character analysis of Mary prince

We get to know the characters in our stories through the things they say, feel, and do. It’s not as difficult as it may seem to figure out personality traits based on a character’s thoughts and behaviors:

"Say cheese!’ the exasperated photographer shouted, as she pointed her camera toward the group of squirming children. Sherry displayed her broadest, most convincing fake smile as she inched ever-closer to her younger cousin. Just as the photographer’s finger twitched over the shutter button, Sherry leaned into her young cousin’s side and pinched hard. The boy let out a yelp, just as the camera clicked."

You can probably make some assumptions about Sherry from the brief segment above. If you had to name three  to describe her, what would they be? Is she a nice, innocent girl? Doesn’t seem like it from this passage. From the brief paragraph, we can assume that she’s apparently sneaky, mean, and deceptive.

You will receive clues about personality through a character’s words, actions, reactions, feelings, movements, thoughts, and mannerisms. Even a character’s opinions can help you learn more about the individual.

When you are asked to write a character analysis, you will be expected to explain how a character changes and grows. Most major characters go through some kind of significant growth as a story unfolds, often a direct result of dealing with some sort of . Notice which main characters grow stronger, fall apart, develop new relationships, or discover new aspects of themselves. Make note of scenes in which character changes become apparent or the character’s opinions on a topic change.

Understanding the journey of your character and how it relates to the story as a whole can help you better understand that character’s motives and better represent the person in your overall analysis.

Respond to the following

Review what you learned in the Elements of fiction presentations. In analyzing a person’s character, it is necessary to note the conflicts he/she has experienced in life and how that person has overcome them. What conflicts and difficulties has Mary Prince experienced as an enslaved person? Does she change or does she remain the same throughout? Carefully identify pertinent adjectives (e.g. persevering, bold) to describe her character and elaborate on those by giving examples to fill out your response. DO NOT retell the story: Choose no more than three episodes in Mary Prince’s life to elaborate on the development of her character.