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UNPACKING LITERATURE

INDIRECT V DIRECT
CHARACTERIZATION
Genevieve Dakota Balunis

CONTEXT
10th/11th grade-level activity
Students will need to have at least a basic grasp
of creative writing and characterization in order
to participate in the activity.
Having background knowledge and experience of
literary analysis, especially analyzing
characterization, will aid in the process.
This lesson may be taught alongside any kind of
novel, usually one with a focus on
characterization over plot.

STANDARDS
Common Core Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.1 Cite strong and thorough textualevidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations)
develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the
theme.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.D Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a
vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection,
and research.
ISTE Standards:
1.

Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity: Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching
and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in
both face-to-face and virtual environments.
Promote,

support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness


students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources
Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students conceptual understanding and thinking,
planning, and creative processes
Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face
and virtual environments
Engage

2.

Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments: Teachers design, develop, and evaluate
authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize
content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the StandardsS.
Design

or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and
creativity
Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and
become active participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own
progress
Customize and personalize learning activities to address students diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities
using digital tools and resources
Provide students with multiple and varied formative and summative assessments aligned with content and technology
standards, and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching

OBJECTIVES

Students Will:
infer

characters' emotions and motivations through


given detail
discuss indirect v. direct characterization
demonstrate their understanding through writing
their own passages
apply what they have learned to outside literature

What can you tell about the characters and/or


situation described in this excerpt? How did you come
to those conclusions?
It

was always the same routine when Cathys roommate


came back from her last class of the day bag, bed. The bag,
dropped on the floor in front of the divided closet they shared
its thump, Cathy knew, was audible from the hallway
and then the tired squeak of springs in the never-tightened
metal frame as she collapsed face-first into the bed. She
would stay in this position for anywhere from a half-hour to
the entire night, motionless and occasionally mumbling
things Cathy couldnt make sense of and didnt care to. Her
covers were never unmade and Cathy would sigh, willing
away the familiar ache at her temples before turning back to
her desk and doing her best to ignore the motionless form
behind her. There were always notes, and lab reports, and
covering the shifts at the campus store

CHARACTERIZATION
Direct

Characterization: theprocessby which

thepersonality of a fictitious character is revealed by


the use of descriptive adjectives, phrases, or epithets.

Indirect

Characterization: the process by which the

personality of a fictitious character is revealed through


the characters speech, actions, appearance, etc.

Compare:
Amelia

was a headstrong girl who fidgeted a lot.


Amelia glared at the teacher, snapping and unsnapping the
buttons at the cuffs of her flannel shirt. Im not doing it.

Which characterization is indirect? Which is direct?

EXAMPLE VIDEO:

Heres a clip from Captain America: The First


Avenger. You can get a sense for characterization
from actions, dialogue, expression, and how the
scene is shot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQ84aqOb95w

APPLYING CHARACTERIZATION
Each

of you will get a slip of paper


describing a situation and one or more
characters.
Write a 2-5 paragraph passage detailing
what is on the paper, using only indirect
characterization and inferred detail.
Show, dont tell.

APPLYING CHARACTERIZATION TO
ANALYSIS
What are the pros of writing in an indirect
manner?
What are the cons?
Does this form of writing make it easier or more
difficult to understand characterization and
motive?
How can this be applied to literary analysis?

Having

to analyze a characters actions grants a


deeper understanding of their feelings, character
traits, and motive.
By making the reader think rather than passively
consuming the media, the text has greater
significance. Having to infer makes it easier to
extract meaning (theme, allegory/allusion,

MODEL: 20/20 BY EVAN SCOFIELD


Using remaining class time, look over the short
story 20/20 with a partner or individually.
What can you determine about the narrator from
the text? What is happening during the passage?
What is his/her current state of mind? What is
his/her motivation?

COMMON CORE/ISTE STANDARDS

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