Anticipatory Set: Who Do You Think a Protagonist Is in a Story?

Anticipatory Set: Who do you think a protagonist is in a story?

The Protagonist

The protagonist is whom the story is about. The story is told from the protagonist’s point of view. The major problem in the story belongs to this character. This character must drive the story forward. And, of course, he or she isn’t necessarily the good guy in the story.

The most effective protagonist acts instead of reacts in the story. He or she makes things happen instead of waiting for things to happen to him or her. When he or she reacts, it’s to something out of his or her control. And his or her immediate goal becomes gaining control.

The best protagonist has strength. This attribute can be physical, mental, or moral. This strength is gauged, in part, by the strength of the antagonist and villain in the story.

Often, the protagonist is larger than life. And it’s for this very reason that he or she should have at least one major blemish. By giving the protagonist what’s called a fatal flaw or hamartia, you make him or her likeable and human. The fatal flaw is a physical, mental, moral, or emotional problem that is inside the main character. This flaw is the universal trait that allows the audience to identify with the character’s plight.This flaw can manifest itself in a physical way such as being short or blind or simple minded. The flaw can be moral in nature. For example, it could be the love of money, the addiction to love, blind ambition, or even blind loyalty. The fatal flaw helps the audience to have access to the larger than life hero or heroine on the big screen. The audience identifies with the characters’ weaknesses. The most common fatal flaw among the classical heroes was hubris, the arrogance and conceit that would naturally afflict heroes with great powers and demi-god status.

You want your audience to identify with the protagonist in some way. Here are ways you can get the audience to identify with the protagonist:

-Make the protagonist sympathetic- Readers identify with characters they feel sorry for, so make your hero the victim of some undeserved misfortune. We feel sympathy for Harry Potter because he is forced to live under the stairs by his horrific relatives and they treat him disrespectfully.

-Put the protagonist in jeopardy- We connect to characters we worry about; have the hero face the loss of something of vital importance.

-Make the protagonist likeable- We like people who are kind, loving, and supportive. Other characters in the story like this character also.

-Make the protagonist funny -How do you do that? Have them act ridiculous or say ridiculous things or have them do or say the unexpected.

-Make the hero powerful- Power is having control over a situation. Audiences like to root for characters who can get the job done. Not only for superheroes, but for anyone who’s very good at what she does.

Example from Lord of the Flies

Who is the story about? Briefly describe the character. / Ralph is a young boy who is leader of the group of boys on the island until Jack takes over.
What does the protagonist want? / He wants to be saved.
What is getting in the way of the protagonist
getting what he/she wants? / Jack gets in the way when his team of hunters forget to light the signal fire and when he steals the glasses so Ralph cannot make a signal fire.
What does the protagonist do to drive the story
forward? / Ralph gives Jack’s group a speech about the importance of keeping the signal fire going. Ralph goes to get the glasses back from Jack’s tribe.
What is the fatal flaw of the protagonist? / He bullies Piggy.
How can the audience identify with the protagonist? / -Make the protagonist sympathetic-
We feel sorry for Ralph when Jack is being a terror with him.
-Put the protagonist in jeopardy-
We worry about Ralph being saved from the island.
-Make the protagonist likeable-
We like Ralph because he wants to maintain order on the island.
-Make the protagonist funny
This is not a comedy. Ralph is not funny, but he acts like a kid in the beginning of the story by standing on his head. He is funny when his relationship with Jack mirrors the relationship of a bickering married couple in the beginning of the story.
-Make the protagonist powerful- He is powerful because he was chosen to be the leader

By Yourself

Who is the story about? Briefly describe the character.
What does the protagonist want?
What is getting in the way of the protagonist getting what he/she wants?
What does the protagonist do to drive the story forward?
What is the fatal flaw of the protagonist?
How can the audience identify with the protagonist? / -Give me one example of when the protagonist is sympathetic.
-Give me one example of when the protagonist is funny.
-Give me one example of when the protagonist is likeable.
-Give me one example of when the protagonist is put at risk of losing something.
-Give me one example of when the protagonist is powerful.

Protagonist Profile HW (Example from Lord of the Flies for Ralph)

All big writers who have published pieces know their protagonist inside and out. They use a profile like this one in order to get to know their character inside and out. When you write your story, you won’t include all of this information. You will pick and choose what you wish to include in your story when you write it.

