Writing the Character Analysis Essay Your Ticket to a Great Essay

Where to start? 1.Select a story you like. 2.Choose a character you would be interested in writing about. 3.Consider what you would like to say about this person. (Hint: You’ve got two choices here) 1. Discuss the character’s greatest character trait or 2. Discuss the development of the character (i.e. how the character changes) through the whole story.

Now What?: Writing the Thesis The thesis is the core of your paper and should be a one sentence response to your question. Weak thesis = weak essay Must be a statement of opinion Must be one statement, one point

Before You Start: Find Quotes! Take some time to find 3 quotes that support your thesis Should be long enough to analyze Don’t have to be actual piece of dialogue between characters If necessary, reread! Don’t forget to include the page numbers after the quote. Ex: Rainsford said, “Hey, I’ll kill anything that moves” (243). Oh, fiddlesticks! If only I had taken Mrs. Cole’s advice and not waited until the night before to write my essay!

Your Assignment: Write your own thesis statements (at least 3) Remember: The thesis statement MUST answer the question asked. MUST be ONE clear idea MUST be broad enough that it can be proven in several (at least 3) different parts of the story.

Formatting the Body Paragraph: Like Madlibs but not… What is Madlibs? How is writing a body paragraph like Madlibs? Where do I begin?

Parts of the Body Paragraph: 1. Topic Sentences The topic sentence tells the reader what the WHOLE PARAGRAPH will be about. It must provide clear support to the thesis. It must begin with a transition word (like first, next, then, last, etc.)

Parts of a Body Paragraph: 2. Context for a Quote The context for a quote includes a brief description of what is happening in the story at the time the quote appears. It should also indicate who is talking, and, if applicable, to whom is being spoken.

Parts of a Body Paragraph: 3. The Quote Quotes are like gas in a car. You want the one with the most octane to get the most “juice” out of it. Using emaciated, meager, paltry, rinky-dink quotes gives you little to work with. Avoid them! Ex: Rainsford said, “oh, no” (214).

Parts of a Body Paragraph: #4. The Analysis When analyzing, simply tell why you’ve chosen this quote Avoid simply restating what the quote already says

Parts of a body paragraph: 5. Connect back to the thesis After all this work, it’s important to bring it all back home Make sure to clearly articulate why this supports your thesis Not doing this will result in lack of focus Wow! With all this new knowledge, I’m going to go out and write on my favorite story, The Most Dangerous Game ! If only I could talk…

Things to Avoid You must follow this exact order Failure to write in this order will result in illogical, scattered, difficult to read paragraphs Mastery of this format will make your future years in English class a cake walk!

Example: Can you identify the parts? Thesis: In “Little Red Riding Hood”, Red Riding Hood’s central character trait is her disobedience. First, Little Red Riding Hood disobeys by speaking to a woodland creature. At the beginning of the story, Red Riding Hood is told by her mother to go directly to her grandmother’s home. But after walking through the forest, Red Riding Hood stops to talk to a wolf, telling him, “’I am going to see my grandmother who is not very well!” (5). Red Riding Hood’s decision to stop and talk to the wolf demonstrates that she did not go directly to her grandmother’s house as instructed. Because of her choice to stop and talk to the wolf, Red Riding hood is disobedient.