Transcript Characterization Notes - Ms. Durham's 9th Grade English Class

Characterization Notes

Indirect and Direct
Characterization
Flat and Round
 Static and Dynamic

Direct Characterization

Direct Characterization: When the narrator
or another character tells us what a person is
like.

Ex: Jason was a tall, broad-shouldered football player
who always had a smile on his face.

Or this
Indirect Characterization

Indirect Characterization: Requires the reader to
look for clues that reveal a character’s traits and
motivation.
When looking for indirect characterization, think about
all the following:
 What a character does (actions)
 What a character thinks
 What a character says (dialogue)
 What other characters say and how they react

Ex: Jody ran up the stairs to her room, tears streaming
down her face, and slammed her door loudly, hoping her
mother would hear.
Your Turn
Look for examples of both direct and indirect characterization from
the following passage in “Thank You, M’am,” a short story by
Langston Hughes:

She was a large woman with a large purse that had
everything in it but a hammer and nails. It had a long strap,
and she carried it slung across her shoulder. It was about
eleven o’clock at night, and she was walking alone when a
boy ran up behind her and tried to snatch her purse. The
strap broke with the single tug the boy gave it from behind.
But the boy’s weight and the weight of the purse combined
caused him to lose his balance so, instead of taking off full
blast as he had hoped, the boy fell on his back on the
sidewalk, and his legs flew up. The large woman simply
turned around and kicked him right square in his blue-jeaned
sitter. Then she reached down, picked the boy up by his shirt
front, and shook him until his teeth rattled.
Chart Example
Direct
She was a large woman
with a large purse.
Duh. She’s big.
Indirect
She kicked him in the
butt.
She’s able to take care of
herself/ She’s not afraid.
Character Development:

Characterization—the process of revealing
the personality of a character.

Round Character—a well-developed character
with varied traits, both good and bad.

Ex: Ariel, in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, has
positive traits, like being loving and courageous,
but she also has less flattering traits like being
forgetful and disobedient. She is a welldeveloped character with many sides.
Character Development:

Flat Character—a less-developed character with one or a
few traits; he/she is usually one-sided or stereotypical.

Ex: Think of dumb blonde characters in many teen movies—
they are usually selfish, bossy, and mean. We never see
them being nice or having problems of their own. They are
one-sided and less developed.
Character Change:

Dynamic Character—a character that develops and
changes over the course of a story due to a conflict or
newfound understanding.

Ex: Scrooge is selfish and mean in the beginning of A
Christmas Carol, but later becomes generous and selfless
when he realizes his sins. He changes because of what
happens to him in the story.
Character Change:

Static Character—a character who remains
the same over the course of the entire story.

Ex: Cinderella’s stepmother is mean in the
beginning of the fairytale and mean at the end.
She never changes.
Here’s a trick to help you remember the
definitions:
Round=Many Characteristics
 Flat=Few Characteristics
 Static=Same and Dynamic=Different

Your Turn:
Think back to “The Most Dangerous Game.” Who is flat
and who is round? Why?
Who is static and who is dynamic? Why?
Exit Slip
Which type of character is the most
like a real person, ROUND or FLAT?
Why?
 If a student comes to class and keeps
acting up after being told to settle
down, is he acting like a STATIC or a
DYNAMIC character? Explain.
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