AP ENGLISH ®
LITERATURE &
COMPOSITION
STUDY GUIDE PACK
© Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.
,AP® English Literature and Composition Study Guide
Characterization LEARNING
WHAT IS CHARACTERIZATION? NOTES
hen riters ra t stories the o ten egin ith a spe i
Write or type in this area.
character in mind. They know who this person is. They have
an idea of what this person looks like, what he believes, where
he lives, and how he reacts to the world around him. What
the writer then needs to do is place this person into a setting,
activate a plot from the deep wells of their mind, and then
bring the character to life. In writing life into that character, the
author provides characterization: the way the character acts,
thinks, speaks, and moves. Our job is to then determine why
the author crafted a character in a certain way and how those
hoi es add meaning to the te t
When Analyzing Characterization, What
Should You Be Looking For?
It is important to focus on HOW the character functions within
the text and WHY the author made the choices he or she did.
• As you read, you should focus on the specific details that
an author decides to include. For example, if an author has a
hara ter ite her nails hen she is stressed that sends o a
astl di erent image than i the author has a hara ter t irl
her hair around her nger hen she is ner ous ne detail
implies that the character is mildly self-destructive, while
the other implies that the character is innocent and child-
li e Ea h hoi e is strategi
• Focusing on character motives, what motivates the
character to move forward in the story, is another way to
determine characterization. Is the character moving forward
in the plot because they are seeking justice, because they are
trying to protect a family member, because they are trying
to nd true lo e oti ations are e er here in literature
and it is our job, as readers, to look for them and determine
not onl hat the are ut h the matter in relation to the
or as a hole
• Taking note of a character’s background an o er insight
into the perspective of a character. Often, the character’s
role in society, in history, in a socio-economic sphere can
impact the way we view our character’s actions and motives.
A character breaking patriarchal rules in the 21st-century
America isn’t nearly as impressive as a character breaking
patriar hal rules in th entur England
• As the plot of a story progresses, characters will typically
undergo some sort of growth, or they will intentionally
remain stagnant Either path sends a message rom the
author to the reader. If a character refuses to learn and the
lack of growth clearly annoys the author, chances are we are
© Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks
Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional resources.
registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.
, AP® English Literature and Composition Study Guide
Characterization LEARNING
supposed to learn something from reading this experience.
The lesson that we are supposed to learn may directly relate
NOTES
to the meaning o the or as a hole Write or type in this area.
• As we read, we should watch for character foils—
characters who operate side by side in a text yet have
opposing characteristics. These usually appear in literature
in order to highlight the di ering hara teristi s o t o
characters and to put one character’s traits in a positive
light. In Romeo and Juliet or e ample omeo and er utio
oth ha e di ering opinions on lo e honor and re enge
he impetuous nature o er utio allo s the readers o the
play to focus on Romeo’s more thoughtful nature regarding
alt prior to er utio s murder o ourse ith this
in mind, we then have to determine what Shakespeare
wanted us to learn. Why is this foil necessary, and what
do their opposing rea tions and moti ations re eal hat
lessons should e learn
Helpful Hints
When analyzing for characterization, it is helpful to know that
authors ill re eal a hara ter to the reader in one o t o a s
1. Direct Characterization: This is where the author
spe i all states a hara ter s attri utes or us
2. Indirect Characterization: This is where the author
expects us to do a little detective work. Looking at each of
the elements in the following PAIRS acronym can help as
we analyze a text for characterization. We should always
pay attention to the following and then determine WHY
these elements are important and WHAT the author is
trying to tell us through these various sections of detail:
P: Physical Description: Pay attention to the
appearance and dress of a character. Perhaps that
can reveal what they value: think professionalism over
comfort.
A: Actions: Pay attention to the way a character acts,
especially when nobody is watching. Just like real people,
our hara ters ill ha e strengths and a s and these
are the moments where we learn so much about our
characters and the deeper meanings in a text.
I: Inner thoughts: Just like actions, the inner thoughts
of a character can show what the character is really
thinking about a subject, a person, or a situation.
R: Reactions: Analyzing how a character reacts to
setbacks and failures can often teach us more than
watching how a character responds to success. It is
important to note how your characters behave in
rea tion to a stress ul s enario
© Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks
Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional resources.
registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.
