Transcript Methods of Characterization

METHODS OF
CHARACTERIZATION
Fall 2013
JOURNAL
 What type of personality do you have?
 What are some adjectives to describe yourself?
 What actions do you do or what things do you say which back
up those adjectives/traits?
CHARACTERIZATION: DEFINITION
The process by
which the writer
reveals the
personality of a
character.
The way an author
chooses to portray
or describe a
character
AASTTN
A = Appearance
A = Actions
S = Speech
T = Thoughts
T = What other
characters think
N = Narration
1. A= APPEARANCE
The way a character
looks and dresses
says a lot about them
Physical appearance
includes size, age,
gender, skin color,
clothing, and any
other defining
characteristics like
scars or hair color
Ex. “He was a small,
frail, older man.”
2. A = ACTIONS
 What a character DOES
tells you a lot about him/
her.
 Could include quotations
from things character does
and how the character
interacts with others
 Body language is also an
indication of
characteristics
 Ex. “She quickly ran away
at the smallest sign of
trouble.”
3. S = SPEECH
The dialogue the
author creates for the
character says a lot
about who they are in
the story.
What do they say?
How do they say it?
Ex. “The man yelled
loudly at the children,
‘Be QUIET!’”
4.T = WHAT OTHER CHARACTERS THINK
What other people
think of a character
can tell you a lot
about the character
The things others
say to the character
or their actions
around the character
can reveal
characteristics
Ex. “Janice thought
Bob was scary.”
5. T = CHARACTER’S INNER
THOUGHTS/FEELINGS
 The author often gives you
a glimpse inside the mind
of a character through:
a. Telling you what the
character is thinking
b. Showing a piece of a
diary
This reveals a lot about the
way the character views
situations or the world.
Ex. “I always wanted to be
valedictorian.”
6 = NARRATION
What the narrator
directly tells us
about the character
Ex. “He was a
jealous, angry man.”
PRACTICE DISCUSSING
CHARACTERIZATION
 Wh a t t ra i t s do e s t h i s c h a ra c ter po s s ess?
 H ow do yo u k n ow ?
 Th ro ug h B oxe r’ s
i t i s o bv io us h e i s
.
 What kind of personality does this college student have?
 Through Mark Zuckerberg’s
I concluded that he is
.
What kind of person is the character in red?
What kind of person is the character with the
glasses?
NEXT STEP: 15-20 MINUTES
 Complete work on
Character Trait
Graphic Organizer
 If done, label each
quotation on your list
(each piece of evidence)
as coming from:
 A = Actions
 A = Appearance
 S = Speech
 T = Thoughts of others
 T = Thoughts of
character
 N = Narrator.
REMEMBER TO CITE ALL QUOTATIONS
MLA CITATION:
 “………….” (authors last name page #)
 Example: “When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s
right to the truth” (Hosseini 18).
YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE THIS PROBLEM ON
YOUR PARAGRAPHS! 