7-1.4

Students will analyze an author’s development of the conflict and the individual characters as either static, dynamic, round, or flat in a given literary text. STANDARD/OBJECTIVE:

External Conflict: struggle between a literary or dramatic character and an outside force such as nature or another character, which drives the dramatic action of the plot Example: a story might have the main character struggling against the arctic cold Man vs. Man Man vs. Nature Man vs. Society DEVELOPMENT OF CONFLICT

Internal Conflict: A struggle that takes place in a character's mind is called internal conflict. Example: a character may have to decide between right and wrong or between two solutions to a problem. Man vs. Self DEVELOPMENT OF CONFLICT

Direct: Author specifically states the description. Nothing must be inferred. For example in Of Mice and Men the story says, "Curly was quick and mean." The reader of the story knows that Curly was a quick and mean person because it is directly stated by the author. CHARACTERIZATION

Indirect: readers have to infer descriptions of characters through dialogue, actions and reactions. For example, a story might say, “he used to sleep on newspapers,his clothes were dirty.” This makes the reader see that the character must be homeless and poor. CHARACTERIZATION

The specific words a writer uses to paint a picture in the reader’s mind that ma include sensory details or details of behavior. It is the most direct method of developing character and may appear in the voice of a narrator or of the character in the story. For Example: “A woman with shorn white hair is standing at the kitchen window. She is wearing tennis shoes and a shapeless gray sweater over a summary calico dress.” - from A Christmas Memory AUTHOR’S DESCRIPTION

What characters say to each other and occasionally to the audience. If the narrator is a central character, his/her thoughts may be considered dialogue. For example: “I refuse to believe that so modern and civilized a young man as you seem to be harbors romantic ideas about the value of human life. Surely your experiences in the war-” “Did not make me condone coldblooded murder,” finished Rainsford stiffly. - from “The Most Dangerous Game” DIALOGUE

What the character does that gives the reader an impression of his/her personality. For example: It was about eleven o’clock at night, and she was walking alone, when a boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse. The strap broke with the single tug the boy gave it from behind. But the boy’s weight and the weight of the purse combined caused him to lose his balance so…the boy fell on his back on the sidewalk and his legs flew up. The large woman simply turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned sitter. - from “Thank You, Ma’am CHARACTERS’ ACTIONS

How the character reacts to events and how other characters react to him/her provides clues to the character’s personality. For Example: “You didn’t take her (to the pound)?” she asked. “Oh, I took her all right,” her father answered. “Worst looking place I’ve ever seen…” Doris stared at her father. “I wouldn’t leave an ant in that place,” he said. “So I brought the dog back.” Mrs. Lacy was smiling at him and shaking her head as if she would never, ever, understand him. - from, “Stray” CHARACTERS’ REACTIONS

Round characters: fully-developed and may exhibit both desirable and undesirable traits in the course of the story. Flat characters: less developed and may show the reader only a narrow set of personality traits. Dynamic characters: change in the course of a text. Static characters: remain essentially the same. CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT METHODS:

Protagonist: central character in action. Antagonist: characters that act against the central character. THIS DOES NOT MEAN GOOD GUY vs. BAD GUY!!!! For example: The protagonist of a text might be, a criminal while the antagonist is an officer of the law. PROTAGONIST/ANTAGONIST