Questions for “The Hitman”
1. What is this character’s favorite kind of music?
2. What is this character’s calling in life?
3. What is this character’s major goal in life?
4. Would this character like sports, and which one(s) would they like?
5. Where does this character shop for clothing?
6. What would this character wear out in public?
7. What does this character look like from the neck down?
8. What does this character look like from the neck up?
9. What would this character keep in the car for a long drive?
10. If the character watches TV, what would be their favorite show?
11. What was the last thing that made the character cry?
12. Does the character have pets? If no, why not? If yes, what kind?
13. What is on the character’s dresser?
14. How would the character complete this sentence: “I would never…”?
15. How would the character complete this sentence: “To live a full life one must…”?
16. What was the last thing this character said to his mother?
17. What is this character’s biggest fear?
18. Who is this character’s hero?
19. What does this character enjoy the most?
20. What is the last thing that made this character cry?
21. What was the last thing to make this character laugh?
22. What does this character like to do with their free time?
23. What do you think this character’s biggest regret is?
24. If this character was on a desert island, what 3 things (besides food, water, and shelter) would
this character bring?
25. What is this character’s favorite food?
Rubric
After reading, “The Hit Man”, think about the main character not in just terms of what
happened in the story, but who this character is. Think about, based off the story, what
the main character would be in to, their passions, the things that make them tick. Try to
answer all the questions and use the question guide and answer the questions as detailed
as you can. After each question is answered write a character sketch. A character sketch
highlights several important characteristics or personality traits of a person. This will help
you know the character as if they were a real person and not just a character in a story.
An important aspect of this writing assignment is to not just provide a summary, or even
just list the answers you wrote on the answer sheet. The point is to provide a sketch for
what this character is. When someone reads this paper they should feel as though they
know who the character is before they read the story. For starters to help out, you can
first write about someone you know as an example. You could fill out the questions about
that person and then think about how you would describe them in a sketch-like format.
I want you to read the story, and then re-read it as many times as you need to pick out all
the essential parts of the character so you feel as though you know them.
It may be challenging to take single and seemingly unrelated sentences to make a sketch
but think of it as describing one of your friends. Use transition sentences that make the
paper flow from one topic to the next. Employ sentence variety too, not every sentence
should start with, “This person’s favorite thing is… or They like to do this….”. Use clear
and concise sentences and use relevant evidence from the text to answer your
questionnaire. For instance, put in an example of why you put down your answer for the
question.
Each character sketch will be graded on the following:
On track!
Questionnaire
completion
Effective use of
transitions
Cohesiveness
and structure
At least 15
questions
answered
Feels as though
someone just
didn’t copy
their answers
into written
form. Reads
like they are
getting to know
someone.
Flows easily
and is well
Getting
There…
10 questions
answered
Needs more
attention…
5 questions
answered
At least try!
Close to the on
track but there
are few
instances of
sentences that
don’t connect.
Reads as a list
with little
attempt to
transition
Is just like a list
Flows
somewhat well
Scattered,
unorganized
Didn’t even try
to write much
Less than 5
answered
organized
Use of relevant
details
Each detail of
the character is
carefully
distinguished
and makes
sense
Grammar
Not many
grammar
mistakes
At least a page
long
Length
an has some
degree of
organization
There are some
details as to
why the
character is like
how they are
at all
Not many
details, some
random
explanations
No details at all
A few mistakes
A lot of
mistakes
I can’t read it
Not enough
details to make
a half page but
there’s some
there
Not much at all
Nothing
I envisioned having students start this around the very start of their high school lives,
probably in the first week or two of the class. This story can be used in a bullying sense
and give appreciation to other characters and how they are influenced by their
surroundings. In model 9.1 there is an emphasis on how to approach reading a short story.
I chose The Hitman because it is very short and it is a story with headings on top of each
paragraph or two highlighting the stage of life the character is in. It can be a relatively
easy introduction to this topic, while at the same time giving them some ideas to think
about within the text involving bullying, individuality, morality, and characterization.
As a reader I want my students to make connections to themselves. I want them to see
what this character finds valuable in their life and how he got to that point. The character
sketch is supposed to have them dig deeper and put the character in relatable terms.
