Research Question, Working Hypothesis/Thesis and Reasoning Suggestions
Research Question. You may use one of the two research questions below to guide your work:
RQ1: How does the chosen character embody a particular worldview/ value system?
RQ2: How and why does the selected character suffer from a particular problem or dilemma (because of their worldview of value system)?
Working Hypothesis/ Thesis and Reasons. Here are some template thesis statements:
WH/TH1: A shallow reading of the story might suggest that this character represents ….. , but a closer and careful reading defies the readers’ expectations or interpretations because (R1) …, (R2)…., and (R3) …. .
WH/TH2: While character Z seems to be Y (dull, uninteresting, a distraction), the character is really a Z (crucial for the story). .
WH/TH3: Our view of the character changes/ develops over the course of the story/ narrative.
R: At the beginning of the story, character X is (seems to be) a Y.
R: When A happens/ as the story progresses, character X begins to see Z.
R: By the end of the story, character X has become (or seems to us to be) a D.
WH/TH4: This character is not obviously a protagonist or antagonist or foil, but plays a crucial role in the short story/ poem.
(see the reasons above)
Evidence
There are various types of evidence that you can use from the primary source, i.e. the text that you choose to work on. To back up the above reasons, choose one or more questions about:
Something the character says or thinks
Something the character does
Something another character or the narrator says about the character
Something the character wears, owns, etc.
Assessment Rubric
Thesis and reasons
Primary Sources: quotations from the text supporting the reasons
Secondary Sources: quotations from academic books or articles (not blogs) supporting any relevant reasons
Organization: clear transitions and topic sentences/ reasons
MLA style formatting: overall formatting, in-text citations and Works Cited page. The Works Cited page should include at least three sources: the story of your choice and two secondary sources
Language, grammar, punctuation
Suggested Brainstorming Questions
(creative) Imagine writing a character for something that we do not usually think of as having character, or whose character is not usually the subject of stories (e.g. an animal, an inanimate object). What did you use to determine aspects of character? What choices did you make in illustrating character?
Write one-paragraph characterization of yourself as honestly as you can, mentioning at least four major character traits – both positive and negative. Next, write characterizations of yourself as you imagine might be written by (1) caretaker/ family member; (2) a sibling; (3) an instructor with whom you get along; (4) an instructor with whom you do not get along; (5) a good friend; (6) a rival. Reflect: what does it mean to analyze a character or to write character analysis? What would you need to write about in this paper given that it a character analysis essay?
Choose a paragraph from the story and write an analysis of how the paragraph reveals something important about the main character. Optional: compare your analysis with that of a classmate who wrote an analysis of the same character that is different from yours.
Write a paragraph explaining from whose point of view we learn about your chosen character? Is it through the narrator (3rd person point of view); through the character (1st person point of view) or through another character? How well can readers know the character given how we learn about them? Even if we learn about the character from a first person point of view, does it mean that the character presents a fair/ truthful picture of the events?
Write an informal response explaining how you think the short story or novel portrays the character of your choosing. What details stand out to you as important about the character?
Choose two quotations from the character you want to focus on. Explain your impression from this character based on the quotations you chose.
Write an informal response explaining how you think the short story or the novella portrays the character of your choice. What details stand out to you as important about the character?
Find a quotation through Google Books on the author or the short story. Write a response explaining what you find surprising about these quotations.
