Writing a Formal Character Analysis Essay
English 11- Sir John A. Macdonald High
This essay is a character analysis essay. It should take the same general form as a persuasive essay, but its focus will be on analyzing a character(s). Analysis means that you are offering YOUR thoughts and opinions about a character(s), supported by clear evidence from a literary work(s).
Remember, an essay should be written with great sensitivity and reflection- it is a way to tie things together and draw some conclusions about an idea. The writing should be scholarly, strong, mature, and skillfully constructed. Tone and style is key.
The objective of this essay is to make a strong point, an informed thesis, about a topic. It is your position on a particular topic, in this case, a character(s).
*Your thesis should sum up your overall assessment of a character(s).*
The characters that you will be analyzing are primarily Temple Grandin (from the film Temple Grandin), as well as Christopher Boone (from the excerpt from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), and Oskar Schell (from the excerpt from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close). Because we spent more time with the character of Temple, I expect that the weight of your analysis will be on her, but you are also required to discuss the other two characters as well.
So your focus should be on what makes these characters unique, what you observe and/or admire about them and their view of the world, what readers and viewers might learn from characters such as these, etc. Do more than summarize; offer some insights and analysis of these characters.
Every paragraph supports and develops your thesis- explicitly. Don’t lose sight of your thesis after your introduction. If you haven’t discussed your thesis in each paragraph, then you probably shouldn’t include whatever IS in the paragraph, or it needs to be developed further so that you reflect back on your thesis. Your thesis will probably center around what we may learn from these very distinct characters.
Do not do any additional research for this essay. It should be your own discussion and conclusions about a character(s), not a discussion of research and others’ ideas on a character. I am looking for your own informed and insightful ideas on the characters.
*You are required to pass in your initial character notes for each character as well as the final essay.
Make sure your introductory paragraph is well crafted and clearly states your thesis (the main point of the essay) somewhere in the paragraph. Often the thesis is powerful as the last statement in that first, introductory paragraph. Spend a lot of time on the introduction- it’s the most important part of an essay! *Avoid saying things like “In this essay, I will show…” Just jump right in and SAY what your topic is. Don’t tell me WHAT you will explore- just go ahead and explore it! For example, instead of saying “In this essay I will explain how advertising affects society in a negative way,” just say “Advertising affects society in a negative way.” See how much stronger that sounds?!
Some important reminders about writing essays:
· The length should be around 2 pages, around 800-1000 words, typed, single-spaced. (This handout has 735 words, as a guide.) Use 12-font. Typing is strongly recommended if possible.
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· NO contractions or abbreviations!
· Avoid short, choppy sentences, but also keep things simple and clear. Find a happy medium. The tone of a formal essay should be mature and scholarly, not casual. Never use slang.
· Use paragraphs to organize your thoughts. Create a “flow” with your writing. Completely deal with one point before moving on to the next. Remember, a paragraph must be more than one sentence.
· Avoid overuse of words of phrases.
· Avoid run-on sentences. Watch comma use! Don’t use a comma where a period or semicolon should be.
· While some essays require that you write in the third person, for this essay you may opt to write in the first person if desired. This means, you may use the pronoun “I” in the essay. You may consider writing in the third person however; it tends to make an essay sound more scholarly and mature. Instead of saying “I think our past experiences strongly influence our future attitudes,” say “Our past experiences strongly influence our future attitudes.” Again, this sounds much more scholarly, mature and confident.
· Include a title page (not included in the 2 page requirement) with an original title (not “My Essay.” Come up with a catchy title) in the center, and your name, date, and class on the bottom right corner.