the story is set, and the basic ‘ingredients’ of the story line to follow. In this part of the story we are alerted to the likely conflicts to follow. TENSION Exposition SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

19. The Rising Action is the part of the story in which complications develop. Conflicts occur and tension &/or suspense is created as a consequence of these conflicts. This part of the story either includes or follows the exposition. TENSION Rising Action SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

20. The crisis is the point of the story at which the main character either gains control of the events in the story, or loses control of events. It is often the same point in the plot as the climax of the story, but not always. TENSION Crisis – Turning Point SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

21. The climax is the high point of the suspense, or tension, in a story. It is the point which the conflict/tension builds. After this point the conflict is resolved in some way, usually with the success or failure of the protagonist/main character. CLIMAX TENSION SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

22. The falling action – or denoument – is the part of the story at which all the ‘loose ends’ are tidied up; when the questions raised by the storyline are resolved/answered. It includes the events in the story which lead to the ending. TENSION Falling Action SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

23. The resolution is the ending of the story. It resolves the tensions created by the preceding events, and usually answers any question the reader may still have in his/her mind. Occasionally, however, authors choose not to answer questions raised by the storyline, in order to create a particular effect on the reader. TENSION Resolution SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

24. POINT OF VIEW In any text the writer must make a choice about from what ‘angle’ the reader is going to receive the text. Point of view decides both what the reader will find out and the slant that is given to that information.

25. The TECHNICAL POINT OF VIEW used to tell the story: Is the story told in FIRST PERSON? Is the story told in THIRD PERSON? Does the point of view remain constant throughout the story? When considering POINT OF VIEW, we can discuss: Has the view of one particular character been PRIVILEGED? How does this influence the information that is given to us? How does this influence our response to the story and/or to the character(s) The ideas/opinions of different characters and what this tells us about their VALUES and ATTITUDES.

26. The TECHNICAL POINT OF VIEW used to tell the story: Is the story told in FIRST PERSON? Is the story told in THIRD PERSON? Does the point of view remain constant throughout the story?

27. FIRST Person Point of View A story is told in the first person by a narrator who is also a character in the text. Words indicating first person include: I US WE ME An Example

28. FIRST Person Point of View I Ma lasted a year after Pa was gone. That’s how came to live With Granpa and Granma when was five years old. The kinsfolk had raised some mortal fuss about it, according to Granma, after the funeral. There in the gullied backyard of hillside shack, they had stood around in a group and thrashed it out proper as to where was to go, while they divided up the painted bedstead and the table and chairs. Carter, Forrest: The Education of Little Tree I OUR I

29. FIRST Person Point of View NOTE Sometimes the writer of a text will use a first person narrator who is unreliable! These are narrators whose views and values the reader will reject. Writers of crime and horror stories sometimes use unreliable narrators – narrators who turn out to be the villain of the piece!

30. FIRST Person Point of View Writers using first person point of view may also create a naïve narrator – a narrator who does not fully understand the significance of what he or she is narrating. On these occasions, the reader is often more aware of the significance of what the narrator is saying than the narrator is him/herself. A story about childhood is often told through the eyes of a naïve narrator, inviting the reader to experience the growth of understanding along with the child narrator.

31. THIRD Person Point of View Texts told in the third person are told by an external narrator, one who is not a character in the story. An Example

32. THIRD Person Point of View Lockie Leonard bolted to the top of the dune and stopped dead. He dropped his board and towel without a glance. He didn’t wipe the sweat from his face or the flies from his heaving chest. All he could do was breathe and look. The rumours were for real. The sea was fairly pumping… Lockie felt the muscles twitching in his legs. He scratched his sun streaked hair. His tan glistened with sweat. Down the beach he saw a few kids from school still dressed and sitting nervously on their boards. Winton, Tim: Lockie Leonard, Scumbuster

33. THIRD Person Point of View There are different types of third person narration: Third Person Limited Third Person Omniscient

34. THIRD Person Limited The writer who adopts third person limited reveals all about one character. This type of narrator is able to reveal what other characters are thinking and doing, but limits such comments, being more concerned with the motivations of ONE character.

35. THIRD Person Omniscient The narrator is ‘god-like’, being able to ‘see’ what all characters are doing, and being able to ‘hear’ what all characters are thinking and feeling.

36. Point of View SHIFTING A text does not have to be constructed using the same narrative point of view throughout. While this is still most commonly the case, there are writers who adopt a shifting point of view. This enables a writer to tell a story in the first person from more than one character’s point of view.

37. Point of view also involves the ideas/opinions of different characters and what this tells us about their VALUES and ATTITUDES. What the narrator believes and values and the attitude of the narrator will all effect the version of events.

