How well do you know your favorite character in a movie or a book? Some people have numerous favorite characters that they love so much. They know how these characters act. Even though you might not have the best knowledge of these characters, you can write a good analysis of them. This analysis is better when you want to learn more about your favorite characters. As such, you have to write a character analysis essay as a way to bring to life the character of your choice. Sometimes you have to write about a character you have more idea about if you get an assignment of this essay from your instructor.
What is a character analysis essay?
A character analysis essay evaluates the specific traits of a literary character. You have to include the additional elements like the role they play in the story and the conflicts they experience in the process. Your essay needs to be very critical of the character. You have to ask concise analysis questions and anchor your conclusions about every character of three areas. You have to use detail as you describe the outward appearance of the character. The writer can deduce the age of the character, body size, and ethnicity, and so on. You also need to look at any available character analysis essay example to get an idea of how this piece of writing is done.
What is character analysis?
Character analysis goes beyond picking up on the subtle hints likely to be used any the author and encompasses reading between the lines by noticing mundane details that are seemingly insignificant at face value. However, sometimes, the writers tend to mention the traits of their characters in these books indirectly. This makes it mandatory for the audience to be mindful of catching these traits as the storyline continues.
The tricks of writing a successful character analysis essay
If you aim at writing a successful character analysis essay, you have to engage in thorough reading o the literary work paying attention to the revelations of the author regarding the character. This can be through dialogue, narrative, or even a plot. The idea is to bring to the fore what every character does at work. The protagonist is the most significant character, whereas the villain is the one in conflict with the main character, usually referred to as the antagonist. Writers can create characters with many facets, and as such, your character analysis essay ought to focus on these complexities.
Before you can start writing your analysis of a character, it will be useful to look at one character analysis example, so that you have a good idea of how to navigate the assignment. Now, to write your essay, keep in mind the following tips:
If this is a class assignment, you may get your character dictated to you by the instructor. However, you can also choose the character you want to write about, and as such, you can consider a character that as a very dynamic role. The character who seems one-dimensional in that they are either good or bad completely but have no complex motivation would be a bad choice. The character you choose can either be the protagonist or the antagonist.
Even though you might have read the story before, you need to reread it because you are likely to notice new things since no, you have a very specific task in mind. In every place that your character appears, you need to consider some important aspects.
How the author describes them
This is necessary to help you get a better understanding of the character. It will also enrich your analysis of the character as you write your essay. Look at how the author shows how the character tackles the complex issues in the story.
How the character relates to another character in the story
You have to think of how the character interacts with the other characters, especially in the beginning and at the end. This will help you come up with the best-balanced character analysis essay in the end.
How the actions of the character advance the plot of the story
If you are dealing with the protagonist, his actions are crucial to the sorry. However, you need to be very specific with the actions that help in advancing the plot. Pay attention to now. He makes decisions that are unique from someone else in the same situation. You may talk about how some of his ideas contradict everything that he has been taught.
The struggles of the character
As you read the work, think of how the character grows throughout the story. Show how he moves around dig things that enhance the story and how he observes the trickery within the story.
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Avoid static characters
As earlier said, you need to avoid one-dimensional characters in your character analysis essay. They are also called unchanging characters. These are mostly minor characters that interact with the protagonist to enhance their qualities and actions. They are not protagonists because what happens in their wolf is of no interest to the readers.
Take notes as you read
If you want to have an effective reading, you need to take notes of all the significant elements. This adds to the depth of the character, especially when you are reading the work for the second time. You can make notes in the margins and underline crucial passages. As such, you need a notebook as you read to monitor your thoughts about the character.
Choose a major idea
Gather all your notes on the character and think of the main idea that relates to them. In other words, you are developing a thesis statement for your character analysis essay. Pay attention to their actions, motivations, and the outcome of their storyline. Your thesis statement may appear on anchor in how a character embodies the struggles of growing up poor or any other aspect that brings out the person in him. It can be about anything important that shows how the character enhances the story and the outcome.
Formulate your character analysis essay outline
This is how you know the reading process was crucial. The notes that you have taken ensuring this process are necessary for formulating the best character analysis essay outline. Developing the outcome is necessary because it saves you a lot of time during the writing process. Now that you have the main idea, you can outline all the supporting material that you have. Not every place in the text where your character showcases the traits you have chosen for your thesis statement. You might also include complicating evidence to give your character more depth. With an outline, your thoughts will remain organized throughout the analysis of character.
Developing the character analysis essay structure
Without forgetting about your thesis statement, prepare a good introduction paragraph about the character you are analyzing. You also have to consider the role that the character plays in the literary work. In your introduction, give the analysis of your topic, enough background information to inform, and perturb the audience. Your introduction needs to close with your thesis statement. Your introduction needs to spark interest in the target audience. It should give them an idea of the character in question. In other words, the introduction of your character analysis essay needs to be striking and brief.
Even though you have to describe the character here, ensure that not all the details appear in the introduction. The idea is to whet the appetite of the audience to continue reading the character analysis essay that you have written.
You can describe their physical appearance that reveals the as a person. You can quote directly from work. You also have to discuss the background of the character using details about their personal history. The history is important because they influence their personality and personal development. It can be about where he or she was born, their level of education, past experiences, or what the character says or does. You can also discuss their language use throughout the work. Does he use the same language, or does he change from the introduction to the conclusion? Their personality is also important because it shows emotions or reasons for their actions. You can discuss the values they exhibit through actions and words. The goals of the character or their ambitions are also important. You need to be very specific with the quotes and paraphrases that you get from the literary work.
Take about how the character relates to other characters — the interaction of the character that you are analyzing. Show if the character leads or follows others in the story; he has family and friends. Use instances from the text to validate your claims. If you character analysis essay, you need to describe how the character changes or grows throughout the story. In most cases, protagonists experience conflict through the course of the story. The conflict can be external. Making it is something out of his control. The conflict can also be internal, meaning he has personal struggles with their actions and feelings. Describe if the character is better or worse at the conclusion. In any wok of merit, the characters change or grow.
You have to use examples from the text to validate whatever that you are saying. It can be quoted where applicable. If the author has described the character as sloppy, provide specific details to who this character trait. Use quotes or paraphrased directly from work. Textual evidence is important because it incorporates these quotations from the work in a bid to support your thesis. It also enhances the credibility of your work. However, you are not supposed to over quote because it would make your character analysis essay look lazy. You should look at a character analysis essay example to see how quotes are used in the most reasonable way possible.
As you conclude your character analysis essay, you can restate every section on your work. You should not copy your thesis statement verbatim. You have to paraphrase and ensure you do not negate its meaning. This helps you to avoid self-plagiarism. The idea is to help you with all the ideas of your paper. This will help you to come up with a very strong concluding statement on your character. The conclusion is the place of active cooperation with the audience as you lay dons your major point of view. This is the last time you are making an effort to convince the readers about the character. You have to give them closure so that your analysis of the character achieves its purpose.
The above tips are important, especially if you are looking forward to writing an excellent character analysis essay. If you want to help writing an analysis of character, you can also consult our professional writers at any time. We are open to help you in any writing way possible. Try our services now to advance in your writing skills.
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