2
LITERATURE &
COMPOSITION
STUDY GUIDE PACK
© Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.
,AP® English Literature and Composition Study Guide
Characterization LEARNING
WHAT IS CHARACTERIZATION? NOTES
hen riters ra t stories the o ten egin ith a spe i
Write or type in this area.
character in mind. They know who this person is. They have
an idea of what this person looks like, what he believes, where
he lives, and how he reacts to the world around him. What
the writer then needs to do is place this person into a setting,
activate a plot from the deep wells of their mind, and then
bring the character to life. In writing life into that character, the
author provides characterization: the way the character acts,
thinks, speaks, and moves. Our job is to then determine why
the author crafted a character in a certain way and how those
hoi es add meaning to the te t
When Analyzing Characterization, What
Should You Be Looking For?
It is important to focus on HOW the character functions within
the text and WHY the author made the choices he or she did.
• As you read, you should focus on the specific details that
an author decides to include. For example, if an author has a
hara ter ite her nails hen she is stressed that sends o a
astl di erent image than i the author has a hara ter t irl
her hair around her nger hen she is ner ous ne detail
implies that the character is mildly self-destructive, while
the other implies that the character is innocent and child-
li e Ea h hoi e is strategi
• Focusing on character motives, what motivates the
character to move forward in the story, is another way to
determine characterization. Is the character moving forward
in the plot because they are seeking justice, because they are
trying to protect a family member, because they are trying
to nd true lo e oti ations are e er here in literature
and it is our job, as readers, to look for them and determine
not onl hat the are ut h the matter in relation to the
or as a hole
• Taking note of a character’s background an o er insight
into the perspective of a character. Often, the character’s
role in society, in history, in a socio-economic sphere can
impact the way we view our character’s actions and motives.
A character breaking patriarchal rules in the 21st-century
America isn’t nearly as impressive as a character breaking
patriar hal rules in th entur England
• As the plot of a story progresses, characters will typically
undergo some sort of growth, or they will intentionally
remain stagnant Either path sends a message rom the
author to the reader. If a character refuses to learn and the
lack of growth clearly annoys the author, chances are we are
© Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks
Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional resources.
registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.
, AP® English Literature and Composition Study Guide
Characterization LEARNING
supposed to learn something from reading this experience.
The lesson that we are supposed to learn may directly relate
NOTES
to the meaning o the or as a hole Write or type in this area.
• As we read, we should watch for character foils—
characters who operate side by side in a text yet have
opposing characteristics. These usually appear in literature
in order to highlight the di ering hara teristi s o t o
characters and to put one character’s traits in a positive
light. In Romeo and Juliet or e ample omeo and er utio
oth ha e di ering opinions on lo e honor and re enge
he impetuous nature o er utio allo s the readers o the
play to focus on Romeo’s more thoughtful nature regarding
alt prior to er utio s murder o ourse ith this
in mind, we then have to determine what Shakespeare
wanted us to learn. Why is this foil necessary, and what
do their opposing rea tions and moti ations re eal hat
lessons should e learn
Helpful Hints
When analyzing for characterization, it is helpful to know that
authors ill re eal a hara ter to the reader in one o t o a s
1. Direct Characterization: This is where the author
spe i all states a hara ter s attri utes or us
2. Indirect Characterization: This is where the author
expects us to do a little detective work. Looking at each of
the elements in the following PAIRS acronym can help as
we analyze a text for characterization. We should always
pay attention to the following and then determine WHY
these elements are important and WHAT the author is
trying to tell us through these various sections of detail:
P: Physical Description: Pay attention to the
appearance and dress of a character. Perhaps that
can reveal what they value: think professionalism over
comfort.
A: Actions: Pay attention to the way a character acts,
especially when nobody is watching. Just like real people,
our hara ters ill ha e strengths and a s and these
are the moments where we learn so much about our
characters and the deeper meanings in a text.
I: Inner thoughts: Just like actions, the inner thoughts
of a character can show what the character is really
thinking about a subject, a person, or a situation.
R: Reactions: Analyzing how a character reacts to
setbacks and failures can often teach us more than
watching how a character responds to success. It is
important to note how your characters behave in
rea tion to a stress ul s enario
© Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks
Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional resources.
registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.
2
