Disclaimer:
I do not own the text of the slide presentation.
The text was taken from DR DAVIS. It was published on FEBRUARY 28, 2008 via
Teaching College English.com
http://www.teachingcollegeenglish.com/2008/02/28/how-to-write-a-character-analysis-and-a-personnel-review
Disclaimer:
I do not own the text of the slide presentation.
The text was taken from DR DAVIS. It was published on FEBRUARY 28, 2008 via
Teaching College English.com
http://www.teachingcollegeenglish.com/2008/02/28/how-to-write-a-character-analysis-and-a-personnel-review
Disclaimer:
I do not own the text of the slide presentation.
The text was taken from DR DAVIS. It was published on FEBRUARY 28, 2008 via
Teaching College English.com
http://www.teachingcollegeenglish.com/2008/02/28/how-to-write-a-character-analysis-and-a-personnel-review
http://www.teachingcollegeenglish.com/2008/02/28/how-to-write-a-character-analysis-and-a-personnel-review/ A strong character analysis will: identify the type of character it is dealing with. (A single character could be two or three types. See There are different types of characters below.) describe the character. discuss the conflict in the story, particularly in regards to the characters place in it. There are different kinds of characters. Characters can be: protagonists (heroes), The main character around whom most of the work revolves. antagonists, The person who the protagonist is against. This is often the villain, but could be a force of nature, set of circumstances, an animal, etc. major, These are the main characters. They dominate the story. Often there are only one or two major characters. minor, These are the characters who help tell the major characters tale by letting major characters interact and reveal their personalities, situations, stories. They are usually static (unchanging). dynamic (changing), static (unchanging), stereotypical (stock), This is the absent minded professor, the jolly fat person, the clueless blonde. foils, These are the people whose job is to contrast with the major character. This can happen in two ways. One: The foil can be the opposite of the major character, so the majors virtues and strengths are that much brighter in reflection. Two: The foil can be someone like the major character, with lite versions of the majors virtues and strengths so that the major comes off as even stronger. round (3 dimensional), This means the character has more than one facet to their personality. They are not just a hardcore gamer, but they also play basketball on the weekends. flat (1 dimensional), This is the character who is only viewed through one side. This is the hardcore gamer. Thats all there is to the character. Protagonists can follow literary patterns or types: the anti-hero (Holden Caufield), This is the guy your mother would not want you or your sister to date. They are often graceless, inept, and actually dishonest. the tragic hero (Oedipus, Macbeth), This is the guy whose bad end is a result of flaws within himself. the romantic hero (Don Juan, James Bond), This is the guy the girls all swoon over. He gets the girls, even when he doesnt want to keep them. the modern hero (Chuck Bartowski), This is the average guy who is put in extraordinary circumstances and rises to the challenge. the Hemingway hero, This is the guy who has been in a war, drinks too much, gets his girlfriend pregnant, and she dies. Or guys like him. Describing a character for a character analysis Consider the characters name and appearance. Is the author taking advantage of stereotypes? The hot-tempered redhead, the boring brunette, the playboy fraternity guy. Is the author going against stereotypes? The brilliant blonde, the socially adept professor, the rich but lazy immigrant. Is the author repeating a description of the character? If so, then it is important. For example, Kathy in East of Eden is described as rodent-like and snake-like, sharp little teeth and a flickering tongue. Is their name significant? Is it a word that means something, like Honor or Hero? Does it come from a particular place or time and make reference to that? Scarlett, Beowulf. Appearance and visual attributes are usually far less important than other factors, unless their appearance is the point such as in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Clothing also rarely matters, except to make him/her easier to visualize. Consider if he/she a static (unchanging) or dynamic (changing) character. If the character has changed during the course of the story: Was the change gradual or rapid? Was it subtle or obvious? Are the changes significant to the story or are they a minor counterpoint? Are the changes believable or fantastic? What was his/her motivation to change? What situations or characters encouraged the change? How does the character learn from or deal with the change? Consider how the author discloses the character: By what the character says or thinks. By what the character does. By what other characters say about him/her. By what the author says about him/her. The short form for this is STAR (says, thinks, acts, reacts). Look for these things within the creation of the character: psychological/personality traits Do these characteristics aid in the character being consistent (in character), believable, adequately motivated, and interesting? Do the characteristics of the character emphasize and focus on the characters role in the storys plot? motivation Is the character ethical? Is he/she trying to do the right thing, but going about it in the wrong way? Is the motivation because of emotion (love, hate) or a decision (revenge, promotion)? behavior /actions Does the character act in a certain way consistently? Or is the character erratic? Could one pluck the character from the story, put them in another story, and know how they would react? relationships With other characters in the story How others see/react to him/her weaknesses/faults Typical tragic weakness is pride. Oedipus is proud. Weakness could be anything. In Little Red Riding Hood, the girl talks to a stranger. Thats a weakness. strengths/virtues There are many different strengths and virtues. One strength/virtue is being good in trying times, like Cinderella. Another strength/virtue is caring for family, like Little Red Riding Hood. Another strength/virtue is being smart, like Oedipus. Most protagonists have more than one strength/virtue. moral constitution Often a character will agonize over right and wrong. If a character doesnt agonize and chooses one or the other easily, that is also significant. protagonist/antagonist Does the story revolve around this characters actions? If so, is the character the hero (protagonist) or villain (antagonist)? complex/simple personality Personalities are more likely to be simple in childrens stories, fairy tales, and short stories. Personalities are more likely to be complex in longer works. Even in short works, such as The Story of an Hour, the characters personality can be complex. Then it depends on what the author was focusing on. history and background Sometimes a character analysis looks at the history of the individual character. Was that person mistreated? abused? well-loved? liked? Sometimes the history of the work matters more. Is the story set in World War II? In ancient Greece? That makes a difference because culture changes stories. If you dont know the culture, though, you may not be able to comment on this. similarities and differences between the characters This could be the foil aspect again. (See How to write a character analysis for a longer discussion.) It could be looking at how characters complement each other. It could be looking at why characters would be antagonistic. characters function in story Is the character an integral character? (Cinderella) Is the character a minor character? (The wicked stepmother in Cinderella) Is the character someone who could have been left out or is gratuitous? (The second wicked stepsister in Cinderella.)
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