English 10 Unit 3: Character Development and Archetypes | Notes and practice

Notes

Building characters

Direct characterization states traits; indirect characterization shows them through STEAL: speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions, looks.
Characters are round or flat, dynamic or static. A foil contrasts with another character to highlight traits.
Motivation explains why characters act. Internal conflict comes from competing desires or values.

Archetypes

An archetype is a pattern that recurs across cultures: the hero, mentor, trickster, shadow, innocent, scapegoat.
Situational archetypes include the quest, initiation, fall and death and rebirth. Symbolic archetypes include the garden, wilderness, water, light and darkness.

The hero's journey

Departure (call, refusal, mentor, threshold), initiation (tests, ordeal, reward) and return (transformation, elixir).
Comparing heroes across world literature shows what each culture values.

Topics in this unit

Each topic has its own short notes and practice.

Practice

"Mrs. Okafor hummed as she worked, and by noon half the neighborhood had stopped by her garden just to talk." Which trait is shown indirectly?

In a novel, a cautious brother and a reckless sister are placed side by side so each one's trait stands out. The characters are:

A character tells jokes in every scene, but the narrator reveals he jokes to hide his grief. This makes him:

In the hero's journey, the stage where the hero faces the greatest danger, often a kind of death, is the:

A curious young woman eats forbidden fruit in a perfect garden and must leave it. This follows the archetype of:

Which statement about archetypes is most accurate?

Free response

Write your answer first, then open the scoring guide.

Free-response question

Read this original passage: "Everyone in the village called old Remi a fool. He talked to crows and wore his coat inside out. But when the river flooded, it was Remi who led the children up the hidden goat path to safety, and it was Remi who went back for the last one."

(a) Identify two methods of characterization used for Remi and give an example of each.

Show the answer and scoring guide

Effect on others: "Everyone in the village called old Remi a fool." Actions: he "led the children up the hidden goat path to safety" and "went back for the last one." (Looks, "wore his coat inside out," is also acceptable.)

Check off the points you earned:

1 point: names two correct STEAL methods
1 point: gives a matching example from the passage for each

(b) Explain the contrast between how the villagers see Remi and how he acts.

Show the answer and scoring guide

The villagers judge Remi by his odd appearance and habits and think he is foolish. His actions during the flood show courage, knowledge and selflessness, proving their judgment wrong.

Check off the points you earned:

1 point: describes the villagers' view
1 point: explains how his actions contradict it

(c) Name an archetype Remi fits and explain why.

Show the answer and scoring guide

Remi fits the "wise fool," a character mocked as foolish who has hidden wisdom, or the hero archetype, since he risks his life to save others. His knowledge of the "hidden goat path" and his return "for the last one" show both wisdom and self-sacrifice.

Check off the points you earned:

1 point: names a fitting archetype (wise fool, hero, mentor or similar)
1 point: supports it with evidence from the passage