Character Analysis Essay: Student Guidelines

Major Characters

In a story, major characters run a storyline, and they define a plot of this composition. For example, there are two types of major characters: protagonists and antagonists (Lauritzen, 2021). In this case, the former represents typical heroes, those literary figures that an entire audience is likely to admire. Then, the latter represents characters that take a specific role of a villain. Basically, a target audience is likely to despise this type of persona. Moreover, it is easier to spot protagonists because a story’s plot revolves around them. In literature, examples of protagonists include Harry Potter from the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling, Othello from the famous tragedy Othello by William Shakespeare, Elizabeth Bennet from “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, and Frodo from The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. On the other hand, examples of antagonists from literature include King Joffrey from Game of Thrones, Darth Vader from the Star Wars series by George Lucas, and the Wicked Queen from “Snow White and Seven Dwarfs.”

Minor Characters

As opposed to major literary figures, minor characters do not run stories. However, they are ones that help major characters to shine through storylines. In other words, minor literature figures in a particular course of their activities help main actors to create situations and circumstances that reveal central characters’ personalities (Kuijpers & Hakemulder, 2017). As explained, this personality is defined by mannerism. Then, examples of minor characters in literature include the whole Fellowship of the Ring in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Individually, these literary personages help Frodo, a protagonist, to deliver the Ring to Mordor. In turn, another example of minor characters in literature is the duo Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. On several occasions, they help Harry Potter, a protagonist, in his battle against Voldemort.

Dynamic, Static, and Stoic Characters

Dynamic characters are those literature figures that change a particular course of a story in certain respects. In many cases, a protagonist is a dynamic character (Monzani et al., 2021). Moreover, an example in literature is Harry Potter from J. K. Rowling’s book series, who notices that he is similar to Voldemort in many ways throughout a storyline. Nevertheless, he resists ‘dark’ traits that define Voldemort because he is a good person. As such, he resists any temptation to become a dark wizard. On the other hand, static characters never change in a story. In principle, an excellent example in literature is Atticus Finch from “How to Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Despite finding himself in controversial circumstances, he remains firm in character and worldview throughout a story. Further on, stoic literary actors draw attention to a main persona, and their role in a story is to fortify a protagonist’s role and image. In turn, a great example of a stoic character in literature is Dr. Watson from Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Step 1: Preparation

Preparation is a starting step in writing a hero analysis essay. In essence, this step involves planning how to go about writing. Basically, a student reads a story, chooses a specific literature figure, defines a topic, prepares ideas, and considers a target audience and its needs (Lauritzen, 2021). In this case, an actual essence of preparation is that it enables students to “get it right” from the beginning. Moreover, it is by preparing that students take into consideration requirements and seek clarification as necessary.

Reading a Story

In most instances, instructors guide students on which story to read and a hero to analyze. However, if such guidance is not provided, a student should – as a matter of priority – choose a story and a persona in a given story to write about (Hackett, 2021). Considering an assigned text, people should read it at least twice to have a good understanding and analysis of a plot and each literature figure’s role.

Choosing a Character

A standard practice is that a persona analysis essay focuses on major literary personages (protagonist and antagonist) as subjects of analysis. However, as indicated, an instructor may require students to analyze a specific protagonist or antagonist (Hackett, 2021). In this case, instructions can require students to explore how a minor literature figure enhances a major persona’s image in a story. Besides, a student’s major issue is to identify literary personages for writing their analysis and read all about them in an assigned story.

Defining a Topic

Like any essay, a character analysis essay should have a topic. Basically, even though a primary goal is to analyze a specific persona, people must have a topic that underscores their work. When defining a topic, students may follow an instructor’s prompt or develop their own approach (Lauritzen, 2021). Ultimately, a protagonist analysis essay topic should align with a paper’s goal, which is to analyze a specific literary personage.

Preparing Ideas

Typically, students get ideas about their work as soon as they read prompt requirements given by their instructors. When writing a personage analysis essay, a student should generate ideas after reading instructions and reading through them. However, it is the latter exercise that serves as a valid foundation of ideas for writing a text (Kuijpers & Hakemulder, 2017). Indeed, this aspect exemplifies a real essence of such a composition, focusing on how a literature personage emerges from a story. As discussed, such a figure can only be a protagonist, antagonist, minor, dynamic, or stoic. Understanding where literature figures fit helps a writer to generate ideas about effects of their roles in a story. In their analysis, students should apply critical thinking to dissect literary personages objectively.

