Today’s Goals:
1. Review character analysis
2. Begin our next summative
assessment—a character analysis
essay.
Yay,
essays!
Review: Character Analysis
Steps to character analysis:
1. Choose a character.
2. Make a fact-based opinion statement
about your character.
3. Support with textual evidence.
Review: Little Red Riding Hood
Steps to character analysis:
1. Choose a character.

2.
Little Red Riding Hood
Make a statement about your character.

Little Red Riding Hood is a victim of parental
neglect.
What
makes a
good
statement?
Good
statement
= a factbased
opinion
Thesis Statement
 A thesis statement




is a complete sentence (subject + verb).
informs your reader what your literary analysis
is going to be about.
is the last sentence of the introduction
paragraph.
is an analysis or opinion that you (the writer)
are going to support or prove.
How does your character develop from the beginning to the end of
the story?
How does your character interact with other characters?
How does your character advance the plot or develop theme?
Do these statements work?

Little Red Riding Hood wears red a lot.



Grandmother is shaken by her interaction with the
wolf.


Nope: the text states that she was “frazzled” after being cut
out of the wolf (duh!).
The wolf is a cross-dresser.


Nope: the text states that “Whenever she went out, the little
girl wore a red riding cloak.”
Problem: don’t use generic terms like “a lot”
Nope: it doesn’t work because this is a fact: he dresses in
grandmother’s clothes.
The wolf does not identify himself as a male.


Potential—he is drawn towards females in the story; he wears
women’s clothes and perfume
Problem: you probably can’t write an entire essay*
*Remember: our ultimate goal is to write a character analysis essay
Discuss: “Just Lather, That’s All”
1.
2.
Who is the good guy? How do you
know?
Who is the bad guy? How do you know?
Your thesis statement should NOT
state who the good or bad guy is –
why?
Thesis Statement Examples

Example thesis statements
1. Little Red Riding Hood is reckless.
2. It takes a village to raise Little Red Riding
Hood.
3. Little Red Riding Hood is the third of three
generations of fools.
4. Little Red Riding Hood shares many
characteristics with Gretel.
Thesis

Where does a thesis statement belong in
your literary analysis?
Your thesis is an opinion about the personality
or purpose of the character within the story.
L.02: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
L.02c: Spell correctly.
L.03: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language
functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning
or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
L.03a: Write and edit work so that it conforms to the guidelines in a
style manual (MLA format)
W.09a: Apply grades 9–10 Reading standards to literature.
RL.01: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis
of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the
text.
RL.03: 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.
Character Analysis
Character Analysis Overview:
Graphic Organizer
•Each shape represents one paragraph
•
are the introduction and conclusion
•
are the body paragraphs (3 minimum)
Body
paragraphs
Conclusion
Introduction
Introduction
 An introduction paragraph for a literary
analysis should include
1.
2.
3.
4.
Hook—catch your reader’s attention (more than
one sentence)
Author and “Story Title”
Brief objective summary—
Begins broad
focusing on your chosen character
Thesis statement (last sentence)
Ends with (narrow)
thesis statement
Thesis Statement
 A thesis statement




is a complete sentence (subject + verb).
informs your reader what your literary analysis
is going to be about.
is the last sentence of the introduction
paragraph.
is an analysis or opinion that you (the writer)
are going to support or prove.
How does your character develop from the beginning to the end of
the story?
How does your character interact with other characters?
How does your character advance the plot or develop theme?
What’s next?
 Once you have a thesis statement, the remainder of
your character analysis is going to be focused on
supporting your thesis statement.
Each body paragraph
should support your thesis
statement.
 You will support your thesis statement using
information from the story—“Just Lather, That’s All.”
Topic Sentences
 Each of your body paragraphs (minimum of
three) must support your thesis statement.
 Each of your body paragraphs must begin
with a topic sentence.
 A topic sentence supports the thesis and
includes the main point of the paragraph.
2nd point to
support your
thesis
1st point to
support your
thesis
3rd point to
support your
thesis
Thesis and Topic Sentences: Examples
Thesis Statement
Little Red Riding Hood is reckless.
Topic Sentences
1.
2.
3.
She ignores warnings about Stranger
Danger.
She approaches a wild animal as if he were
a potential friend.
Once she recognizes that her “grandmother”
is a wolf, she sticks around to ask
questions—just to make sure.
Thesis and Topic Sentences: Examples
Thesis Statement
Little Red Riding Hood is the third of three
generations of fools.
Topic Sentences
1. Little Red Riding Hood makes several foolish
decisions on her way to Grandma’s.
2. Little’s mother is no more wise in the way she
counsels her daughter.
3. It’s easy to see that this generational trait
probably began with Grandma.
Body Paragraphs
Using Textual Evidence to Prove It
Supporting Evidence:
 In order to support your thesis statement and
topic sentences, you will use textual evidence
or “quotes” from your text.
1.
A “quote” can be any written words from the text.
2.
A “quote” does not have to be a character
speaking (dialogue).
3.
A “quote” should support your topic sentence.
“Quotes”
 When directly “quoting” the text, you must
 Use “quotation marks” to signify words that are not
your own.
 Include the page number (in parentheses) of where
you found the quote:
 The page number is part of the sentence; therefore,
the period is after the parentheses.
 Example: Her mother admits that the woods are a
Note it!
dangerous place, yet still sends Little Red Riding
Hood off with a cautionary “Don’t talk to strangers” (1).
 BUT, if you summarize, don’t use quotation marks,
just include the page number

