Character Analysis _FOR KIM WOODS ONLY

LENGTH: 2 and half pages typed, double-spaced, in 12-pitch Times Roman font

Assignment:  Choose a character from one of these short stories: either “A Good Man is Hard to Find” or “Everyday Use.”  Explain three things that we know about that character’s personality.  Describe each of the three things in a full-length paragraph, citing examples from the text.  Your paper will consist of five paragraphs: an introduction, three body paragraphs (each of which explains one personality trait), and a conclusion.  Your thesis statement will contain three adjectives about the character.  For example, “The grandmother s selfish, talkative, and manipulative.” (This example is from "A Good Man is Hard to Find." You may use these adjectives if you like.)

Prewriting:

Be sure that you choose a character who is complicated enough that you will have something to say about him or her. Reread the story carefully, paying close attention to that character.  As you read, jot down adjectives that describe the character.  Choose the three adjectives that you think are the most important.  Place them in climactic order, i.e., the most important one last.  This will give you a rough outline.  Now read the story again.  Each time you find an example of one of the three adjectives you have chosen, summarize it on an index card and label which attribute it is.  Be sure to keep track of the page numbers.  You will use these examples to support each of your three adjectives.

Writing:

Introduction: A thesis statement is a sentence that states the main point of an essay. It contains a topic--in this case the character you are writing about--and an assertion or argument you are making about that topic. In this paper, the thesis statement will state the name of the character and will list the three adjectives you have chosen, in order of their importance. The assertion you are making about this topic, the character, is that these three adjectives apply well to him or her, and your analysis, in the body of the paper, will demonstrate that to be true.  The thesis statement should be the last sentence of your introduction.  In the rest of the introduction, give a summary of the story, leading up to your thesis statement, and be sure to mention the author and title of the story.

Body: The body (i.e., the middle) of your essay will consist of three paragraphs, one per adjective/personality trait.  Examine each of the three traits in detail and use examples from the story to back up what you say.  Explain the story and the relevant examples from it in your own words, using quotations sparingly to back up what you are saying. Include the relevant page numbers in parentheses if you quote directly.

Conclusion: In a conclusion, it is best to return to your thesis statement and restate it in the first sentence before going on to reach a larger conclusion about the material.  (Don’t just repeat your previous thesis statement verbatim; rephrase it.)  After restating your thesis, examine how your analysis of the character contributes to our understanding of the story as a whole. What did your discussion of this character and the three adjectives that apply to him/her reveal about the story and its larger meaning(s)?

Rewriting:  Put your essay away for twenty-four hours.  Then read it again carefully to make sure that you have supported each adjective well.  Make sure that if you have used direct quotations, you have integrated them into your sentences, and check to make sure you have quoted accurately and cited page numbers for quotations.  Check paragraphs for unity, coherence, and development.  Check sentences for variety and correctness.  Check grammar and spelling.  If you have any questions about any of these terms or issues, consult your handbook.