Vocabulary Book III – Unit 1
Short Story – Characterization
Take Out
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Binder with Paper
Remember to use Cornell Note-taking
method.
Topic: Literary Terms
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Write down the words and definitions in your
notebooks.
Lit. Term in column on left and definition in
column on right.
Objectives - Characterization
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1.
2.
3.
You will be able to:
Read for comprehension.
Analyze a story to determine the method of
characterization.
Analyze story for meaning.
Characterization
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Characters
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the people or animals who take part in the action
of a literary work
Static & Dynamic Characters
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Static - A static character does not change
throughout the work, and the reader’s
knowledge of that character does not grow,
Dynamic - A dynamic character undergoes
some kind of change because of the action in
the plot.
Static & Dynamic Characters

Static - A static character does not change
throughout the work, and the reader’s
knowledge of that character does not grow,
Static & Dynamic Characters

Dynamic - A dynamic character undergoes
some kind of change because of the action in
the plot.
Round & Flat Characters
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Round - A round character has many character
traits or qualities. They have many likes,
dislikes, opinions, beliefs and attitudes.
Flat - A flat character has only one or two
personality traits. A ‘type” without unique
opinions, beliefs or attitudes.
characterization
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the ways in which a writer develops a character,
making him or her seem believable
characterization
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Two Methods of Characterization
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1 - Direct Characterization - The writer tells you the
characters’ traits through the narrator's direct
statements and descriptions
2 - Indirect Characterization - The writer reveals the
characters' personalities through their own words,
thoughts, and actions, as well as by what other
characters say to them or about them.
Indirect Characterization – Most Often
Used – Why?
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More often, writers will have us listen to what
their characters say and watch what they do.
Then we can draw our own conclusions
about the kind of people we are meeting.
Writers can reveal a character’s
personality in five ways:
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1. By letting us hear the character speak;
2. by describing how the character looks and
dresses;
3. by letting us listen to the character's inner
thoughts and feelings;
4. by revealing what other people in the story think
or say about the character; and
5. by showing us what the character does-how he
or she acts.
Example
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Although she was a stranger to him, Bobby
looked at her hand-me-down outfit with
disdain and asked, “Is that the best clothes
you have?”
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Describe Bobby:
Read Literature Text Pages
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Page 532-533
Characterization
Reading Strategy – Identifying with a
Character
Write down textbook vocab. in notes
Isaac Singer –
“The Day I Got Lost”
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Meet the Author
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Isaac Bashevis Singer (November 21,
1902 – July 24, 1991) was a Polish-born
Jewish American author noted for his
short stories. He was one of the leading
figures in the Yiddish literary movement,
and received the Nobel Prize in literature
in 1978.
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See page 538
Naomi Shihab Nye –
“Hamadi”
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Meet the Author
Naomi Shihab Nye (1952 - Present)
Naomi Shihab Nye is a poet and songwriter born in 1952 to a
Palestinian father and American mother. She grew up in St.
Louis, Missouri, Jerusalem, and San Antonio, Texas. Both
roots and sense of place are major themes in her body of
work.
Her first collection of poems, Different Ways to Pray,
explored the theme of similarities and differences between
cultures, which would become one of her lifelong areas of
focus.
See page 546
Isaac Singer –
“The Day I Got Lost”
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Have you ever met someone brilliant who can
never find his/her keys?
Have you ever heard the term “absent-minded
professor?”
Page 535
Naomi Shihab Nye –
“Hamadi”
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Background – Author/Philosopher
Kahlil Gibran is referenced.
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Hate is a dead thing. Who of you would
be a tomb? - Sand and Foam
Perplexity is the beginning of knowledge.
- The Voice of the Master
A little knowledge that acts is worth
infinitely more than much knowledge that
is idle.
-The Voice of the Master
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Page 534
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Closing