Mr. Moshé’s Critically Thinking . . . Are You?

Characterization

the author’s development of characters

All stories have two types of characters: Primary and Secondary

Primary Characters are referred to as round, deep, dynamic. Primary charcters are the main characters. They grow and change as the story progresses. Round characters are fully developed. You learn a lot about them, and they may change in the course of the story — they are dynamic. Dynamic means changing or unpredictable. Main characters are usually both round and dynamic. What character(s) are main in what you are reading?

Secondary Characters are referred to as flat, shallow, static. They are the minor characters. You may know only one thing about flat characters, and they do not change or develop in any way during the story — they are static. Static means unchanging. Which character(s) are the minor in what you are reading?

CHARACTERIZATION Questions

A. Who is/are the main character(s)?

1. What are the physical descriptions of each of the main characters? Use quotes/details from the text to support your answer.
2. What motivates the main characters to behave as they do? Short Paragraph.
3. Describe the internal traits that make-up. the main character(s). What is true of this character’s mental, emotional and spiritual make up that the character does not show others? Use details from the text to support your answer.
4. Describe the external traits that make-up the main character(s).What is true of this character’s mental, emotional and spiritual make up that the character does show others? Use details from the text to support your answer.
5. Create a Characterization Chart for each of the main characters. In the case of Freak The Mighty, for instance, this would mean one chart for Max and one chart for Kevin. Remember, you must use details from the text to fill the Characterization Chart. You can get a blank copy of the chart from the Yahoo Group, Critically Thinking – Because We Can.

B. Can the reader accept the characters as real people? Are they true to life?

1. Did you find yourself totally immersed in the world of the characters, or were you unable to fully envision their lives and circumstances? Explain.
2. Which characters did you find the most compelling and/or relatable and why?
3. Are there any characters that seem to embody a kind of timelessness?
4. Was there something about their manner or their views that felt familiar? Who and why?
5. Use details from the text to support your answer.

C. Does the main character develop or grow as a result of the incidents in the story?

1. Describe two events or episodes that the character grew from.
2. Did you become involved in the emotions of the characters? Give example(s).
3. Does the reader come to know the characters as individuals with unique strengths and weaknesses? Give examples of both.
4. Would you have acted in the same manner as the main character in any given event or episode? Describe an event and what you would have done.

D. What does it mean for a character to be static or dynamic?

1. Which character(s) are static? Explain using details from the text to support your answer.
2. Which character(s) are dynamic? Explain using details from the text to support your answer.
3. Write a short essay to compare & contrast static and dynamic characters from the novel.