One of my favourite activities to do during a short story or novel unit is to dig deep into the characters. Who are they? What are their motivations? What are their significant character traits? What is their role in the story?
Cartoon clips or a movie can be a fun way to start off a unit on characterization. If you have the time, a great film to watch is The Breakfast Club - it's a great way to talk about stereotypes, and each of the main characters provides plenty of content for a character analysis.
Old vintage cartoon clips can be fun too - check out Tom & Jerry and have students compare and contrast the two characters. What are their defining characteristics? How do they learn about each character?
Character Analysis Bundle Literary Analysis And Creative Writing Activities
Brainstorm as a class the character traits of the cast of Sesame Street. What words would they use to describe Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, Big Bird... how are these characters developed? Or you could use the characters from The Simpsons.
Pixar movie shorts are also fantastic - analyze the old man inGeri's Gameor compare and contrast the mentor and the student inLifted.
I like to use pairs of shoes as a starting point for students to develop a character. You can use images you collect from an internet search, or if you are really feeling ambitious, you can gather some shoes from home or from colleagues. Search for a selection of shoes to represent people of all ages and walks of life. A shoe from a child, a sneaker, a fancy shoe, a well-worn shoe... the more varied and eclectic, the better! Post the pictures or display the shoes and then have students pick a pair to analyze.
Character Analysis Activities
Ask students to create the character that the shoe belongs to - here are a few questions you could use to get started.
The list is endless - have students brainstorm more questions as they are working. Compare the characters that students created for each of the types of shoes. This is always a favorite activity with my students!
While reading a novel, I often ask students to pick a character to analyze and really explore as we read. Using the acronym S.T.E.A.L, students look for what the character SAYS, what they THINK, their EFFECT on others, their ACTIONS, and their LOOKS. It's an easy way to keep track of the ways we learn about characters. Grab a FREE copy of this S.T.E.A.L Reference Page and Graphic Organizer to help your students with a character analysis.
Ways To Teach Characterization And Character Analysis
For a more detailed and longer look at a character, why not complete a full CHARACTER ANALYSIS OR CHARACTER STUDY? Using this set of graphic organizers and templates, students will critically look at a specific character while reading a short story or novel. As they read the novel, they will apply the elements of STEAL to help figure out the character's main personality traits. The resource includes organizers to help your students write a paragraph or a full essay - clickHERE to check out my comprehensive resource!
Have your students create something to represent a character in a short story or a novel. Here are just a few of the fun activities I have seen done:A character analysis is an examination of the personalities and actions of protagonists and antagonists that make up a story. It discusses their role in the story, evaluates their traits, and looks at their conflicts and experiences. You might need to write this assignment in school or college. Like any other essay, your character analysis should contain an introduction, a conclusion, and a thesis.
Want to know how to write a character analysis essay? Not sure how to start? We understand. Whichever piece you choose – Lady Macbeth, A Rose for Emily, or something else, – analyzing a character for the first time might be challenging. No worries, we are here to help! In this guide by our custom writing experts, you will find a step-by-step guide, outlining and writing tips, as well as a number of character analysis examples.
How To Write A Character Analysis Essay: Outline, Tips, & Character Analysis Example
A character analysis essay is an assignment where you evaluate a character’s traits, behaviors, and motivations. It requires critical thinking and attention to detail. Unlike descriptions, analyses focus on a character’s personality and internal drives. It explains how those factors shape the narrated events.
So, what you need to do is to see the characters as if they were real people who feel and act just as we do. Ensure there are no baseless assumptions and interpretations: the ideas you present should be supported by quotes from the text.
How do you define a character? It is a person, a creature, or an animal that makes up the story’s world. A character can be based on a real-life person, or it can be entirely fictional. It is someone who thinks, feels, and acts.
Character Analysis Worksheet By Teacher Spot's Teacher Resources
We use the word “character” in many different contexts. For instance, it can denote someone eccentric or worthy of our admiration. In both contexts, the term “character” means a distinctive personality. Similarly, in an analysis, your task is to show what makes a character stand out.
Characterization is the process by which a character’s personality is revealed. It presents characters’ traits, feelings, and motives to the reader. For this reason, characterization is closely connected to character analysis. It helps us to understand the characters better throughout the reading process.
Here we see a direct description of a character. The author straightforwardly talks about Robert’s feelings. In comparison, look at the description of a woman taken from John Steinbeck’s
Literary Analysis Worksheets Middle & High School For Theme And Character Analysis
“He looked around at her again. Her dark eyes seemed veiled with dust. She looked without expression at the cat’s open throat.”
These lines don’t directly reveal anything about the woman, but the reader can understand that she is cold and dangerous. It’s an indirect characterization that focuses on looks and actions to convey the message to the reader.
In psychology, a character type is defined by a combination of personality traits that coexist in an individual. Authors incorporate different types of characters into their works to convey the message and make the story more exciting or relatable to the reader.
How To Write A Character Analysis: Outline, Examples
If you are about to write a character analysis essay, being familiar with character archetypes is essential. They have been categorized by a generation of writers, including the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung and the American literary theorist Joseph Campbell. A lot of characters we see in today’s literary works are rooted in them.
Archetypes include the Trickster, the Ruler, the Lover, the Sage, and others. The Hero is one of the most notable archetypes. Hercules or Achilles can be good examples of heroic protagonists. They are strong and courageous; they meet challenges and save the day by helping others.
The main character and the protagonist often get mixed up. Most narratives also have the figure of the antagonist, whose actions affect the plot and stimulate change. Let’s have a look at the similarities and differences between these types.
Character Analysis Worksheets
The main character is central in the narrative. We experience the story through their eyes. They don’t necessarily have to be protagonists, though it happens in many cases.
The crucial difference between the main character and the protagonist is that the protagonist goes through changes throughout the story. The main character, however, is there to guide the reader through the experience. Often they help to show a different, darker side of the protagonist.
The main character and the protagonist are one person. The reader sees the story from Hamlet’s perspective. He is also the one who undergoes the change and faces the antagonist—Claudius.
Bundle Of Character Analysis Worksheets
Now that we’ve learned about the main character and the protagonist, we will closely look at other types of character classifications. One of the ways to categorize a character is by their ability to change throughout the story.
A static or simple character is someone who undergoes little or no significant changes. They often exist for comedic purposes. Here are some examples:
Complex or dynamic characters are the opposite of static characters. Characters of this type change as the book progresses. They display different qualities, emotions, and motives. They become more complicated and interesting to the reader as the story unfolds.
Teaching Characterization To Middle & High School Students
His personality changes a lot. The boy grows up and becomes an individual who strives to think for himself towards the end of the book.
He changes throughout the play. At first, we see him as a brave warrior, but by the end, he falls victim to greed and ambition, which leads to his downfall.
You already know about several ways to define a type of character. Now, let’s go over some other types, starting with flat and round characters.
Character Traits List
Similar to dynamic and static ones, round and flat characters represent two different ends of a spectrum. Round characters usually come with an in-depth background. They are traditionally protagonists, antagonists, or those close to them. In contrast, flat characters are two-dimensional, and there is not much depth to them.
Throughout the narrative, Mr. Collins remains essentially the same. The only thing he strives for is to please others, especially those of a higher social status. He represents the fault in
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