Terms that many people share but may not be highlighted in the text. I want the readers to
see the progression of this man and how the headings enhance the story. In the process
they should analyze the character and how the plot, setting, conflicts, and any other
aspect influence the character. Everything in this story is in there for a reason and it
chronicles someone from their childhood to adulthood. All of these processes emphasize
the character.
As a writer I want them to see how the headings fit and see how it fits. I want them to
analyze how well this shows this man’s progression through life and if it could work any
other way. As a writer for this assignment I want them to dig deeper in the details of what
the author has shared with the audience and write about who this character is. They
should be able, with the questions to find a relatable stance on what makes this character
and why they are the way they are. In the actual character sketch I want them to practice
sentence variety and creating transitions. This is important because making something
narrative from a questionnaire or bullet points can be an important writing task. The clear
and concise sentences are to practice this style of writing for later in their high school
career as well as for college.
The biggest thing I want my students to learn fit in the 9th grade expectations in section
9.1. Character development and basically characterization (under Narrative Text) are the
keys and along the way they’ll take into consideration the plot, setting, and the conflicts
in order to fill out this sketch (Under Genre Studies). In the process they have to read to
know understand the story and the questionnaire should help them think about and
analyze the main character (Under Reading, Listening/viewing strategies and activities). I
think this assignment fits into several overarching goals of the 9th grade curriculum. It
helps to understand and practice writing as a recursive process. They have to draft a paper
and write often which works on fluency (1.1). It definitely helps with using writing for
understanding and growth. The whole point of the assignment is to learn and understand
the main character of this story (1.2). It also allows the students to communicate in
writing using content, form, voice, and style appropriate to the audience and purpose
(1.3). The purpose of this assignment is to give an analysis of what this character is like
in different situations where if someone read the sketch, then the story would make
perfect sense. In the process the students would be gathering and studying evidence from
the story to answer the questionnaire (1.4) which helps them draw conclusions and make
a sort of report. The overall arching unit is about identity and looking at other people’s
identities and finding and realizing the similarities and differences. For model unit 9.1 I
think the main purpose is to introduce the students to the standards of good writing and to
expose them to stories like The Gift of the Maji, to give them a feel for identity and short
story writing.
The students will make one draft, share with a partner and then turn in a final copy the
next day (since it is a short assignment).
9.1, Genre studies. Plot, setting, conflict, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, mood tone
style
Literary Devices: narration/point of view
Reading, Listening/viewing strategies and activities: Read first to understand, then
analyze, summarize information,
Narrative Text: examine characterization, self assess
Writing Stratgies: employ sentence variety, use transitions effectively, use clear and
concise languages.
Response to Laura Zeichman’s paper.
On track!
Questionnaire
completion
Effective use of
transitions
Cohesiveness
and structure
Use of relevant
details
Grammar
Length
At least 15
questions
answered
Feels as
though
someone just
didn’t copy
their answers
into written
form. Reads
like they are
getting to
know
someone.
Flows easily
and is well
organized
Each detail of
the character
is carefully
distinguished
and makes
sense
Not many
grammar
mistakes
At least a page
long
Getting
There…
10 questions
answered
Needs more
attention…
5 questions
answered
At least try!
Close to the on
track but there
are few
instances of
sentences that
don’t connect.
Reads as a list
with little
attempt to
transition
Is just like a list
Flows
somewhat well
an has some
degree of
organization
There are some
details as to
why the
character is like
how they are
Scattered,
unorganized
Didn’t even try
to write much
at all
Not many
details, some
random
explanations
No details at all
A few mistakes
A lot of
mistakes
I can’t read it
Not enough
details to make
a half page but
there’s some
there
Not much at all
Nothing
Less than 5
answered
Laura- This is an excellent character sketch. You hit on everything I was looking for and
added more. You definitely captured the essence of the character and added some great
insights such as his child, classical music reference, his meticulousness, and his love of
fencing. I love you how really developed this character and added a spin or explanation
of how the Hit Man died. It tied together very nicely. Your translation of the questions to
the sketch is right on and the specifics and examples are good and relevant. If reading this
before reading the story, you will definitely get inside the Hit Man’s head and see who
this character really is. Awesome job, you really captured this character.
A.