Character Analysis

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Character Analysis

• Of Mice and Men
• By John Steinbeck
• English 10
• Mr. Dooley

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Character Analysis

• Dont worry. It is much easier than it sounds.
• You will choose either George, Lennie, Curley, or
  Curleys Wife. Thats the Character part.
• To analyze means to take something apart and look
  at it more closely. Thats the analysis part.

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How long does it have to be?

• Your character analysis will be at least 5
  paragraphs long.
• Each paragraph will deal with one idea.

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Your First Paragraph

• It will introduce your writing
• It needs to accomplish the following
• Provide background information about the author
  and the book
• Contain a clear thesis statement

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A What?!?

• Your 1st paragraph or two will introduce the
  writing and contain a THESIS statement.
• This statement will communicate to your reader
  about the exact point that you want to make.
• It will let your reader know about the three
  aspects of your character that you will be
  writing about. We will look at an example thesis
  statement in a few minutes.

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What Three Aspects?

• Your writing will deal with the following 3
• Physical
• Emotional
• Psychological

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The Physical Aspect

• Your 2nd paragraph or group of paragraphs will
  deal with the physical aspects of your character
• Tell the reader more than just how the character
  looks. To be analysis, your writing must analyze
  the effects that the characters physical traits
  have on the book.
• Example Why is it important that Lennie is big?
  What does it add to the novella?

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The Emotional Aspect

• Your 3rd paragraph or group of paragraphs will
  deal with the emotional characteristics of the
  character that you choose.
• What is the characters personality like? How
  does he / she treat the other characters? Is he /
  she usually in a good mood or a bad mood?
• Remember to tell the reader what this adds to the
  novella.

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The Psychological Aspect

• Your 4th paragraph or group of paragraphs will
  deal with the psychological aspects of your
  character.
• This goes beyond emotions and personality and
  gives you an opportunity to analyze what makes
  your character tick.
• Again, remember that your reader needs to know
  how this affects the novella.

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The Conclusion

• Your 5th paragraph or group of paragraphs will
  contain your conclusion.
• It will contain a restatement of your thesis and
  a summary of what you have written.
• No new information should be added at this point.

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A Sample Thesis

• The following is a sample of a thesis statement.
  It might be used in a character analysis about Ma
  Joad, a character in John Steinbecks The Grapes
  of Wrath.
• Ma Joad is a heavy woman with fierce emotions who
  is driven by a love for her family.

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Some Things to Remember

• Be sure to keep one idea per paragraph.
• Write about your ideas in the order in which they
  are presented in your thesis.
• Be sure to support your statements with textual
  evidence.
• Use exact quotations from the book.
• Dont assume that your reader knows anything.
  Explain everything.

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Happy Writing!!!

• Remember that your thesis statement is due at the
  beginning of class tomorrow!!!