Considering an Audience

Every form of writing has a specific audience – readers that people have in mind when writing their texts. In essay writing, the main audience is the instructor. However, in an application essay for college, a target audience is an admission board of a college or university (Hackett, 2021). Since instructors determine an overall quality of a hero analysis essay, students should consider their requirements. Ideally, these requirements reflect what instructors, as a primary audience, need regarding a persona analysis essay.

Step 2: Setting Up a Stage

A second step in writing a character analysis essay is setting a particular stage for an actual writing of a text. Here, students engage in several activities, including finding credible sources, making notes, creating an essay outline, and creating an annotated bibliography (Hackett, 2021). As an academic text, a persona analysis essay should satisfy all academic writing conventions, including backing up claims and arguments with evidence. Although a learner can write about a literature personage in a story by simply reading an assigned text, a protagonist analysis reflects an in-depth discussion about a specific actor. Hence, students should write about what others (scholars) have said about a story and a personage.

Finding Sources

Reliable sources are external texts that people rely on to find evidence supporting what they intend to write. Basically, when people make claims or observations during a composition process of a text, they must back it up with evidence to avoid making what they write seems like a personal opinion (Lauritzen, 2021). Notably, subjective opinion is not encouraged in academic writing, unless authors are using their analysis objectively. Moreover, the only way that students can demonstrate that their papers are free of bias is by providing evidence for their claims, arguments, opinions, and observations. In turn, this evidence comes from external academic sources – books and journal articles.

Making Notes

After finding sources, a student should read through them while making notes. Basically, these notes should be relevant to a task at hand. Therefore, when authors of a character analysis essay find sources pertinent to their mission, they should make notes as they read through them and write down what they find interesting about their chosen literary figures (Acheson & Boyne, 2021). Given that a particular writing task at hand involves analyzing a literature figure in question, students’ notes should reflect a deeper understanding of this personage, such as what others say about their manner of speaking or effect in a story.

Creating an Outline and an Annotated Bibliography

Like any other academic text, such as a research paper, a term paper, a Master’s thesis, or a dissertation, essays have outlines that provide a structure. Typically, this outline involves having three main sections: introduction, body, and conclusion (Hackett, 2021). When writing a protagonist analysis essay, a student should stick to this essay structure. Then, an annotated bibliography summarizes study sources that people intend to use to get evidence that backs up their claims and arguments. Although it is not needed in an essay, students who write a personage analysis paper can develop one based on credible sources that they identified in a second step of essay writing. In this case, annotated bibliographies would provide quick access to evidence that learners need to strengthen their papers.

Step 3: Actual Writing

After preparing and setting a particular stage, authors of a character analysis essay begin an actual writing of a paper. Here, students begin with a first draft, which provides an opportunity to organize thoughts, make mistakes, come up with new ideas, find new sources that back them up, and alter a character analysis essay outline (Acheson & Boyne, 2021). Basically, this stage is about putting everything together to develop an essay that addresses specific instructor’s requirements.

Writing a First Draft

When writing a character analysis essay, students are likely to make numerous spelling and grammatical errors and other mistakes, such as inconsistent arguments and illogical conclusions. As such, writing a first draft provides students with this allowance since they would have an opportunity to perfect their work (Hackett, 2021). Nonetheless, a first draft’s content should mirror an expected work, which is dissecting a persona’s personality. In turn, some examples of sentence starters for beginning a character analysis essay are:

