Characterization & "The First Day"

The mother in the "The First Day" is the ​ (a)  

• protagonist
• antagonist
• epiphany

Answer explanation

The narrator's mother is the main character that the story's action revolves around, and she has the sympathy of the reader.

Which kind of characterization tells about a character?

_ _ _ _ _ _ characterization

Characters that experience substantial change are _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Reorder the ways authors create INDIRECT characterization to form an acronym

• SPEECH

• LOOKS

• THOUGHTS

  (and feelings)

• EFFECT

  on others

• ACTIONS

Match the following methods of characterization with the quote from the story.

• Indirect Characterization through SPEECH

• The higher up the scale of respectability a person is–and teachers are rather high up in her eyes–the less she is liable (likely) to let them push her around.

• Direct Characterization

• “I can’t read it. I don’t know how to read or write, and I’m askin you to help me.”

• Indirect Characterization through ACTION

• When I say the word in fun to one of my sisters, my mother slaps me across the mouth and the word is lost for years and years.

Which method of indirect characterization is used in this quotation:

And even when the teacher turns me towards the classrooms and I hear what must be the singing and talking of all the children in the world, I can still hear my mother’s footsteps above it all.

• THOUGHTS and feelings

• EFFECT on others

• ACTIONS

• LOOKS

Which method of indirect characterization is used in this quotation:

Walker-Jones is a larger, newer school and I immediately like it because of that. But it is not across from my mother’s church, her rock, one of her connections to God, and I sense her doubts as she absently rubs her thumb over the back of her hand.

• THOUGHTS and feelings

• EFFECT on others

• ACTIONS

• LOOKS

One can infer that the mother’s ___________ for being so concerned that her daughter gets a proper education is due to the fact she never received an education herself and wants her daughter to have a better life.

Determine the method of characterization for each quotation

Groups:

(a) INDIRECT: LOOKS

,

(b) INDIRECT: SPEECH

,

(c) INDIRECT: ACTIONS

• I see where she has darned (repaired) one of her socks the night before.

• “One monkey don’t stop no show.”

• My mother has uncharacteristically spent an hour on my hair that morning.

Which TWO of mother’s character traits most affects the story’s outcome?

• strict

• prepared

• religious

• caring

• determined