LESSON ONE

CHARACTERISATION
THE WRITER’S STYLE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCshdu8loDo&t=64s

While watching the video make down notes

Characterization is telling what characters are like.
Direct- tells us directly what a character is like or
what a person’s motives are.
Indirect- shows us a character but allows us to
interpret for ourselves the kind of person we are
meeting.
Character traits are what make a character an
individual. These traits indicate how a person feels
and acts.
 Methods of Characterization
STEAL

Authors reveal the traits of their characters through

action, dialogue, and direct statements.

Speech (a character’s own words)

Thoughts (What a character thinks)
Effects on Others (how other characters in the
story feel and interact with a character)
Actions (what a character does)
Looks (how a character looks)
 Identify the Methods of Characterization Class
Activity

1. “She is wearing tennis shoes and a shapeless grey

sweater over a summery calico dress.”
2. “Get out of my way!” screamed Debbie “I was
here first!”
3. “Enter: two relatives. Very angry. Potent with eyes
that scold, tongues that scald.”
4. “Every few yards, we abandon the struggle, sit
down, and pant.”
5. “Maybe I’m just not very bright,” Clovis thought.
“I didn’t pass that basket-weaving class . . . again.”
 Characterization Quiz
 https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D5n0gEjeOs&t=156
s
Name Evidence Trait
LESSON TWO
 https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPTKQUtVyAQ

 Make notes.
 Types of Characters

Round- has many traits like a real person

Flat- has very few traits
Static- stays the same
Dynamic- develops and changes
Subordinate/Secondary- minor characters who
don’t play a main part to the story’s plot
 Character Motivations
Motivation is what drives a character’s actions.
It explains behavior and reveals personality.
Writers rarely make direct statements about a
character’s motivation. Instead, they plant clues
and rely on readers to make inferences from those
clues.
What Does Your Speech say about you?

Dialect can determine:

 your social class
 your education
Standard English:
 Is easier to understand
 Is the spoken language in schools/universities
 Accepted by institutions
 Recognized by the government
 Characterization
Literary Terms
Direct characterization
Indirect characterization
Protagonist
Antagonist
Subordinate character
Motivations
Dialect
Inference
Round character
Flat character
Dynamic character
Static character
Dialogue
First-person narration (point of view)
Sequence
 Brainstorm
Using your notes on how a character is developed
by an author, makes notes about how Langston
Hughes has developed Mrs Jones’ and Roger’s
characters.
You can use the help of a peer