English 10 HN Notes

Thematic Statements

Themes are the general point or idea

• Universal, can apply to anyone, do not mention specific details from the texts

Thematic statements are complete sentences that expand upon the themes

Ex: Theme - fear of death

Thematic statement - the fear of death impacts people’s actions

Characterization

Characterization is the various ways an author describes and develops characters

• Direct Characterization: where the author explicitly tells you how a character looks, acts, feels, etc

• Indirect Characterization: where the reader must make inferences about the character based on the information the author provides

  • Speech: What does the character say? How does the character speak?

  • Thoughts: What is revealed through the character’s private thoughts and feelings?

  • Effect: What is revealed through the character’s effect on other people? How do other characters feel or behave in reaction to the character?

  • Actions: What does the character do? How do they behave?

  • Looks: What does the character look like? How do they dress?