• In [Title of a Play], a unique character of [Protagonist’s or Antagonist’s Name] is introduced as a [brief description], and, throughout an entire narrative, their actions and decisions reveal … .
• Throughout [Title of a Poem], [Persona’s Name] undergoes significant changes that highlight their complexity and depth, demonstrating how their experiences shape their … .
• From the first pages of [Title of a Book], [Author’s Name] captivates readers with a unique blend of [persona traits], which play a crucial role in driving an entire plot and uncovering central themes of … .
• A complex nature of [Personage’s Name] in [Title of a Specific Work] highlights various aspects of [theme], as a whole journey illustrates a unique struggle between [conflicting elements] and their ultimate impact on … .
• As a protagonist of [Title of an Epic], [Hero’s Name] demonstrates a remarkable blend of [traits], and their development throughout a discussed story provides a profound insight into an author’s commentary on … .
• [Protagonist’s Name] plays a pivotal role in [Title of a Story], serving as both a [role model 1] and a [role model 2], whose interactions with other characters shed light on … .
• In [Title of a Narrative], a particular evolution of [Central Figure’s Name] reflects a journey of [theme], where a unique transformation from [initial state] to [final state] underscores a central message of … .
• [Protagonist’s or Antagonist’s Name] is a fascinating character in [Title of a Book] because of personality, which includes traits, such as [traits], and their impact on an entire narrative is evident through … .
• A unique journey of [Hero’s Name] in [Title of an Epic] illustrates a specific theme of [theme], as experienced struggles and triumphs reveal important conflicts between [elements], ultimately leading to … .
• Exploring specific traits and motivations of [Literature Actor’s Name] in [Title of a Play] reveals a character driven by [motivations], whose actions and decisions not only influence an overall plot but also highlight broader themes of … .

Step 4: Wrapping Up

After writing a first draft of a protagonist analysis essay, students must read and reread their work to identify all mistakes and errors. As discussed above, potential chances of a first draft having spelling and grammatical errors, illogical conclusions, and inconsistent arguments are high. In turn, this fourth step in writing a personage analysis essay provides students with an opportunity to perfect their work. Here, learners revise and edit a first draft to eliminate all errors and mistakes and ensure their papers reflect a format of an academic text in all aspects (Acheson & Boyne, 2021). Furthermore, body paragraphs should have topic and concluding sentences, transitions, and right formatting. In turn, a summary paragraph in a character study must include a recap of an individual’s traits, development, and role in a particular story, along with a restatement of main points and thesis from an entire evaluation. Additionally, people should subject their analysis to peer review and then write a final draft.

Revising and Editing a First Draft

A primary purpose of reading a first draft at least twice is to identify all errors and mistakes, as explained above. Basically, once authors note them down, they should revise their papers accordingly, ensuring all inconsistencies are corrected (Lauritzen, 2021). Moreover, students should edit all spelling and grammatical mistakes to make a written document look like a professional appeal.

Topic Sentences

A first statement that a student writes in every paragraph in a main text (body) should reflect a topic sentence. Basically, this sentence aims to introduce a single idea that a writer intends to develop in a paragraph (Hackett, 2021). By considering a persona analysis essay, this idea can be a claim or an observation about a subject under analysis. In this case, a standard writing practice is that a single idea that an author expresses in a topic sentence should align with a paper’s thesis statement, as it is developed in an introduction part of a character analysis essay.

Concluding Sentences

While a topic sentence introduces a paragraph, a concluding sentence brings it to a close. For example, a reason why a student writes a concluding sentence is to finalize an intended message captured in a section (Hackett, 2021). As such, such a statement provides writer’s concluding thoughts about a topic sentence and how it advances a thesis. Moreover, a particular content that comes between topic sentences and concluding sentences reinforces a sandwich rule: making a claim, backing it up with supporting facts, elaborating on it, and indicating its relevance in a specific context of a thesis.

Transitions

In writing a character analysis essay, students need to create a document with a natural flow from a beginning to an end. Basically, a key aspect that enhances this flow is a particular use of transitions, which involve words and phrases, like “consequently,” “hence,” “thus,” “nonetheless,” “as such,” and “put differently” (Lauritzen, 2021). In this case, a student can use these words and phrases in any part of a text. However, using them in writing a main text is more appropriate as it is where authors need to create linkages between claims, evidence, and elaborations. Hence, transitions make such connections flawless and logical.

Formatting

When organizing an academic text, it is critical for students to observe all academic writing rules. For example, one of these rules is writing a literature figure analysis essay according to assigned requirements that guide a paper format that learners are using to write their work (Hackett, 2021). In this case, main paper formats are APA, MLA, Harvard, and Chicago/Turabian, all of which differ in certain ways. Moreover, they all have different requirements for citations and paragraph formation. Hence, when organizing a personage analysis essay, a student should format a paper according to an appropriate writing format. Although learners may observe this rule when writing a first draft, they should certainly do so when creating a final document.

