Transcript character
CHARACTER: Revealing Human Nature OBJECTIVES • To recognize methods of characterization such as speech, appearance, thoughts, and actions • To identify indirect and direct methods of characterization Characterization •the process of making people come alive through written words Creating Characters •The author develops the personalities of characters through a variety of methods. Methods of Characterization •Indirect Characterization •Direct Characterization Indirect Characterization • • • • the character’s speech the character’s appearance the character’s private thoughts how other characters in the story feel about them • the character’s actions – most vividly reveals the character Examples • a student who always types his homework • a woman who dresses luxuriously • a man who cheats at cards • a boy who stars in the school play Question • Why would information about a character’s private thoughts be more revealing than what the character says? Answer • Private thoughts are not guarded because they are not intended for an audience; what characters say may be only an abbreviated or censored form of what they actually think. Modern Authors • They do not tell us much directly about the characters. • They use indirect characterization. –This allows us to interpret for ourselves what kind of person we are meeting. Parts of Speech • What parts of speech might writers rely on to describe a character’s appearance? Parts of Speech • ADJECTIVES – describe a noun or pronoun • Along with the NOUNS they modify Parts of Speech • What parts of speech might writers use to describe the way a character speaks or performs an action? Parts of Speech • ADVERBS – often end in -ly – tell when, where, how, how much, or to what extent –modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb • Along with the VERBS they modify Direct Characterization •The author tells us directly what a character is like or what a person’s motives are. Example • The writer tells the reader that a character is very brave. • The writer tells the reader that a character is loyal. Thank you, M’am •Does Langston Hughes use direct or indirect characterization? Answer • Indirect Characterization • He does not say outright, for example, that Roger is a neglected, shy kid or that Mrs. Jones is a tough woman who has suffered some guilt of her own. Instead, the reader must infer these things on the basis of what the characters themselves say and do. Question •How does Mrs. Jones’s appearance help to characterize her? Answer • The fact that she is big makes her an imposing figure physically powerful and psychologically impressive. Question •How does Roger’s appearance help to characterize him? Answer • The boy’s frailness suggests that he is in need of both physical and spiritual “feeding”; it makes him seem vulnerable to the large and imposing Mrs. Jones.