Miss Brill
By Katherine Mansfield
Journal #1:
 Look at this painting and write a
paragraph answering:
 Where is the setting of this painting?
 When was it painted?
 Who is this person?
 What is she feeling?
 How do we know?
 As usual, no right answers, but your
assumptions need to be supported
with EVIDENCE
“The Plum
(Brandy)”
by
Edouard
Manet
Characterization
 Characterization is the way a writer reveals a character.
 To create a “round” character, authors must develop a character
in several ways.
 A writer will use two techniques to achieve this: direct and indirect
characterization
Direct and Indirect Characterization
 Direct Characterization tells the audience what the personality of the
character is. Example: “The patient boy and quiet girl were both well
mannered and did not disobey their mother.” Explanation: The author is
directly telling the audience the personality of these two children. The boy
is “patient” and the girl is “quiet.”
 There are five indirect ways a character is revealed. Together, they
spell the acronym STEAL:
 Speech
 Thoughts and Emotions
 Effect on Others
 Actions
 Looks
Characterization (STEAL)
 Speech: What does the character say? How does the
character speak?
 Thoughts/Emotions: What is revealed through the character’s
private thoughts? How does the character feel about things?
 Effect on Others: How does the character cause others to
react?
 Actions: What does the character do? How does the
character behave?
 Looks: What does the character look like? How does the
character dress?
Read Miss Brill on your own
 While you read, write down 2-3 adjectives that describe
her as a character
 Once done, you will share your adjectives with the class
Complete the worksheet entitled “Part
One” & the sheet from the package
 Identify ten significant quotes that characterize Miss Brill throughout the
short story. For each quote identify they characterization type – direct or
indirect (STEAL) – then identify what conclusions or inferences you can
make about Miss Brill’s character based on these quotes.
 Once done, complete the “Characterization” worksheet in your short story
unit package.
Journal #2:
Free-Write
 Look at this painting and using the
evidence that you put together last
class, write a story about the character
in this painting. Use the STEAL method
to create the character.
 Speech: What does the character say? How
does the character speak?
 Thoughts/Emotions: What is revealed through
the character’s private thoughts? How does
the character feel about things?
 Effect on Others: How does the character
cause others to react?
 Actions: What does the character do? How
does the character behave?
 Looks: What does the character look like?
How does the character dress?
“The Plum
(Brandy)”
by
Edouard
Manet
What is a Theme?
Theme: Life lesson, meaning, moral, or message about life or human nature
that is communicated by a literary work.
In other words…
Theme is what the story teaches readers.
Themes
A theme is not a word, it is a sentence.
You don’t have to agree with the theme to identify it.
Examples
Money can’t buy happiness.
Don’t judge people based on the surface.
It is better to die free than live under tyranny.
Identifying Themes
Themes are not explicit (clearly stated).
Themes are implied.
Themes are bigger than the story.
Themes are about the big picture.
Not “Yellow Starbursts taste bad”
Not “Yudy and Carrie are bad friends.”
Think BIGGER.
Find “Real” World advice.
What theme is versus what it isn’t
YES
NO
• “Friendship is an important part of
life”
• “Appearances can be deceiving”
• “People often assume that other
people’s lives are better than their
own”
• “Love is stronger than hate”
• “Humanity’s relationship with
technology is fraught with difficulty”
• “Power corrupts people”
• “Friendship’s importance”
• “Appearances”
• “The grass is always greener on the
other side”
• “Romeo and Juliet’s love
overcomes their families’ hate”
• “Technology”
• “Power always corrupts people”
Review
1.
Theme is what we can learn from a story.
2.
Themes must be inferred.
3.
Themes are about the BIG world.
Finding Theme
 In order to find theme, take the following steps:
 1. Write a plot summary of approximately 30 words
 2. Identify and note the conflicts in the story
 3. Choose one word that summarizes the topic of the story
 4. Write one question about this topic
 5. Answer the question (#4) as you think the author would
 With the people around you (groups of 3-4), work together to try to discover
the theme of Miss Brill.
 Once everyone comes up with an idea, we will discuss as a class.
Check your answers against the
following criteria
 1. If your theme statement one full sentence?
 2. Does your theme avoid generalizations?
 3. Does your theme statement reveal a universal idea , topic or
experience?
 4. Does it reveal something about human nature? (ie: appearances can be
deceiving)
 5. Do you avoid mentioning story specifics? (title, character, setting, etc)
 6. Do you avoid clichés? (ie: all you need is love)
 7. Does your theme statement make sense for your story?
Journal #3
 Consider the central theme of Miss Brill that you have discovered. Reflect
on how this relates to the unit topic of the human condition.
 Guiding questions: Why is this story so easy for the reader to understand Miss Brill’s
perspective? How is this something that we can all relate to?
 Reminder: The human condition is defined as "the characteristics, key events,
and situations which compose the essentials of human existence, such as birth,
growth, emotionality, aspiration, conflict, and mortality.”
Building a literature essay outline
 A classic literature essay outline:
 Introduction
 Summary of the work in 1-2 sentences
 Thesis statement
 Body:
 1st point connected to your thesis with quotations from the piece
 2nd point connected to your thesis with quotations from the piece
 MOST IMPORTANT IDEA. Discuss your interpretation and support with quotations
 Conclusion:
 Summarize your main points and connect to the thesis. Explain the learnings from the
story here (what did you learn about human nature? Conflict? Etc)