Literature

Character

Characterization

▪ The way a writer reveals a character is called characterization.

▪ Creating a character: A writer may simply tell you directly that a character is mean-tempered or honest. This is called DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION.

– Many long years ago, there lived an arrogant and cruel young lord who ruled over a small village in the western hills of Japan. from “The Wise Old Woman” by Yoshiko Uchida

▪ However, writers generally prefer to show their characters in action, giving readers the chance to decide for themselves what the character is like; this is called INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION.

– Disregarding the song of the birds, the waving green trees, and the smell of the flowers, Jimmy headed straight for a restaurant. from “A Retrieved Reformation” by O Henry

Characterization- Elements

▪ Appearance: How the character looks like.

▪ Actions: What the character does.

▪ Speech: What the character says.

▪ Thoughts and feelings: what they think and how they feel about the situations around them.

▪ Other character’s reactions: You can also learn about a character’s personality through what other characters think and say about them.

Characterization-Traits

▪ The traits of a character are the words you use to describe them.

▪ For example:Honest

Light-heartedLeaderExpertBrave

ConceitedMischievousDemandingThoughtful

KeenHappy

DisagreeableSimpleFancyPlain

ExcitedStudiousInventiveCreativeThrilling

IndependentIntelligent

Compassionate

GentleProudWild

MessyNeatJoyfulStrong

BrightCourageous

SeriousFunny

HumorousSadPoorRichTallDarkLight

HandsomePrettyUgly

Selfish

UnselfishSelf-confident

RespectfulConsiderateImaginative

BusyPatriotic

Fun-lovingPopular

SuccessfulResponsible

LazyDreamerHelpfulSimple-minded

HumbleFriendly

ShortAdventurousHard-working

TimidShyBold

DaringDaintyPitiful

CooperativeLovable

PrimProper

AmbitiousAbleQuiet

CuriousReservedPleasingBossyWitty

FighterTireless

EnergeticCheerfulSmart

ImpulsiveLoyal

Characterization - Archetypes

▪ In literature, an archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that seems to represent such universal patterns of human nature.

▪ An archetype, also known as universal symbol, may be a character, a theme, a symbol or even a setting.

Characterization - Archetypes

▪ Analyst: Can explain anything rationally. Ex: Mr. Spock▪ Anti-hero: The hero who didn’t ask to get involved but does.

Ex: Megamind, Wolverine▪ Bully: Has no tolerance for weakness, especially in himself.▪ Bureaucrat: Follows the rules no matter what. Hermione

Granger▪ Coward: Afraid of everything, controlled by fear. ▪ Dreamer: Longs to be something he isn’t.▪ Elder/Mentor/Teacher/Parent: Been around long enough to

know some vital information. Ex: Ben Kenobi, Mufassa▪ Extraordinary man: The guy who can do anything. Ex:

Indiana Jones, James Bond▪ Guardian: Protects the weak. ▪ Hunter/Predator: Can catch or kill anything. Ex: Terminator▪ Innocent: An inexperienced individual exposed to the evils in

the world.▪ Introvert: Lives inside his shell to prevent anyone from seeing

the real him. Ex: Gabriella Montez (High School Musical)▪ Investigator: Thrives on puzzles and riddles. Ex: Nancy Drew,

Sherlock Holmes.

▪ Leader: Always knows the best thing to do—and people follow. Ex: William Wallace

▪ Monster: A depraved beast. Ex: Gollum, Grendel (Beowulf)▪ Ordinary Man: Your average Joe, just like you or me or the guy

across the street. Ex: Dr. Richard Kimball, Frodo Baggins.▪ Rebel/Revolutionary: Stands opposed to the status quo and fights

for his cause.▪ Rogue: Looks out for himself and no one else. Ex: Han Solo▪ Samaritan: Does good deeds wherever he goes.▪ Survivor: Pulls through no matter what happens, doesn’t give up.▪ Temptress: Uses power (intellect, magic, beauty) to make others

weak. Ex: Megara (Hercules)▪ Trickster/Jester: Always looking for the humor in a situation. Ex:

Fred and George Weasley ▪ Tyrant: Must be in control at all times. Ex: Captain Hook▪ Victim: Was hurt by someone or lives in fear that someone will hurt

him. Ex: Claireece “Precious” Jones▪ Villain: Seeks to destroy/trap the hero. Ex: Evil Queen in Snow White,

Lex Luthor

Character

Character creation

▪ Following the things you have learned about character and characterization, create a character of your own!

