English II
Ms. Chenelle – Rm. 223
Character Analysis Essay Assignment
Write a 1-2 page essay analyzing one of the main characters in Huck Finn. Your essay should be five paragraphs long. Each paragraph should begin with a topic statement and be followed by evidence (quotes and specific details from the novel) that support your topic statement. Use your character analysis chart to gather information for your essay.
FIRST DRAFT DUE FRIDAY, MARCH 6 (The essay is worth 100 points. You will lose 25% off of your essay’s grade for each day it is late.) Your first draft does NOT have to be typed.
FINAL DRAFT DUE MONDAY, MARCH 16. Your final draft MUST BE TYPED.
Your 5-paragraph essay should be structured like this:
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Introduce which character you are going to analyze, briefly describe who he is, and what you are going to prove or demonstrate about this character in the rest of the essay.
Paragraph 2: Main Character Traits
Describe one of your character’s main traits and something he values or thinks is important at the beginning of the novel. Use multiple quotes and specific details from the novel to prove your argument.
Paragraph 3: Character Development
Describe a change your character has gone through during the novel so far or how the reader’s view of your character has changed during the novel so far. Use quotes and specific details from the novel to illustrate this change and why it is significant.
Paragraph 4: Character’s Role in the Novel
Describe how Mark Twain uses your character to help illustrate the novel’s themes (racism, friendship, loyalty, etc.) or what message Twain might be using your character to express. Use quotes and specific details from the novel to support your arguments.
Paragraph 5: Conclusion
Draw a conclusion based on the arguments you’ve made and evidence you’ve provided about what you think will happen to this character by the end of the novel. (You can use “I” in this paragraph, but your prediction must be based on the arguments and evidence you’ve presented in the previous paragraphs.)
Your final draft must be typed, double-spaced, in 12pt Times Roman font. Your margins should be no larger than 1.25”. There should be no extra spaces between paragraphs.
Points will be taken off if your essay is not typed and formatted correctly. Ask Ms. Chenelle if you have questions about this.
You must provide citations for your quotes, and any information you paraphrase, within the body of the essay and also include a “Works Cited” list at the end of the essay.
Within the body of your essay, you should provide citations for quotes and paraphrased details from the novel like this: (Twain #) -- Replace “#” with whatever page your quote is on.
In your “Works Cited” list, cite the novel like this:
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Bantam Dell, 2003.
If you use any sources other than the novel, you must cite them as well (both in the body of the essay and in the Works Cited list). Be sure to follow the citation format listed in the citation guide, which you can find on the class website:
http://www.quia.com/files/quia/users/schenelle/HOW-TO-CITE-YOUR-SOURCES.doc
ANALYZING CHARACTERS
Analyzing characters in a novel is not as scary or as difficult as it might sound. It’s simply paying close attention to what the characters say and do in the novel, how they change throughout the story, and thinking about what it all might mean.
The final step is to ask what the author is using that character to do: Is there a particular message the author is trying to express through that character? Is the author using the character to illustrate particular ideas or themes? How might those ideas be particularly meaningful given the time in which the novel was written and/or set?
For the character you have chosen for your character analysis essay, answer each of the following questions with at least 4-5 complete sentences, and use quotes from the novel to support your arguments. Answer the questions on looseleaf paper, so you’ll have enough room to give thorough responses. Your answers to these questions are due Thursday, February 26, and will serve as a draft of the body paragraphs of your essay. I will give you feedback on them and return them to you on Friday, so that you can use that information to help you complete the first draft of your essay.
1. What is important to your character at the beginning of the novel? What is one of his primary character traits?
2. How does your character change or how does the way the reader views him change during the novel?
3. What is Mark Twain using your character to do in the novel? What ideas or themes is he using your character to illustrate?