Note it!
Example: Instead of fleeing at the first sight of the wolf
in her grandmother’s house, Little Red Riding Hood
asks a series of questions to clarify that the wolf is
indeed not her grandmother (3).
Plopping Quotes

No plopping!

A “quote” should not just be plopped into a paragraph.

A “quote” should be combined with two pieces of
background information to form a complete sentence:
 Who
 When

Quote + who + when = complete quote sentence
Note it!
Plopping Quotes

A quote should fit naturally into your writing
and support the topic sentence.


Topic Sentence #1: Little RRH ignores warnings
about stranger danger.
Quote to support: "Don't dawdle along the way
and please don't talk to strangers!” (1).
 Remember: No Plopping!
Example of “plopping”
 Little RRH ignores warnings about Stranger
Danger. "Don't dawdle along the way and
please don't talk to strangers!” (1). But sure
enough, she takes her time and talks to the
first wolf she sees.
 The use of this quote is an example of
plopping and what not to do. Why?
Example: Non-plopped Evidence
Little Red Riding Hood is a victim of parental
neglect. Her mother admits that the woods are a
dangerous place, yet still sends Little Red Riding
Hood off with a cautionary “Don’t talk to strangers”
(1). Her mother has also been negligent in teaching
Little Red Riding Hood how dangerous wild animals
can be. When she encounters the wolf in the woods
for the first time, Little Red Riding Hood is polite,
thinking that no harm will befall her, and answers
his questions instead of having the proper fear of
the carnivorous, forest-dwelling animal (2). Little
Red Riding Hood’s parents have also done her a
disservice in not curbing her intense curiosity.
Instead of fleeing at the first sight of the wolf in her
grandmother’s house, Little Red Riding Hood asks
a series of questions to clarify that the wolf is
indeed not her grandmother (3), putting herself in a
very precarious situation.
Conclusion
 A conclusion should include
Thesis statement—restated*
 A connection to the hook—restated*
*Restated means to state again using different
words

 A conclusion should not include


Any new information
Any repeated, word-for-word, sentences
Character Analysis Quiz
Directions: Number your paper. Write the letter
corresponding with the answer that best describes
you.
1.
Do you prefer having
A.
B.
2.
Do you prefer eating
A.
B.
3.
more friends?
fewer, but better, friends?
more pieces of pizza?
fewer pieces, but more pizza toppings?
Do you prefer receiving
A.
B.
more text messages?
fewer, but longer, text messages?
4.
Throughout the school year, do you prefer
A.
B.
5.
On your birthday, do you prefer
A.
B.
6.
more breaks?
fewer, but longer, breaks?
more presents?
fewer, but more expensive, presents?
Would you prefer
A.
B.
getting a good night’s sleep?
taking multiple naps throughout the day?
7.
Do you prefer
A.
B.
getting organized and then finding support?
finding support and then organizing it?
Tally up your results:
are you an “A” person or a “B” person?
Character Analysis Quiz Results

The way you begin writing your essay can be
based on the results of your quiz:
A. Organize your thoughts into a fact-based opinion
statement and topic sentences, then gather
textual evidence to support.
B. Gather textual evidence, then organize your
thoughts into a fact-based opinion
statement and topic sentences.
 If you are somewhere in between,
you’ll have to decide for yourself.


