The purpose of a character analysis is to provide
information and understanding about a character from a piece of
literatures. Writers use supporting
details from the book to back up their opinions and evaluations about the
character.
Thesis Development
Your thesis should state a stand or opinion about the
character you have chosen. Your thesis
can be concerned with the character’s weaknesses or strengths, primary
motivations, inner qualities, interactions with others,
Organization
Your essay should follow the standard structure with an
introduction, body, and conclusion. In
the body, the paragraphs should cover the points that you will use to support
your thesis.
Tips on Prewriting
·
Survey all the
details you have collected and group them in clusters that reveal some similar
qualities.
·
In a single
sentence, sum up what the character is like.
This summary can be the thesis or controlling idea for your entire
essay.
·
Select the
details that help support, explain, and illustrate your thesis.
·
Pull from your
chart with material you’ve collected.
Use effective quotes and examples.
·
Plan your
introduction and conclusion.
Tips on Writing the Introduction
·
The opening
paragraph of your essay should introduce who this character is, briefly
explaining what his/her role is in the story and why you have chosen to analyze
this personality.
·
Define your
character in terms of whether he is the protagonist (hero), antagonist
(villain), supporting player or a catalyst.
A catalyst character often does not participate directly in any of the
action, but instead fulfills the role of inspiring the lead character.
·
Possible
information to include in your introduction:
– Make some general comments about the subject matter of
the thesis. Give background information.
– Mention personal experiences and attitudes you and
your readers might share about the character.
Do you think other people have the same opinion about this person.
– Include thoughts about the author. Does his life give any clues to this
character?
– Write a few general sentences about the story.
Using Quotations
·
This type of
paper requires that you use quotations from the story to support your
points. Be sure that you quote
accurately and that your reason for quoting is clear. Be careful not to use long quotes for your
essay will merely repeat the words of the story.
Writing the Conclusion
·
The final
paragraph should not introduce a new idea because it cannot be developed. The conclusion should smoothly bring the
reader back to the thesis of the essay.
It is the final comment you make and is your last chance to drive home
your main idea
Essay Guidelines
–
Due dates: Pre-Write
February 27; Rough Draft due March 5; Final Draft due March 19.
–
Essay
length: 600 – 900 words (between 3 and 5
pages)
–
Rough drafts can
be typed or hand-written, but must be double-spaced.
–
Final draft
format:
–
Typed (if this is
not possible, please let me know)
–
1 inch margins
–
Name and date on
the upper right hand corner
–
Number the pages
on the lower right hand corner
–
Title centered
above the text of the essay
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