Characterisation

Direct characterisation tells the audience what the personality of the character is.

Example: “The boy was rude and aggressive”

Indirect characterisation shows things that reveal the personality of a character. Indirect
characterisation can be achieved through describing the character’s:

- Speech

- Thoughts

- Effects on others

- Actions

- Looks

“Get the hell out of my way,” the boy screamed, grabbing the arm of the nearest and twisting it until
she shrieked. He curled his thin, cruel lips into an evil smile that showed his yellow teeth. ‘I am the
master of this school,’ he thought to himself, laughing wickedly. The girl, holding her arching arm,
slunk away in fear.

Speech: “Get the hell out of my way”

Thoughts: ‘I am the master of this school’

Actions: Grabbing the arm of the nearest girl and twisting it until she shrieked.

Effects on others: The girl, holding her arching arm, slunk away in fear.

Looks: He curled his thin, cruel lips into an evil smile that showed his yellow teeth.

Characterisation is the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character. There are
two types of characterisation:

- Direct characterisation

- Indirect characterisation
Writing Effective Dialogue

Dialogue is the written speech that characters speak to one another in narratives. Dialogue can fulfill
a range of functions, either providing information or building curiosity and engaging the reader in
events of the narrative. The main functions we will be considering are:

Exposition – providing information the reader needs to understand the narrative’s plot.

Characterisation – suggesting to the reader the personality or emotions of characters.

Suspense – creating dramatic tension to build the reader’s anticipation of what will happen next.

Sample One

1. What personality traits do we infer about the man in this scene?

A: The man in this scene has personality traits of being calm, protective, smart and caring.

2. What action does the man make to show he cares about the woman?

A: The actions the man does to take care of the woman is he tells the woman “It will be alright” in a
calm and cool manner. He also reassures “They creatures will not come again tonight” which is a sign
that he is protecting her from danger.

Sample Two

1. What is the function of this dialogue?

A: The function of this dialogue is a exposition because the dialogue gives the audience details of the
beast indirectly.

2. What information to develop the narrative are readers provided?

A: The beast is not feared of anything including fire, blade or rifle. The beast can only be killed by a
bullet of the purest silver and it can only be killed by aiming for the heart.

Sample Three

1. Why do you think the dialogue in this scene is made of short, sharp simple sentences?

A: The dialogue in this scene is made up of short simple sentences because it gets straight to the
action. It also allows the audience to have a rapid experience of the text rather than letting the
audience time to think about the text.

2. What verbs have been used in place of ‘said’? Why have they been selected?

A: Verbs such as demanded, hesitated, cried and whispered were used in the text. They have been
selected to give the text more emphasis compared to a text that use just the words ‘said’.
Formatting dialogue

a) Don’t go in there he said

Correct version:

“Don’t go in there” he whispered fearfully.

b) It’s a trap she said don’t go in there.

Correct version:

“It’s a trap” she warned frightfully, “Don’t go in there”.

c) It must be killed he said. How do we do it? she replied

Correct version:

“It must be killed” he demanded bravely.

“How do we do it?” she questioned curiously.

d) The killer is here she said running to the door save your life.

Correct Version:

“The killer is here!” she screamed timidly, running to the door. “Save your life!” she yelled
helplessly.

Character Description

Descriptive Tools:

The most effective characters in short stories are those that are described in detail. Writers use the
following:

- Adjectives: Words that describe a noun.

- Verbs: Words that show action.

- Adverbs: Words that describe or give detail to a verb.

- Noun: The name of a person, place or thing.

Figurative Language Techniques

Simile, Metaphor & Personification:

Simile: A comparison where one thing is said to be “like” or “as” another thing. For example: The
new French teacher was like a speedy rocket.

Metaphor: A comparison where one thing is said to be another thing. For example: The new French
teacher was a speedy rocket.

