In a five-paragraph essay (800-1,000 words minimum) analyze how the author uses any three of the following techniques of characterization to bring life for the reader one of the characters in one of the assigned stories: actions, physical description, thoughts, dialogue, narrator’s comments, other characters’ comments, setting. STRUCTURE: Below is a brief synopsis of the classic structure of an analytical essay. There is much room for flexibility within this structure. Just be sure to stay focused throughout, to back up all claims with evidence from the text, and to organize your thoughts in a coherent fashion. INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAH: An opening sentence that hooks the reader’s attention – a short discussion (100 words or so) of why your approach is important – a three-part thesis statement BODY PARAGRAPH ONE: Open with a transition and topic sentence (corresponding to the first point in your thesis statement) – prove the topic sentence with sound reasoning backed up with textual evidence (whenever you quote from the story be sure to cite the page number in parentheses after the quote) – tie together the paragraph with a concluding statement at the end BODY PARAGRAPH TWO: Open with a transition and topic sentence (corresponding to the second point in your thesis statement) – prove the topic sentence with sound reasoning backed up with textual evidence (whenever you quote from the story be sure to cite the page number in parentheses after the quote) – tie together the paragraph with a concluding statement at the end BODY PARAGRAPH THREE: Open with a transition and topic sentence (corresponding to the third point in your thesis statement) – prove the topic sentence with sound reasoning backed up with textual evidence (whenever you quote from the story be sure to cite the page number in parentheses after the quote) – tie together the paragraph with a concluding statement at the end CONCLUDING PARAGRAPH: Open with a re-statement of your thesis – then a short discussion in which you argue why what you have proven in your essay in important to know – and conclude with recommendations to the reader (that is, what might your reader now do with these new insights?) Suggestions: Proofread everything – listen to your sentences (writers write with the ear) – watch mechanics, spelling, style – aim for focus, clarity, support, structure – remember, "Saying so doesn’t make it so"; therefore, back up all claims with sufficient reasoning and evidence. Show me how smart, how perceptive you are! REQUIRED TEXT Ann Charters, The Story and Its Writer (8th compact edition) CHARACTERIZATION (1052-54) “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” (380-84; see also 1034-35) Pay particular attention to which characters are flat or round in this story, and why, and notice how the author uses techniques of characterization (action, physical description, thoughts, dialogue, other characters’ comments) to reveal the truths of the characters. SETTING (1054-55) “Hills Like White Elephants” (416-19) Notice how the author uses setting to reflect two sides of the discussion that the man and Jig are having. On one side of the tracks the land is barren and dry and hot; on the other side the land is fertile and green. Why? “Two Kinds” (821-29; see also 955-58) Pay close attention to the author’s use of techniques of characterization (action, thoughts, physical description, other characters’ comments) and setting (to set the mood, foreshadow, reflect the narrator’s interior world, cause action) to bring this story to life for the reader.