Some of you have gathered evidence on a
character from “Just Lather, That’s All”
You still have two choices on how to write
your essay:
A.
B.

Organize your thoughts into a fact-based opinion
statement and topic sentences, then gather more textual
evidence to support.
Gather more textual evidence, then
organize your thoughts into a fact-based
opinion statement and topic sentences.
But first we discuss…
You have two choices: A or B
A:
1. Write your thesis
statement.
2. Write your three topic
sentences.
3. Find textual evidence—
quotes or summary of
the text that support
your topic sentences.
B:
1. Find textual evidence—
quotes or summary of
the text that support
your topic sentences.
Now, based on the
patterns or groupings in
the evidence you
collected:
2. Write your thesis
statement.
3. Write your three topic
sentences.
Organization—Just Do It
Introduction
A. Hook
B. Author and Title
C. Brief Summary
D. Thesis
II. Body
A. Topic Sentence
1. Commentary
2. Textual Support
B. Topic Sentence
1. Commentary
2. Textual Support
C. Topic Sentence
1. Commentary
2. Textual Support
III. Conclusion
A. Restatement of thesis
B. Tie back to the hook
TS
I.
Thesis
TS
TS
Hook
Author/Title
Summ.
Thesis
Topic Sentence
Commentary
Support
Conclusion
Topic Sentence
Commentary
Support
Restate Thesis
Connect to Hook
Introduction
Topic Sentence
Commentary
Support
Body Paragraphs
Title
 When you give your essay a title, remember



There is no punctuation/font funkiness
It should be interesting and convey meaning
Character Analysis and Barber are bad titles
 And now, a quiz . . .

Number your paper and do not talk
True/False Quiz
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
The thesis is the last sentence of the introduction,
and everything in the essay is about that sentence.
A topic sentence is a reason why or one way that
your thesis is true.
You should use more than one quote or summary
as support in each paragraph.
It’s important that you explain and make the writing
flow around the textual evidence.
Your thesis and topic sentences should not be
textual evidence (e.g. a quote).
A character is developed by what he says, what he
does, and what other people say about him.
The author and title of the story are not the first
sentence of the introduction, but they should be
included in the introduction.
You’ve got it; let’s go!








Start where you left off last time
Organize it
Find more textual evidence if needed
Think about your introduction and conclusion
Start drafting your essay
Double-check your notes
Make sure you have not plopped
You should have a rough draft by the end of
the period; if not, it’s homework
 Bring a full draft with you next time; we will be
in the computer lab
A-day Lab 263
B-day Lab 203
10/30 (Tuesday) and 10/31 (Wednesday)
Tasks for Today
1.
Pay close attention to your MLA formatting



2.
Type your Character Analysis

3.
Save often
Once it is typed, reread it to make sure (done today)



4.
Including internal citations (page numbers)
Instructions are in my outbox
We’ll begin together
You’ve included all of the parts
You’ve developed it
You’ve said what you meant to say
Next time



Editing
Finalizing
Due at class end
Open a Word
document, save it,
and stay with me.
To change margins:
 Go to “File” then “Page Setup” and change all margins (top, bottom,
right, and left) to 1” then click okay.
To change spacing:
 Go to “Format” then “Paragraph” and change “Line spacing” to “Double.”
To insert right-side header:
 Go to “View” then “Header and Footer” and click the “Align Right” button.
 Type your last name and press the space bar ONCE.
 Press “Insert Page Number” to automatically number the pages.
 Press “Close.”
To insert left-side heading:
 Begin typing: your name (enter), your teacher’s name (enter), the class
and period (enter), and the date (enter).
 You should only have to press enter once to get it to double-space.
After you type the date, press enter once then press the “Center” button to
center the title:
 Type your title and press enter once. Press the “Align Left” button.
 You may now begin typing your essay.
 Be sure to use the “Tab” key to indent each new paragraph.
11/01 (Thur.) and 11/02 (Fri.)
FINAL DRAFT is DUE TODAY!
 Edit and Scoring Sheet
 Carefully edit and complete the student side
 Rubrics are on the back
 Print once
 Reread your final copy
 If you find errors, mark them on your printed copy
 Show me to get a check off to print again
 Staple the assessment sheet to the back of your
essay.


Make sure you’ve assigned yourself scores
Turn it in before you go!
 Next Time:
 Back to the classroom