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English 9

Unit 2

Characterization and Point of View

6 topics · 24 practice questions · Free responseNot yet reviewed

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Notes

Revealing character

  • Direct characterization states traits; indirect characterization shows them through STEAL: speech, thoughts, effect on others, actions, looks.
  • Motivation is why a character acts; it can be internal (fear, pride) or external (money, threats).

Character types

  • Protagonist vs. antagonist (a person or a force).
  • Round (complex) vs. flat (simple); dynamic (changes) vs. static (stays the same).
  • A foil contrasts with another character to highlight traits.

Point of view

  • First person ("I"), second person ("you"), third limited (one mind), third omniscient (all minds), third objective (no minds).
  • POV controls what readers know, building closeness, suspense or dramatic irony.
  • An unreliable narrator may be biased, mistaken or lying.

Dialogue and voice

  • Dialogue reveals traits and conflict. Word choice, slang and dialect create voice.

Topics in this unit

Each topic has its own short notes and practice.

Practice

"The new girl sat alone at lunch. When Jada slid her tray over and asked her name, the girl's shoulders relaxed." What does Jada's action reveal?
Which character is most likely static?
"She hoped her mother would not notice the dent. Upstairs, her mother had already seen it and decided to stay calm." The point of view is:
"I never lie," the narrator says, after giving three different reasons for missing practice. This narrator is best described as:
A villain's cruelty makes the gentle hero's kindness stand out even more. The villain is acting as a:
Why would an author tell a ghost story in first person?

Free response

Write your answer first, then open the scoring guide.

Free-response question

Read the passage: "Ethan always arrived first and left last. When the team lost, he restacked the cones alone, muttering, 'We'll get them next time.' The younger players copied the way he tied his cleats. Still, when the coach named him captain, Ethan stared at his shoes and said, 'Are you sure it shouldn't be someone else?'"

(a) Identify two traits of Ethan and the STEAL method that reveals each.

Show the answer and scoring guide

Ethan is hardworking, shown by his actions (arriving first, restacking cones alone). He is a role model, shown by his effect on others (younger players copy him). He is also modest, shown by his speech when he questions being named captain.

Check off the points you earned:

(b) Is the passage written with direct or indirect characterization? Explain.

Show the answer and scoring guide

Indirect. The narrator never states "Ethan was hardworking"; readers infer his traits from actions, speech and others' reactions.

Check off the points you earned:

(c) Identify the point of view and explain one effect it has.

Show the answer and scoring guide

Third person objective (or limited from outside): the narrator uses "he" and reports only what can be seen and heard, never Ethan's thoughts. Because his thoughts are hidden, readers must infer his feelings, such as his self-doubt, from his words and body language.

Check off the points you earned:

Previous unitUnit 1: Reading Fiction: Plot, Setting and Conflict