Name:________________________________________ Per:_________ date:__________ Total: _______/______
Character Motivation Paragraph
Writing prompt: Select one of the rows from your “Character Motivation” handout to write a one paragraph
analysis on character motivation. Discuss how the character acted and what he or she did. Explain what
motivated this character to act this way. Provide your thoughts on this character. Use 3rd person only (no “I
think”). Make sure to provide textual evidence with MLA citation to support your answer and thoroughly
explain quote and what the quote reveals about the character’s motivation.
Topic
Sentence
Name of
short story
& author
In the short story, “The Lottery” written by Shirley Jackson, a small
town holds an annual lottery.
Describe the
situation
Everybody in the town must participate, and the heads of
households select a paper from the black box. Unfortunately, the
Hutchinson’s family is selected and Tessie Hutchinson starts to
panic. Right before the second drawing, Mr. Summers asks if there
are any other households in the Hutchison family.
Describe
how the
character
acts &
his/her
motivation
for acting
that way
Tessie acts desperate and heartless when she says, “‘There’s Don
and Eva…Make them take their chance” (Jackson 4). She wants her
daughter and son in law to draw in the second lottery with her.
Tessie is acting desperate and heartless because she knows her
daughter must draw with their husband’s family. Mr. Summers tells
her “’Daughters must draw with their husbands family….you know
that as well as anyone else’” (Jackson 4). .
Provide and
explain
Textual
Evidence
Closure
sentence
Include your
final
thoughts
(3rd person)
In closing, Tessie is motivated by fear and desperation when she
tries to get her daughter and son in law to draw in the second part of
the lottery. Tessie may have been a good person and a loving
mother, but the fear of death brought out her desperation to survive.
Name:________________________________________ Per:_________ date:__________ Total: _______/______
Character Motivation Paragraph
Writing prompt: Select one of the rows from your “Character Motivation” handout to write a one paragraph
analysis on character motivation. Discuss how the character acted and what he or she did. Explain what
motivated this character to act this way. Provide your thoughts on this character. Use 3rd person only (no “I
think”). Make sure to provide textual evidence with MLA citation to support your answer and thoroughly
explain quote and what the quote reveals about the character’s motivation.
Topic
Sentence
Name of
short story
& author
Describe the
situation
Describe
how the
character
acts &
his/her
motivation
for acting
that way
Provide and
explain
Textual
Evidence
Closure
sentence
Include your
final
thoughts
(3rd person)
In the short story, __________________________________________ by
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Name:________________________________________ Per:_________ date:__________ Total: _______/______