38. Consider what each version of the same event may tell you about the character who is narrating: “It was time to take Victoria, our pedigree labrador, and Charles, our son, for a walk. When we arrived in the park, I let Victoria off her lead. Immediately some scruffy mongrel appeared and started bothering her. I shooed it off, but the horrible thing chased her all over the park.” “I was at home on my own again. It’s so boring. Then Mummy said that it was time for our walk. There was a very friendly dog in the park and Victoria was having a great time. I wished I was.” “Dad had been really fed up, so I was pleased when he said we could take Albert to the park. Albert’s always in such ahurry to be let off his lead. He went straight up to this lovely dog and sniffed its bum. Of course, the other dog didn’t mind, but it’s owner was really angry, the silly twit.” Browne, A. Voices in the Park

39. Has the view of one particular character been PRIVILEGED? How does this influence the information that is given to us? How does this influence our response to the story and/or to the character(s)

40. The nature of the person doing the telling – the narrator – also influences the version of events that are given. e.g. Consider how the version of a fight may differ depending on who does the telling – the victim of the attack or the attacker. The position of the narrator in relation to the action defines what will be told. e.g. Consider how a story may differ depending on whether the narrator is part of the action, or merely an onlooker.

41. LANGUAGE

42. In shaping texts, writers must consider many things about the language that they use:

43. Audience Appeal In order to be able to use language that effects the reader in an emotional way, the writer must be aware of the target audience. Consider the different language that you would need to adopt if you were writing for a 5 year old child or a teenager. Consider, also, in stereotypical ways, the different subjects you would choose and the language that you would use if you were writing for little girls or little boys. Consider how the religious beliefs of an audience may influence choice of language.

44. Stylistic Devices A writer may choose language that is objective – purely factual – or language that is highly emotive and subjective: Figurative language is the use of figures of speech such as symbolism, personification, metaphor and simile. Such language is designed to appeal to the emotions of the reader. Emotive language is language with strong positive or negative connotations – i.e. language which has strong emotional associations. ‘Home’ and ‘house’ mean the same thing, but ‘home’ has emotional associations which are not made with ‘house’. • Tone is the sound and feel of a text. Terms which might be used to describe tone include: aggressive, angry, celebratory, despairing, fearful, light-hearted, critical, happy.

45. Diction A writer chooses the exact word for the impression she/he wants to convey. For example, the sound of a bell can be referred to in a variety of ways depending on the effect that the writer wishes to create: The peeling of bells suggests a time of joy and festivity. The tolling of bells suggests a time of despair and mourning. The clanging of bells suggests a sound quite different to the sound of bells ringing.

46. Diction Words can have the same dictionary definition (denotation) but suggest something quite different (connotation): We can cry, or we can weep. We can drink, or we can sip. We can be weak, feeble or powerless.

47. Diction Consider the target audience of this piece of writing. What can you identify in the language used by the writer that would suggest that it is written for people of a certain country? After the meeting, Jimmy and his wife Pat got into their little Holden with their dog Kilu and drove out to their camp of the edge of the Nullarbor. It was a long way from the town and they were tired when they got there. The sun was low in the sky. Jimmy gathered some firewood and Pat pulled the tuckerbox out of the car and filled the billy with water before setting it on the fire. When the water had boiled, Pat spooned the tea into the boiling water and then hooking the spoon under the wire of the billy, lifted it off the fire. Billy swung it and then poured the tea. When they had finished drinking their tea and eating a hunk of damper, they unrolled their swags and lay down.

48. Diction Does this setting sound threatening or pleasant? What is it about the language that invites such a response from the reader? Tiny silver fish hung in nervous schools. Seaweed trembled in the gentle current. Orange starfish and yellow plates of coral glowed from the deepest slopes…Abel shot to the surface…He swam with his mother in turquoise water beneath streaky cliffs and trees loud with birds. He stayed just behind the breakers and was showered with their spray and saw the great, strange land through the wobbly glass of the waves. He saw the sun melting like butter on white dunes. He drifted amidst huge schools of tuna as they rose around him.

49. Diction Identify the words and phrases which contribute to the feeling or mood of the passage. The cold, grey days dragged along like a snake in winter. They were boring days of work in the dreary classroom, with the yellow peeling ceiling and paint-flaked, dirty white walls. The heavy jarrah desks and the hard chairs screeched when you moved them. Merv McKenzie’s huge bulk loomed, with hard opal-blue eyes and black hairs all over his body. Thin, stammering Mr Kennedy taught English and there was also the straight, brown, hawk-eyed, hook-nosed principal, Mr Davis.