The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Barry 2010 Characterization

Garfield the Cat  Garfield has memorable traits that make him funny to read about.  trait: a distinguishing quality (as of personal character (Merriam- Webster Online)  Two of Garfield’s traits are laziness sarcasm

Evidence of Garfield’s Traits Laziness (Speech and Actions) Laziness

Evidence of Garfield’s Traits Sarcasm (Speech)

Character Traits  Think of a memorable character from a book or a movie. Write the character’s name at the top of your paper.  Think of two traits that your character has, and write them down.

Back up your claims!  Look at the two traits you wrote down.  How do you know what you know about your character?  Write down the evidence behind each claim.

Characterization  Each piece of evidence that you found is an example of characterization.  Characterization is the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character.

Characterization  Direct characterization tells the audience what the personality of the character is.  Example: Garfield was a lazy, sarcastic cat.  Explanation: The author is directly telling the audience two personality traits of Garfield. He is “lazy” and “sarcastic”.

Characterization  Indirect characterization shows things that reveal the personality of a character.  There are five methods of indirect characterization. Use the mnemonic device of STALE to remember the five types of indirect characterization.

Characterization  Speech What does the character say? How does the character speak?  Thoughts What is revealed through the character’s private thoughts and feelings?  Actions What does the character do? How does the character behave?  Looks What does the character look like? How does the character dress?  Effect on others What is revealed through the character’s effect on other people? How do other characters feel about or behave toward the character?

Characterization  Example: “The best way to get ahead in the world is to sponge off someone else,” said Garfield.  Explanation: Garfield’s statement about sponging off of others reveals that he is lazy without the author directly calling him lazy.