The purpose of this book is to provide instruction for first year secondary students on the topic CHARACTERIZATION.



In the photo above, there is a man feeding the poor. Do you think he is a good person or a bad person ?

Because there is an image, you are able to see what the man is doing, therefore, you can tell whether or not he is a good person.

Authors do something similar with the characters in their stories. They pain pictures so that you can tell what type of person the character is. In literature, this is called characterization.

There are two types of characterization. One being direct and the other indirect. Let`s use Danny and Devon to help you identify the difference.

My name is Devon !

I am Danny.

You are not welcomed here ! Go away, go play some where else.

You can see that Devon is being mean to Danny.

When an author chooses to show you the personality of a character by showing his words or actions, this is called Indirect Characterization.

I am sorry I was mean to you yesterday. You`re a good person and you did not deserve that kind of treatment.

Do not worry, I forgive you.

Devon calls Danny a good person. Therefore, you can conclude that he is a good person.

The author uses Devon to tell the reader that Danny is a good person. This is an example of Direct Characterization.