Writing
Assignment 1 Guide
Character analysis
A character
analysis essay explains the in-depth traits and characteristics of a certain
character.
In a character
analysis essay, the main job is to tell the reader who the character really is
and what role he/she plays in the story.
Despite your opinion
and preferences, it is important to use critical thinking skills and be
objective towards the character under analysis.
A character analysis essay usually involves
the character’s relationship with others, his behaviour, manner of speaking,
the way he looks, and many other characteristics.
Introduction:
Introduce the works and their authors.
Declare the characters you will be analysing.
Define what the essay will discuss.
Body of the essay:
Begin by noting charact traits which the
author highlights. Use specific examples and quotes which the author uses to
support the trait you are describing. Spend time elaborating on the traits and
tendencies of the character.
The next paragraph should be spent on the
other character you have chosen. Carry out the same treatment of his character
through analysis of the text and style.
Identify
and describe the similarities and differences between the two characters. Note
how the characters interact with the other characters, their tone, speech and
attitude. Focus on the characters actions and motivations and what these convey
to the readers about the characters.
Conclusion:
The conclusion should summaries the
similarities or differences between the characters and state why you believe
the characters are similar or different.
Sample Essay, Scroll Down
Marty McFly
Make
sure to use MLA formatting
Professor Strickland
English 101 Essay Assignment #2
December 16th, 2021
“To Vanquish The Dragon” and
“Night”- An Analysis
The main theme of these two works are two individuals who
survived the Holocaust. Both works, “Night” by Elie Wiesel and “To Vanquish the
Dragon” by Pearl Benisch, explore the thoughts, feelings and reaction of two
individuals who lived through this tragic time period. They both face
tremendous dilemmas, tragic circumstances and heart wrenching experiences which
ultimately see them emerge as different people. To Vanquish the Dragon is the
memoir of Pearl Benisch who during the German occupation of Poland, went
through several ghettos and camps. She survived between 1939-43 by moving
repeatedly from the Kraków ghetto to the town of Slomniki and back again. Similarly, the Novel “Night” novel narrated
by Eliezer, a teenage boy taken to the concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald.
It is based on the author’s own experiences in the Holocaust.
As a child at the beginning of the war, Eliezer is shown as
dedicated and firm in his belief of God. Throughout the novel, and through the
experiences of the war, he slowly starts to lose his faith. This is presented
as Eliezer’s’ main conflict, his inability to sustain his belief in God in
unimaginable circumstances. The book begins with Eliezer learning his faith
from Moshe the Beadle and then shows him slowly losing his faith in humanity
and religion. This is seen vividly when the book discusses the Gestapo hanging
Jewish prisoners. Eliezer watches how all the inmates begin to fend for
themselves in the fight for survival. It is this which precipitates his waning
faith, as he cannot understand how God can let this happen and how these events
destroy the humanity of the people surrounding him. This can be seen when he
says, “Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God”. He seems to
hold the same people who murdered the Jews as responsible for doing the same to
his faith, this shows this was not a matter he took lightly or willingly.
In
contrast, “To Vanquish the Dragon” shows how Pearl and her friends untied
together in the face of terror and hardship. The same evil which led to the
demise of Eliezer’s faith and the survival mode of his counterparts, instead
produced a bond between Pearl and her group which they used to help each other
and ultimately to save each other’s lives. They used their togetherness to
strengthen each other’s faith which they believed would help them to survive.
The unbreakable bond between Pearl and her friends can be seen when Pearl goes
to extreme efforts to rescue her friend from a terrible hostage situation. The
extent to which Pearl feels pained by is evidenced by the lengths she goes to
help. Using flattery and her command of the German language she manages to help
release her friend. It can thus be argued that her friends’ survival is due to
the extremely close bond of friendship that Pearl and her friends maintained.
Moreover, Pearl maintains her strong
faith through her times in concentration camps and since she wanted to observe
Shabbos, she would sew “one extra jacket a day” in order to not sew on Shabbos.
This extreme example of the value she placed in her religion despite the
atrocities going on around her, highlights how entwined with her identity her
religion was and how this didn’t change through her experiences.
The theme of silence and indifference runs through “Night”
and is something that Eliezer is constantly bothered by. Furthermore, he is
bothered by the silence of God in the face of such inhumanity, as is seen by
his waning faith. Elie talks about the village’s indifference when Moshe
returns news of things he witnessed, as well as the indifference of the inmates
about inhumane tragedies. In contrast, Pearl’s empathy and love of her friends
spark her into action thereby saving lives. This presents an opposing theme of
resourcefulness and refusal to give up hope which lays in contrast to the quiet
despair felt by Eliezer.
Concludes by showing what makes the
characters so similar
