The Character Analysis Essay

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The Character Analysis Essay
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The Introduction

1. Hook
2. Mention author and title of work
3. Two to three sentences which discuss the
   character generally
4. Thesis statement indicates that the essay will
   cover both strengths and weaknesses.

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The Hook

1. This essay will be about Talon in Downsiders by
   Neal Shusterman
2. The book is called Downsiders by Neal Shusterman
3. In the novel, Downsiders, Neal Shusterman
   introduces his protagonist, Talon.

C
A
B
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Sentence C
Yay!

• In the novel, Downsiders, Neal Shusterman
  introduces his protagonist, Talon.
• This sentence correctly introduces the title, the
  author and the subject matter. It does not use
  the purpose statements of the previous examples
  nor does it use the words essay, topic or
  paper.

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2) Mention two to three Statements about the
Character.

1. Talons a really good guy, hes just
   misunderstood a lot. He is described in many
   different ways.
2. In spite of strict rules against going Topside,
   Talon steps out into the unknown world to save
   his sister. This experience shows Talon that the
   Downside is in danger from both inside and
   outside forces. He struggles to save the
   Downside but does not always make the best
   choices.

B
A
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Option A
Oh NO!

• Talons a really good guy, hes just
  misunderstood a lot. He is described in many
  different ways.

This sentence is too informal for formal essay
writing. It commits a comma splice and uses
contractions. The first sentence is too vague to
be specific to Talon (it could be a statement
about anyone) and the second sentence also does
not help the reader understand more about Talons
personality.
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Option B
Yay!

• In spite of strict rules against going Topside,
  Talon steps out into the unknown world to save
  his sister. This experience shows Talon that the
  Downside is in danger from both inside and
  outside forces. He struggles to save the
  Downside but does not always make the best
  choices.

These sentences show a good understanding of
Talon in general. They offer general motivation
for his actions ( the danger to the Downside) and
hints at his positive qualities . The second
sentence does a good job of hinting at his
weaknesses, and thus preparing the reader for the
thesis statement.
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3) Thesis statement

1. He is thoughtful and responsible, but he is also
   impulsive and combative.
2. His strengths are that he is thoughtful and
   responsible his weaknesses are that he is
   impulsive and combative.
3. Ill talk to you about his strengths and
   weaknesses.

C
A
B
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Thesis A
Yay!

• He is thoughtful and responsible, but he is also
  impulsive and combative.
• This is a good thesis it states both strengths
  and weaknesses and is simple and to the point!

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The First Body Paragraph Strengths

• Topic sentence both strengths stated
• Introduce quotation and then insert quotation
• Explain how quotation supports your point
• State second strength.
• Introduce quotation and then insert quotation
• Explain how quotation supports your point

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Topic Sentence

1. One of his strengths is that he is thoughtful.
2. He has a lot of strengths.
3. Talon is both thoughtful and responsible.

C
A
B
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Topic Sentence A
Oh NO!

• One of his strengths is that he is thoughtful.
• This topic sentence only states one of the
  strengths. Because youre talking about two, the
  topic sentence needs to mention both.

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Topic Sentence B
Oh NO!

• He has a lot of strengths.
• This topic sentence does not actually mention the
  two strengths. It is too vague to be a strong
  topic sentence.

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Topic Sentence C
Yay!

• Talon is both thoughtful and responsible.
• This topic sentence is perfect it is short but
  also mentions both strengths.

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2) Introduce quotation and then insert quotation

1. The following quote, But Talon wasnt so quick
   to pass judgment. Talon thought that if he could
   feel what the Topsiders felt, he would understand
   the mystery of why they were what they were"
   (Shusterman 16) proves he is thoughtful.
2. In the book it says, But Talon wasnt so quick
   to pass judgment. Talon thought that if he could
   feel what the Topsiders felt, he would understand
   the mystery of why they were what they were.
3. While still in the Downside, Talon reflected on
   what it would be like to be a Topsider, But
   Talon wasnt so quick to pass judgment. Talon
   thought that if he could feel what the Topsiders
   felt, he would understand the mystery of why they
   were what they were (Shusterman 16).

A
B
C
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Intro quotation 1
Oh NO!

• The following quote, But Talon wasnt so quick
  to pass judgment. Talon thought that if he could
  feel what the Topsiders felt, he would understand
  the mystery of why they were what they were"
  (Shusterman 16) proves he is thoughtful.
• It is not good practice to write following
  quote. It is not a smooth quotation integration.
  You should also not use the word prove with
  literature.

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Intro quotation 2

• In the book it says, But Talon wasnt so quick
  to pass judgment. Talon thought that if he could
  feel what the Topsiders felt, he would understand
  the mystery of why they were what they were.
• First, you should use the word novel, not
  book. Also, you will notice it doesnt
  actually refer to anything and is a vague
  reference. Its also missing the parenthetical
  reference (last name of author plus page number
  in parenthesis)

Oh NO!
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Intro quotation 3
Yay!

