Writing Workshop Expository Writing: Character Analysis

Character Analysis: Assignment Assignment: Write an essay in which you analyze a character in a novel, short story, television show, or movie. (Your audience is your teacher and classmates, or the readers of a school or local newspaper.)

Character Analysis: Prewriting Feature Menu Choosing a Character Analyzing a Character Finding a Main Idea Elaborating: Finding Supporting Details Assignment

Character Analysis Prewriting: Choosing a Character Who are your favorite characters from books or stories you’ve read? Brer Rabbit Panchito in “The Circuit” Aslan Sunny Baudelaire Artemis Fowl What about characters from TV shows? Comic books? Movies? Bart Simpson Spiderman Jason in Foxtrot Frodo Baggins Donkey

Character Analysis Prewriting: Choosing a Character For your analysis, you can pick someone as real as Panchito, the young boy in “The Circuit,” or an imaginary character like tricky old Brer Rabbit. Try to figure out what makes the character you choose memorable for you. [End of Section]

Character Analysis Prewriting: Analyzing a Character When you analyze something, you break it down into parts to understand how it works. Start by jotting down five or six adjectives that describe your character. My character is… clever furry conceited humorous proud curious

Character Analysis Prewriting: Analyzing a Character Next, think about how the author reveals those traits. Start with a question like this. How do I know my character is clever? Does the author… describe the character as clever? describe a clever act the character performed? have the character say something clever? tell about the character’s clever thoughts? have other characters describe the character’s clever behavior?

Character Analysis Prewriting: Analyzing a Character To round out your analysis, take notes on the following: What your character looks like. This is not always important.

Character Analysis Prewriting: Analyzing a Character To round out your analysis, take notes on the following: How your character behaves or acts. Very important! What motivates your character? What does your character want? What does he or she do to get it?

Character Analysis Prewriting: Analyzing a Character To round out your analysis, take notes on the following: What your character says. Are there key speeches that show your character’s wants, fears, or conflicts?

Character Analysis Prewriting: Analyzing a Character To round out your analysis, take notes on the following: What your character thinks. Sometimes we don’t know this.

Character Analysis Prewriting: Analyzing a Character To round out your analysis, take notes on the following: How other characters in the story respond to your character. This will tell you whether your character is well-liked or hated, and so on.

Character Analysis Prewriting: Analyzing a Character To round out your analysis, take notes on the following: What the writer tells us directly about your character. Some writers will make direct statements: “Brer Rabbit was clever.” Others let us figure it out for ourselves.

Character Analysis Prewriting: Analyzing a Character To round out your analysis, take notes on the following: How believable your character is. Is your character real? Does your character have a mixture of good and bad traits—as most people do?

Character Analysis Prewriting: Analyzing a Character You may want to put your details into a chart like this one. Character Profile of: Method of Characterization Details Appearance Actions Words spoken by character Thoughts Other characters’ responses Writer’s direct comments Character’s believability

Character Analysis Prewriting: Analyzing a Character Here’s a chart that is partly filled in. Character Profile of: Method of Characterization Details Appearance Actions Words spoken by character Thoughts Other characters’ responses Writer’s direct comments Character’s believability Bradley thick spiky hair, dirty blond “Geek is chic.” gets bullied a lot believable, except his love life (Some rows may not apply to your character.) [End of Section]

Character Analysis Prewriting: Finding a Main Idea Now work on a thesis statement that sums up your main idea—what you will discuss in your essay. Here are two thesis statements you could make about the character Brer Rabbit: Brer Rabbit is small, so he relies on quick thinking to escape from larger animals like Brer Fox. Although Brer Rabbit’s tricks are usually funny, he also has a cruel side that gets him in trouble.

Character Analysis Prewriting: Finding a Main Idea Here’s another thesis statement. In Roald Dahl’s “The Landlady,” the main character, Billy Weaver, is so polite and unquestioning and really dim that he is not like a real-life person. In Roald Dahl’s “The Landlady,” the main character, Billy Weaver, is so polite and unquestioning and really dim that he is not like a real-life person. In Roald Dahl’s “The Landlady,” the main character, Billy Weaver, is so polite and unquestioning and really dim that he is not like a real-life person. In Roald Dahl’s “The Landlady,” the main character, Billy Weaver, is so polite and unquestioning and really dim that he is not like a real-life person. This thesis statement tells the reader The name of the author and the work The character who will be analyzed The main idea—what the writer will explain and support

Character Analysis Prewriting: Elaborating: Finding Supporting Details When you’re satisfied with your thesis statement, gather details to support your main idea. Look at this thesis statement again. In Roald Dahl’s “The Landlady,” the main character, Billy Weaver, is so polite and unquestioning and really dim that he is not like a real-life person. In Roald Dahl’s “The Landlady,” the main character, Billy Weaver, is so polite and unquestioning and really dim that he is not like a real-life person. What will the writer need to prove in the essay?

Character Analysis Prewriting: Elaborating: Finding Supporting Details What supporting details might the writer use to support the claim? In Roald Dahl’s “The Landlady,” the main character, Billy Weaver, is so polite and unquestioning and really dim that he is not like a real-life person. How Billy doesn’t wonder about landlady’s odd questions How Billy misses clues that something is wrong Billy’s polite behavior and odd use of language

Character Analysis Drafting: Getting Started Good characters come alive on the page (or the screen). They stick with us, whether they’re human or animal, historical, legendary, or fantastic. It’s up to you to tell us what makes a character tick.

Writing Workshop Expository Writing: Character Analysis The End