Peer Reviewing

When writing a protagonist analysis essay, students should ensure their work is of high quality. Basically, what makes an academic text of high quality is peer review, which means subjecting a complete work to a critical review by a friend, tutor, or mentor. For example, journal articles are regarded as peer-reviewed scholarly sources for a simple reason that they have been reviewed and made perfect (Lauritzen, 2021). In turn, this perfection entails ensuring an absence of errors and mistakes and a particular use of credible and reliable sources.

Step 5: Writing a Final Draft

A final draft represents a complete work of a student in writing a character analysis essay. Basically, it is a document that students hand over to a target audience by way of submission or publication. As such, authors must ensure their texts are of the highest standard to eliminate a possibility of attracting penalties, such as a low grade or lousy review, in case they publish their work on online platforms (Hackett, 2021). Besides, to be clear that what students have is of the highest quality, they should read and reread their papers. In turn, it is the only way in which they can be sure there are no errors or mistakes.

Topic: Frodo and His Heroic Weakness

Introduction Sample

In literature, characters play an essential role in enhancing the plot of a story. Basically, they do this through their actions, behaviors, relationships, and other aspects of personality. Moreover, their mannerisms define who they are within the context of a story. In The Lord of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien captures a heroic conscience that characterizes human existence. Then, the author reveals the destructive power of greed and envy, mainly where promises are concerned. Nonetheless, Tolkien shows how friendship and courage overcome these vices. At the center of a story, The Lord of the Ring, is Frodo Baggins, a protagonist, who, despite undergoing a series of challenging adventures, emerges as a hero.

Example of Body Paragraphs

Frodo as a Hero

Tolkien develops Frodo as a young hobbit with a remarkable character. As a ring-bearer of a fellowship, Frodo has the Ring that belongs to Sauron, the Lord of the Rings. As such, Sauron is an antagonist in a story. For example, he is “a dark lord who lost the one Ring that held much of his power” (Tolkien, 2003, p. 54). Then, the author describes the Ring as precious and powerful enough to enslave Middle Earth. While everybody is scared of the Ring and no one wants to lead its destruction, Frodo courageously overcomes such fear. Despite a myth that absolute evil and frightening dark forces are likely to victimize anyone who attempts to destroy the Ring, the young hobbit is keen to prove everybody wrong. In turn, it is the anger toward myths and oppressions that they seemed to cause people that motivate Frodo to act to restore safety in Middle Earth. 

Frodo’s Weakness

The first indication of Frodo’s inexperience comes when he faces his initial challenges in his quest. Basically, how he deals with them reveals his weak points. For example, when Frodo delays his departure from the Shire, in spite of the urgency of the task ahead, he comes out as an indecisive character (Tolkien, 2003). Although a protagonist has common sense, he lacks wisdom, which is evident when he chooses to face the Old Forest’s dangers. Besides getting himself into harm’s way, Frodo also endangers the lives of his friends. In this case, he comes out as a fool in Bree when he draws unnecessary attention to himself. At Weathertop, the main character gives in to the temptation of putting on the Ring, thus exposing himself to an attack by the Ringwraiths (Tolkien, 2003). Despite all these shortcomings, Frodo survives the dangers of his own mistakes and those of his quest. Moreover, the novel attributes this success to the fact that hobbits are tougher than they look and can endure hardships. More importantly, Frodo himself is not interested in possessing the Ring, which makes him avoid the dark forces it represents. In this respect, he emerges as a hero in the end.

Conclusion Sample

Frodo’s adventure in The Lord of the Ring is a selfless quest to bring good to society despite powerful myths that undermine people’s courage to act when needed. In this case, Tolkien describes specific events that characterize the protagonist’s quest to destroy Sauron’s Ring. Moreover, what is clear is that Frodo is a courageous hobbit who refuses to be defined by his weaknesses. Eventually, his actions display his heroic character, one that defies all odds against him. In turn, a lesson from a story is that people do not need to be perfect to be heroes, but they need to aspire to do what is right.

Reference

Arthur, S. (2003). Walking with Frodo: A devotional journey through the Lord of the Rings. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.