Literature

Literary devices

Literary devices

Alliteration

▪ Alliteration is a stylistic device in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound, occur close together in a series.

▪ Consider the following examples:– But a better butter makes a

batter better.– A big bully beats a baby boy.

Metaphor

▪ Metaphor is a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or hidden comparison between two things or objects that are poles apart from each other but have some characteristics common between them.

▪ In other words, a resemblance of two contradictory or different objects is made based on a single or some common characteristics.

▪ “Shall I Compare Thee to a summer’s Day”

Literary devices

Hyperbole

▪ Hyperbole, is a figure of speech, which involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis.

▪ It is a device that we employ in our day-to-day speech. For instance, when you meet a friend after a long time, you say, “Ages have passed since I last saw you”.

Understatement

▪ An understatement is a figure of speech employed by writers or speakers to intentionally make a situation seem less important than it really is.

▪ For example, you win 10 million dollars in a lottery. When you tell a news reporter “I am delighted”, you are making an understatement.

Literary devices

Irony

▪ Irony is a figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meaning is different from the actual meaning of the words.

▪ It may also be a situation that may end up in quite a different way than what is generally anticipated.

▪ In simple words, it is a difference between the appearance and the reality.

▪ I posted a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is.

Sarcasm

▪ The literal meaning is different than what the speaker intends to say through sarcasm.

▪ Sarcasm is a literary and rhetorical device that is meant to mock with often satirical or ironic remarks with a purpose to amuse and hurt someone or some section of society simultaneously.

▪ “I didn’t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” (Mark Twain)

Literary devices

Simile

▪ A simile is a figure of speech that makes a comparison, showing similarities between two different things.

▪ Unlike a metaphor, a simile draws resemblance with the help of the words “like” or “as”.

Onomatopoeia

▪ Onomatopoeia is defined as a word, which imitates the natural sounds of a thing, making the description more expressive and interesting.

▪ For instance, saying, “The gushing stream flows in the forest” is a more meaningful description than just saying, “The stream flows in the forest.”

Literary devices

Paradox

▪ The term Paradox is from the Greek word “paradoxon” that means contrary to expectations, existing belief or perceived opinion.

▪ In the famous play of Shakespeare, Hamlet, the protagonist Hamlet says,

▪ “I must be cruel to be kind.”

Personification

▪ Personification is a figure of speech in which a thing, an idea or an animal is given human attributes.

▪ For example, when we say, “The sky weeps” we are giving the sky the ability to cry, which is a human quality.

Literary devices

▪ Symbolism:

▪ Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.

▪ Symbolism can take different forms. Generally, it is an object representing another to give it an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant. Sometimes, however, an action, an event or a word spoken by someone may have a symbolic value. For instance, “smile” is a symbol of friendship. Similarly, the action of someone smiling at you may stand as a symbol of the feeling of affection which that person has for you.

Literary devices

▪ Work in groups of 3 to 4 students and create 3 examples for each literary device.

Literature

Theme and Point of view

Theme

▪ Theme is defined as a main idea or an underlying meaning of a literary work that may be stated directly or indirectly.

▪ Theme is a revelation about our lives and represents the discovery of a truth about our own experience.

▪ Difference between a Theme and a Subject:

▪ It is important not to confuse a theme of a literary work with its subject. Subject is a topic which acts as a foundation for a literary work while a theme is an opinion expressed on the subject. For example, a writer may choose a subject of war for his story and the theme of a story may be writer’s personal opinion that war is a curse for humanity. Usually, it is up to the readers to explore a theme of a literary work by analyzing characters, plot and other literary devices.

Point of View

▪ Novels and short stories are told from a certain perspective; this perspective is called Point of View.

▪ The most common types of POV are:

▪ First person POV. When the story is tols by one of the characters using the “I” mode.

▪ In this POV we only know what this character tells us.

▪ 3rd Person POV. Also written from the POV of a specific character. The difference relies in the fact that you can also read the thoughts and feelings of the character.

▪ Omniscient POV. This is called the all-knowing POV. Here the narrator can tell you the actions, thoughts and feelings of every character.

Short Story

▪ Get in pairs and following everything you have learned about literatura and fiction, and create your own story using the characters you both created in class.