If you really know who your character is, then you will know what he/she will say and do in your story. Who a person is determines what they say and do.

Brainstorming Technique: If you are stuck in a particular section, use the opposite strategy on a separate sheet of paper. With the opposite strategy, you come up with the opposite of what you want to understand what you do want for your character. For example, I don’t want my protagonist to want to be a magician. I don’t want my protagonist to want a million dollars. Based on what I come up with for what I don’t want my character to want, it can help me decide what I do want my character to want.

1. Name:Ralph2. Age:123. Height:tall

4. Eye color:5. Physical appearance:fair hair; “you could see now that he might make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went, but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil” (5).

6. Hobbies/interests:is happy that there are no grown up in the beginning, is interested in keeping the signal fire going

7. Occupation (Job):leader

8. What he/she wants:he wants to make huts; he wants to have fun; he wants to explore the island; he wants to keep the fire going so that they can get rescued; he wants to be the leader

9. What is getting in the way of him/her getting what he/she wants?Jack’s tribe let the fire go out; Jack wants to be the leader and act like an animal

10. Fatal flaw(What makes this character imperfect, and therefore more human?) : Ralph bullies Piggy

11. What does he/she fear?Ralph fears the “beast”; he fears being a murderer; he fears being killed by the others

12. In what city does he/she live? What is it like?England;“they had lived in a cottage on the edge of the moors” (126).

13. Description of his/her bedroom:NA

14. Special skills/abilities/strengths:listens to others; wants order

15. Family (describe):his father is in the Navy

16. Information about their childhood that effects who they are presently:his father taught him how to swim which is why he can swim now

17. Information about their teenage years that effects who they are presently:NA

18. Favorite bands/songs/types of music:?

19. Favorite movies/TV shows/books:?The Boys Book of Trains; The Boys Book of Ships? (127)

20. Favorite food:likes meat; “when you went to bed there was a bowl of cornflakes with sugar and cream” (127).?

21. Favorite sports/sports teams:?

22. Pet peeves (what annoys the character):when they boys forget to keep the fire going; Jack

23. Favorite clothing style/outfit:?

24. Special gestures/movements:?

25. Speaking style (fast, talkative, monotone):affirming; authoritative

26. Fondest memory: possibly:”and remembering that first enthusiastic exploration as though it were part of a brighter childhood, he smiled jeeringly”(83). Or “even the sounds of nightmare from the other shelters no longer reached him, for he was back to where he came from, feeding the ponies with sugar over the garden wall” (110)

27. Insecurities (what does the character wish he/she could change about himself/herself?): he doubts his leadership skills sometimes

28. Temperament (easygoing, easily angered): assertive

29. Negative traits/qualities:he bullies Piggy

30. Things that upset him/her:Jack; the fire going out; the deaths of Piggy and Simon

31. This character really cares about:he cares about getting rescued and his father; he cares about remaining the leader; he cares about order on the island

32. Things that make him/her happy:he was happy that there were no adults on the island at first; he is happy he gets to have Piggy as a friend; he is happy being leader; he is happy when he eats; he is happy when the fire is going

33. Deepest, darkest secret:?

34. Other people’s opinion of this character

A. What do people like about this character? They like that he used the conch to call them; they like he creates an environment of respect through the use of the conch to speak

B. What do they dislike about this character?They dislike that he is not a major hunter although he does hunt; they dislike that he is not as much fun as Jack

35. Dream vacation:not on the island

36. Any pets??

37. Best thing that has ever happened to this character:becoming leader in the beginning and being without adults to tell him what to do in the beginning

38. Worst thing that has ever happened to this character:being chased to the death by a group of boys

39. Three words or adjectives to describe this character:strong-willed, brave, wants order

40. If a song played every time this character walked into the room, what song would it be? An upbeat alternative song

41. How will you get the audience to connect to the character?

-Make the protagonist sympathetic-

We feel sorry for Ralph when Jack is being a terror with him.

-Put the protagonist in jeopardy-

We worry about Ralph being saved from the island.

-Make the protagonist likeable-

We like Ralph because he wants to maintain order on the island.

-Make the protagonist funny

This is not a comedy. Ralph is not funny, but he acts like a kid in the beginning of the story by standing on his head.

