Writing to Discover What a Character Really Wants Unit 2 – Argumentative Writing Literary Essays

What the Character Wants Make sure you have “Raymond’s Run” Think… What does Squeaky want? What makes her act all tough, and prickly, and defensive? My first thought… Squeaky wants people to stop being jerks Let’s go deeper….

Let’s Pause… What does Squeaky really want, from other people and from life? Use the whole story to help you answer this.

Share your Thinking Ideas… She is protective of her brother and she wants people to stop picking on him She doesn’t want to be judged by others She wants to coach Raymond She wants to beat Gretchen She wants to be the fastest runner She doesn’t want George to be embarrassed by Raymond She allows Raymond to act silly and doesn’t mind

Share your Thinking Ideas… She wants Raymond to learn how to run She wants people to stop being jerks! She wants to be friends with Gretchen

You’ve got it! You’ve got it! Now what….. What people want on the surface isn’t usually what they want most of all! What they usually want is…. A feeling A new way of living A new kind of relationship Now what…..

You’ve got it! With your partner take another idea about what motivates Squeaky and talk it through together. Important thing… Don’t just say the idea, GROW your thinking together Push your thinking If you’re stuck, reread and evolve your idea

Writing about Characters How to Write a Literary Essay about Character Reread selected bits Notice details, think, talk, write to explore: “Why this detail?” Think, “What does the character really want?” and write long It can help to use thought prompts (Maybe….Perhaps….) Think about the deep down, internal motivations Once you have an idea and some evidence, reread again, reread more of the text, reread more closely, and expect your original idea will change

Writing Time Return to your choice short story from the Literature book Continue to reread, write details, and think about them Think about character motivations Fill at least 1 page of your composition book with entries