Lesson 2

Assignment 6-2

Target

Assignment



All stories have elements without which they cease to have purpose or meaning. One of these key elements is character.

Recall what you learned previously about characters and characterization. A character is any human, animal, or figure that does the action or about which the story is told. Characterization is how the author invites the reader's empathy and understanding of the character.

Characters are developed through combinations of traits suggested in their reaction to problems, to behaviour, motives, and emotions. Characters are developed further through their appearance, words, actions, thoughts, and the words and thoughts of other characters.


  • A protagonist is the main character central to all the activity in the story. 
  • An antagonist is the main character or force opposing the main character.
  • Dynamic characters undergo significant changes within a story.
  • Static characters do not change within a story.



The character seems "alive" to readers because he or she is developed as the story progresses. Often, characters begin one way and end different, changing over the course of the story because of what happens to them. Or, the reader may see one side of the character initially; however, later, another side is revealed, showing the character to be more complex. If the reader knows something about how a character walks and talks, what he or she thinks, with whom he or she associates, and what kinds of secrets he or she has, the character is complex and round. If the reader knows very little about a character, he or she is simple and flat.

Character Development

  1. A character is developed through motivation or revealed inner need.   For example, at the beginning of Anne of Green Gables, Anne Shirley needs love.  In Spiderman, Peter Parker needs recognition.
  2.   Often, a story begins with an incident or event that disturbs the main character's world. The main character is given the opportunity to change because of this incident.  Anne is adopted by Marilla and Matthew.  She begins to trust their love.  Peter Parker's uncle is killed by criminals.  Peter feels he must provide for his aunt and seek his uncle's killer.
  3. The initial incident introduces the conflict. The conflict is developed through the main character's belief in a lie about himself or herself, others, or the world. Anne believes she needs a different appearance and name to be loveable.  Peter Parker believes money will gain the respect of others.
  4. Believing the lie may seem to be a strength, but it becomes a weakness further into the novel.  Anne experiences conflict with Gilbert and most other people around her because she is overly sensitive about her appearance.  Peter Parker neglects his family to earn money.

  5. The main character will overcome inner conflict and, because of this, resolves external conflicts.  Anne realizes love comes from inside and is not based on outer appearance.  Peter Parker uses his radioactive powers to fight crime.  His newspaper job earns money to support his aunt.  He gains self-respect.   
  6. By the end of the novel, the character has changed in a positive way. Anne loves real people, not just imaginary ones.   Peter Parker learns that with power comes great responsibility.  By doing good, he earns respect.

Character in Community

Another way a character is developed is through interactions with other characters. Among family and in groups of friends or community groups, people discuss issues, generate new ideas, share experiences, and strive toward consensus. People discuss, meet, negotiate, brainstorm, plan, and social network. Group discussions can occur in homes, centres, meeting rooms, in cafés, sports facilities, through e-mail or blogs, on Facebook or Twitter, and in other places where people gather to talk about issues. People working together can have generative discussions – conversations in which they work together (with others) to build mutual understanding.
 
Group Problems
Sample Ways of Dealing with Problems



Passive Aggressive
Assertive
Misunderstandings

Lack of commitment or communication

Personality Clashes

Unfair division of labour (One person doing all the work)   

Keeping quiet

Avoiding conflict

Not expressing your feelings

Being vague
Getting your own way

Hurting other people

Interrupting others

Putting people down

Manipulating others
Listening to other people
 
Finding solutions

Demonstrating respect

Expressing feelings openly

Sorting out differences

How a character deals with problems when working with others reveals a good deal about his or her personality.

Character Development

  1.  
  2.           Character - An onlooker or main character may describe the action in the story.  Or, an author may develop a character's voice through dialogue, which is speech enclosed in quotation marks.  For example, a policeman has a persona quite different from that of the pickpocket; each has a separate vocabulary, a separate set of values, a separate set of priorities. Both characters may tell the story from their perspectives; however, usually one scene finishes before the other character begins to tell his or her side of the story. 



  • Monologues are the thoughts of a person spoken aloud. 
  • Similar to a play, only one character speaks and acts. 
    • In some monologues, the character speaks directly to the audience. 
    • In other monologues, characters talk to themselves and the audience overhears what is said. 
  •  Monologues focus on a character’s feelings, thoughts, and attitudes about a particular event. 
  • The use of monologues provides opportunities for the character to explain or describe an event from his or her personal point of view. The character uses “I”, “me”, “my”, “mine” when describing the event. 

Monologues have  
  • an interesting beginning that introduces the character, time, and place in which the scene is set  
  • a beginning that hints at the problem or event to come  
  • a middle in which the character explains and explores the problems or events  
  • an ending that explores how the character will try to solve the problem or what action will occur next 

  Self- Assessment


The Princess Bride S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure 'The Good Parts Version' Abridged
by William Goldman  abridged by Hiram Hayden 

"Here's the 'good parts' version. S. Morgenstern wrote it. And my father read it to me. And now I give it to you. What you do with it will be of more than passing interest to us all." 

Authorial voice in the Princess Bride occurs                 
when the author (Wiliam Goldman) makes up a fake author (S. Morgenstern) and interjects editorial comments and explanations supposedly from the past. This makes the narrator unreliable.
Everybody called her Mma Ramotswe, although if people had wanted to be formal, they would have addressed her as Mme Mma Ramotswe.  This was the right thing for a person of stature, but which she had never used of herself.... She was a good detective, and a good woman.  A good woman in a good country, one might say.  She loved her country, Botswana, which is a place of peace, and she loved Africa, for all its trials....

from The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency  by Alexander McCall Smith
Narrative voice: Omniscient narrator 

One could argue that authorial voice is found between the commas in the last sentence of the passage: Botswana is a place of peace and Africa has many trials.  The omniscient narrator is usually reliable.


I am writing the story of my life in a notebook I stole from a drugstore.  Come to think of it, I stole the pen too.  Given this information, there is no particular reason for you to believe I'm especially honest.  But I figure writing things down might be a good start in the trust department.  I'm hoping when you know a few things about me, you might begin to understand how I ended up where I did. 

from Prisoner of Snowflake Falls by John Lekich
Narrative voice:  First Person Point of View , which is often an unreliable narrator due to the singular perspective of events presented.



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