-Make the protagonist powerful- He is powerful because he was chosen to be the leader

42. Overall,how does the character feel about himself/herself?He fights for his survival in the end but he feels he doesn’t have enough power in order to survive; when he was leader he was usually confident in himself

43. What emotional problem will the protagonist overcome in your story? The emotional problem that the protagonist will have to overcome in the story is that he originally feels that people were good but by being on the island he now “wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart” (235).

Protagonist Profile HW (By Yourself for Your Story)

If you really know who your character is, then you will know what he/she will say and do in your story. Who a person is determines what they say and do.

1. Name:2. Age:3. Height:

4. Eye color:5. Physical appearance:

6. Hobbies/interests:

7. Occupation (Job):

8. What he/she wants:

9. What is getting in the way of him/her getting what he/she wants?

10. Fatal flaw(What makes this character imperfect, and therefore more human?) :

11. What does he/she fear?

12. In what city does he/she live? What is it like?

13. Description of his/her bedroom:

14. Special skills/abilities/strengths:

15. Family (describe):

16. Information about their childhood that effects who they are presently:

17. Information about their teenage years that effects who they are presently:

18. Favorite bands/songs/types of music:

19. Favorite movies/TV shows/books:

20. Favorite food:

21. Favorite sports/sports teams:

22. Pet peeves (what annoys the character):

23. Favorite clothing style/outfit:

24. Special gestures/movements:

25. Speaking style (fast, talkative, monotone):

26. Fondest memory:

27. Insecurities (what does the character wish he/she could change about himself/herself?):

28. Temperament (easygoing, easily angered):

29. Negative traits/qualities:

30. Things that upset him/her:

31. This character really cares about:

32. Things that make him/her happy:

33. Deepest, darkest secret:

34. Other people’s opinion of this character

A. What do people like about this character?

B. What do they dislike about this character?

35. Dream vacation:

36. Any pets?

37. Best thing that has ever happened to this character:

38. Worst thing that has ever happened to this character:

39. Three words or adjectives to describe this character:

40. If a song played every time this character walked into the room, what song would it be?

41. How will you get the audience to connect to the character?

A. Make the protagonist sympathetic

Give an example:

B. Make us worry about the protagonist

Give an example:

C. Make the protagonist likeable

Give an example:

D. Make the protagonist funny

Give an example:

E. Make the protagonist powerful

Give an example:

42. Overall,how does the character feel about himself/herself?

43. What emotional problem will the protagonist overcome in your story?

HW: Look through magazines, newspapers, on the Internet, or in nature to find images and things that represent or symbolize your character. Make a collage of the things you have gathered in order get a visual representation of your protagonist. Real writers do this to help them write dialogue better. They look at the collage and it helps them put words on the paper for the protagonist’s dialogue.

Anticipatory Set: Based on what you know about the protagonist, who do you think the antagonist is?

The Antagonist

Antagonist= any force in a story or play that is in conflict with the protagonist. An antagonist may be another person, an aspect of the physical or social environment, or a destructive element in the protagonist’s own nature.

This character does not have to be bad in the truest sense of the word. In a love story, the relationship is protagonist-antagonist. The protagonist is the person who falls in love with someone and the antagonist is the person they fall in love with who does not yet love them back. The antagonist creates conflict in the story by being opposite to the protagonist in some way. The antagonist usually creates conflict by wanting something the protagonist does not want. If the protagonist wants to go to New York on vacation, the antagonist should want to go to the Amazon Rain Forest. If the protagonist wants to follow the law, the antagonist should want to break it.

Conflict Types

Conflict- Conflict is a problem in the story that needs to be solved.

Conflict is the essence of a story. Without it, the story is boring.

-Man versus Man

Animals fight over obtaining food, securing space (territories, home ranges), and providing safety for their family matters.

When valuable resources such as space, food, and mates are at stake, animals can be aggressive-that is they fight or threaten to fight.

When aggression occurs in group-living species, and individuals interact with each other many times, we can measure dominance hierarchies (rank orderings of the individuals) in such groups. In the simplest case of group living-when animals live in groups of three-we might have individual 1 winning the majority of its fights with individuals 2 and 3, individual 2 winning the majority of its fights with individual 3, and individual 3 losing the majority of its fights with individuals 1 and 2. In that case, individual 1 would be top-ranked or alpha member of the hierarchy, individual 2 would be the second ranked or beta member, and individual 3 would be third ranked or gamma member of the hierarchy.