Personification: The giving of human qualities to non-human things. For example: The creek giggled
and sniggered at the silly children.
1. Racism is the prison of a small mind. Metaphor

2. Her words cut deep like a knife. Simile

3. She felt alone. Even the trees seem to judge her and laugh as she walked past. Personification

4. His mood sank lower than the deepest part of the ocean. Metaphor

5. The women’s stares were lazer beams shooting through her. Metaphor

1. The women’s smiles were as bright as the sun.

2. The trees were smiling at the pedestrian as he was walking by.

3. The snow is a white blanket.

Flash Fiction

It is impossible to write an epic narrative story with a beginning, sequence of events and conclusion
within the confines of the standardised test times. Instead students should be utilising the method
of “Flash Fiction”. Flash fiction is a short piece of text where the reader is thrust into the action
immediately. Details of characterisation and plot are not explicitly provided but are rather inferred
through action.

The shortest short story

For sale: baby shoes, never worn.

Ernest Hemingway, Arthur C.

1. What is the story is about?

A: The story is about a husband and wife selling their baby child’s shoes after the baby dies. The
“never worn” states that something tragic has happened to the baby which provides the audience a
very sad perspective of the story.

Mr Pham’s answer:

The story is about a presumed couple selling baby shoes. The line “never worn” ties the narrative
together providing us the saddening insight into the reason why these shoes are on sale.

2. Would it be considered this as a complete narrative?

A: This is not considered a complete narrative as it doesn’t portray what happened to the baby or
what the couple did with the baby.

So what are you, Anyway?

1. The main character in story is Carole. Carole at the beginning of the story is attending a flight by
settling in her plane seat.
2. Dialogue is used by depicting to the audience that Carole’s racial background is black. This is
supported through the quote “ A black doll! I never saw such a thing!”.

3. The story’s complication introduces the characters, Henry and Betty.

4. I would describe Henry Norton’s personality as racist and discriminating against black individuals
just by looking at the indirect characterisation in the quotes.

5. In the quote “I don’t know, Henry, “says the woman. “Don’t ask me. Ask her.” “I’m kind of curious,
“he says. “Aren’t you?”, the couple wants to ask what Carole’s racial background is.

6. List of the racist questions made by the couple:

- What are you, anyway?

- You know, what are you?

- What race?

- What colour would you make your dad?

- What colour would you make his face?

- And your mother?

- Is your mother Chinese?

- Are you sure you’d colour her yellow?

- What else might you colour her?

- Is your mother white?

- Is she like me?

- And your father’s brown?

- When you say brown, do you mean he is a Negro?

- So you’re mixed?

- You’re a mulatto?

- Haven’t your parents taught you that word?

- You know what a mulatto is, don’t you?

7. The resolution of the story is that Carole finally speaks out when she had enough with the racist
questions asked by Mr Norton. Carole then starts shouting in front of the passengers of the plane.
Mrs Norton pleads Carole to stop and then the stewardess offers a special drink to Carole to make
her feel comfortable.

8. The stewardess removes Carole from the racist couple by offering her a special drink called the
Shirley Temple. This is shown through the quote “How would you like to come and sit with me?”, “I’ll
make you a special drink?”, “Have you ever had a Shirley Temple?”
The prison

1. The social justice issue that is discussed in the excerpt “The prison” is white people having hatred
against black people.

2. “It feels as though I was born into a prison” means that she was spending life in prison which
makes her confined to the very little space she has.

3. The adjectives that are used to describe the bars are thick, hard, rusted, unforgiving and accusing.
They tell us that racists attitudes and beliefs are still prevalent within society.

4. This prison metaphor is continued in the author’s description of her “cell” through using the
language technique: Motif. This is depicted through the quote “I feel the cell get smaller” & “The cell
gets even smaller”.

5. The dialogue between the author and the employer reveal racist thoughts and attitudes because
white people in the story revealed that they were staring at the black woman in the excerpt. They
also discriminated her from the store. This is supported through the quotes “Well that’s …
interesting” & “I’ll be sure to pass your resume along to the manager”.

6. Pathetic fallacy is used in the last stanza of the excerpt. It was used to link the emotion of the
black woman to the wet weather. This is supported through the quote “I left the store, feeling
dejected and low” & “It begins to rain”.