Characterization

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Characterization
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How do we know things about people?

• Sometimes they tell us directly.
• I am very interested in history.
• I love to read.
• I am easily embarrassed.
• Sometimes we learn things about people by
  observing them, listening to them, and listening
  to what others have to say about them.

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What is Characterization?

• Characterization is the method an author uses to
  tell the reader about the characters.
• Can be either direct or indirect.

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Direct Characterization

• Sometimes an author makes direct statements about
  a character's personality and tells us what the
  character is like.
• This is called direct characterization.
• Lanie was a very impatient girl. She
  didn't want to wait for her sister to finish her
  phone call. Her call had to be made right away.
• Sisters

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Direct Characterization

• Jack had been in basic training in Florida
  and Dottie was there on vacation with her
  parents. Theyd met on the beach and struck up a
  conversation. Dottie was the talker the outgoing
  one the extrovert. Jack was too shy around girls
  to say much at all.
• Furlough1944 by Harry Mazer

Matilda
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Indirect Characterization

• When an author shows things that reveal a
  character's personality.
• Character's physical description
• Character's thoughts/feelings
• Character's actions
• Other character's thoughts about the character

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Indirect Characterization

• Character's physical description
• What the character looks like
• How the character dresses
• Mrs. Thomas has green eyes and light brown
  colored hair.
• Miss Kinney was young and blond and bouncy
  and had a boyfriend who picked her up after
  school in a blue Camaro.
• Here There Be Tygers by Stephen
  King

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Character's Physical Description

• I stared at his face because it was so
  devastatingly, so inhumanely, beautiful. I
  noticed that his eyes were coal black. His skin
  was pale and his copper hair shone like flecks of
  gold.- Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

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Character's Thoughts and Feelings

• The author tells you the character's thoughts and
  feelings to let you know about their personality.
  
• Moonbeam closed his eyes and pretended to
  sleep the rest of the way to Bamfield. He
  couldnt believe what hed gotten himself into.
  How had this happened? Hed never held a gun in
  his life, much less gone hunting for animals.
• Moonbeam Dawson and the Killer
  Bear
• by Jean Okimoto

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Character's Thoughts and Feelings

• I can hoop. Case closed. You can take my game
  to the bank and wait around for the interest.
  Basketball for me is like the only time I'm being
  for real.
• Slam by Walter Dean Myers

Jan's Voices

• Vampire Diaries- Elena

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Character's Actions

• What the character does/says.
• How the character behaves.
• The boy held his breath he wondered whether
  his father would hear his heart beating...
  Through a crack in the counter he could see his
  father where he stood, one hand held to his high
  stiff collar...
• I Spy by Graham Greene

The Grinch
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Other Character's Thoughts about the Character

• How the character affects those around him or
  her.
• How the other characters feel or behave in
  reaction to the character.
• Forbes said, Mrs. Thomas is such an awesome
  person. She is so smart.

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Other Character's Thoughts about a Character

• That's Edward. He's gorgeous, of course. But
  don't waste your time on him. He doesn't date.
  Apparently none of the girls here are good enough
  for him. Whatever.
• Jessica Stanley, Twilight

• Introducing Regina George