• While still in the Downside, Talon reflected on
  what it would be like to be a Topsider, But
  Talon wasnt so quick to pass judgment. Talon
  thought that if he could feel what the Topsiders
  felt, he would understand the mystery of why they
  were what they were (Shusterman 16).
• This is a good introduction to the quotation
  because it offers context (information about the
  quotation) and is still a complete thought with
  the quotation.

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3) Explanation

• A) This quote proves that Talon is thoughtful.
• B) Talons thoughtfulness is proved due to the
  fact that he is able to think about others.
• C) Talons ability to understand the Topsiders
  perspectives when Railborn thinks Topsiders are
  stupid, shows that Talon is a thoughtful
  character.

A
B
C
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Thesis B
Oh NO!

• His strengths are that he is thoughtful and
  responsible his weaknesses are that he is
  impulsive and combative.
• While this is an acceptable thesis, it is
  needlessly wordy with the words strengths and
  weaknesses. Good writing is simple.

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Explanation A
Oh NO!

• This quote proves that Talon is thoughtful.
• Notice that this explanation does not actually
  explain why the quotation illustrates Talons
  strength. The writer leaves it up to the reader
  to figure out why. The writer also used proves
  which is not an appropriate term for English (
  you can prove a math equation, but not a
  literary opinion)

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Explanation B

• Talons thoughtfulness is proved due to the fact
  that he is able to think about others.
• While this is slightly better than the first
  explanation, it does not explain very well why
  does thinking about others illustrate his
  thoughtfulness? Also, the phrase, due to the
  fact is unnecessarily complicated and should be
  simpler.

Oh NO!
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Explanation C
Yay!

• Talons ability to understand the Topsiders
  perspectives when Railborn thinks Topsiders are
  stupid, shows that Talon is a thoughtful
  character.
• This explanation points out the context of the
  quotation and show how it supports Talon is
  thoughtful. It also avoids seeming repetitive by
  writing understand perspectives instead of
  thoughtful .

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Last,

• 4) State second strength.
• 5) Introduce quotation and then insert quotation
• Explain how quotation supports your point
• After you state the second strength, you repeat
  the previous process introduce the quotation,
  insert the quotation, and explain how the
  quotation supports your point.

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Thesis C
Oh NO!

• Ill talk to you about his strengths and
  weaknesses.
• This thesis uses first person (never used in
  formal essays) and does not mention the strengths
  or weaknesses. It is too informal and sounds as
  if the writer is chatting with us.

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Sentence B
Oh NO!

• The book is called Downdsiders by Neal
  Shusterman.

Like Sentence A, this sentence lacks creativity
and imagination. The purpose of the hook is to
draw the reader in. This sentence not only
incorrectly calls it a book instead of a NOVEL,
it does not really help the reader understand
what the essay will be about!
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Sentence A

• This essay will be about Talon in Downsiders by
  Neal Shusterman

Oh NO!
This opening hook is too obvious a purpose
statement. It is neither interesting nor does it
grab the readers attention. The purpose of the
hook is to draw the reader in with a
thought-provoking idea. Just stating what the
essay will do lacks imagination and interest.
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For the Weaknesses,

• Youd follow the exact same procedure state both
  weaknesses, introduce a quotation and then insert
  the quotation, and then explain it. State the
  second weakness, introduce the quotation and then
  insert the quotation, and then explain it.
• ---------------------------------------

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Concluding Paragraph

• This paragraph should include the following
• a restatement of the character and character
  traits, using some of the original language or
  language that "echoes" the original language.
  (The restatement, however, must not be of the
  first sentence of your essay.)
• a summary of the main points from the body of the
  essay.
• a final statement that gives the reader signals
  that the discussion has come to an end. (This
  final statement may be a "call to action" in a
  persuasive essay.)

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Concluding Paragraph
Restatement
Talon, in Neal Shustermans novel Downsiders, is
a responsible and thoughtful young man who must
overcome his impulsive and combative nature in
order to lead his people out of the darkness and
into the light. Shusterman wants the reader to
feel Talons frustration as he has to overcome
the betrayal of a friend, the corruption of a
government and the reluctance of his people to
leave their homes for the unknown. Talon
sacrifices everything showing the reader that the
journey from childhood to adulthood is full of
difficult decisions that lead to the eventual
letting go of childish ways.

Summary
Final statement
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Notes on the Conclusion

• For the conclusion, it is always best to avoid
  I.
• Many of you may write I think______ is when you
  could simply write _______ is _____ because.
• Using I, you or we is not appropriate for formal
  writing.