Character Traits and Motivations Mr Solon English I
- Slides: 12
Character Traits and Motivations Mr. Solon English I August 30, 2011
Journal: 15 June 2010 Write 5 sentences for the following: (Due in 5 minutes) � What motivates you? Why are you the person you are? Today's Class Objective: You will be able to analyze what motivates a character’s actions by making inferences.
Character Traits � Character traits are the physical and emotional descriptions of a character in a story. � Why does this matter?
Think about it… �We use character traits in real life! �Think about the process of electing someone to office. �A voter needs to learn as much as possible about a candidate as a person, not just their experience and positions on issues. �You may judge candidates by what they look like, what people say about them, or what they say.
In real life… �We have to make guesses about people sometimes. �We have to do the same thing with fiction, but we call them inferences. �Just like in real life, it is more revealing to observe how a person acts than to simply rely
Physical Appearance �Descriptions of a character’s looks, clothing, body language, and facial expressions. � • What can you learn about a character based on the clothes he or she wears? �If the narrator says that a character is gorgeous, what other ideas might you have about this character?
Try it… Make some inferences!
Try it… Make some inferences!
Speech, Thoughts, and Actions �Presentation of a character’s speech patterns, habits, talents, opinions, and interactions with others. �What conclusions can you draw about a character based on the way he or she talks? �What conclusions can you draw based on his or her opinions?
Character Motivations �Motivations are the reasons behind an action. �To find a character’s motivation you must look at details in the story. – The narrator’s direct comments about a character’s motivation – A character’s actions, thoughts, or values – Your understanding of the emotions that drive human behavior
Think, Pair Share � 1) What motivates people to be politicians? � 2) What motivates people to be famous? � 3) What motivates people to work out?
Today's Assessment Complete under your journal entry as soon as you're done reading “A Petrifying Quest” � 1) What was King Acrisius' motivation for imprisoning his own daughter? � 2) Why did King Acrisius send Danae and her son, Perseus, away? � 3) How does Perseus' motivation lead to him going to Medusa? � 4) Has Perseus' actions motivated your actions? What did you learn?