ENGL 103
Essay 2 Assignment: Northanger Abbey Character Analysis (1,800–2,000 words and at
least five images)
For this assignment, you’ll build a page on Sutori.com that presents a character analysis of
either Catherine, Isabella, Henry, or General Tilney. To set up your free Sutori account, go to
sutori.com/signup and enter the code “nsani” to join the class.
A character analysis examines a character in order to fully understand that character, which
requires:
l Knowing what the character looks like and how his/her appearance affects him/her
and others
l Knowing what a character does and why
l Knowing what a character says, and how and why it is said
l Knowing what a character thinks and feels, why he/she thinks and feels that way, and
how it affects him/her and others
A character analysis always considers a character’s motivations, interests, goals, relationships,
and responses to conflict and change.
To write a good literary analysis, it is important to look at the original text carefully. One way
to begin is to make a record of the dialogue, action, and descriptions that tell you about the
character you’re discussing. Using the chart below as a model, you would provide a direct
quote (and reference it with a page number) and explain what this quote demonstrates about
the theme or character. Note that the third box in the chart is not just a paraphrase of the
quotation; rather, this is where you begin thinking analytically and consider the deeper
meaning of the quotation within the context of the theme or character and the overall story.
quotation who said it what it signifies; why it’s
important
“I think we ought to start
over…I tell you it wasn’t fair.
You didn’t give him enough
time to choose.” (page 6)
Tessie Hutchinson in “The
Lottery”
Tessie is beginning to see the
lottery in a new light when it
appears someone in her
family will be chosen. She is
afraid and looking for a way
out.
“If I could free my hands,” he
thought, “I might throw off
the noose and spring into the
stream. By diving, I could
evade the bullets and,
swimming vigorously, reach
the bank, take to the woods
and get away home.” (page 2)
Peyton Farquhar in “An
Occurrence at Owl Creek
Bridge”
Peyton is optimistic while he
faces certain death. He hopes
to escape and free himself
and rejoin his family at home.
He is imaginative, living
(dying??) in a dream world.
Format: Your analysis will be presented on a web page, integrating words and pictures.
You’ll need to introduce your character and have a thesis statement, and the analysis itself
should be illustrated with at least five photos that represent or symbolize aspects of the
character’s personality. You must cite all quotations, paraphrases, summaries, and images in
MLA format and have a works cited page at the end.
Ideas Blog (on Blackboard): You will need to engage in the usual steps of the essay-writing
process (brainstorming, outlining, drafting, revising, etc). The ideas blog is a place for you to
post the results of your brainstorming (not the entire list of ideas). You’ll provide some of the
most promising ideas you’ve had so far, identify the ones you want to work with, and explain
what kind of thesis you’re considering. The point of this is to help you assess your
brainstorming and make informed and intelligent decisions about your topic. Don’t start
writing the essay here – just respond to the questions: “What are some of the ideas you
thought of? Which ones are the most promising and why? What’s your thesis so far?”
Thesis: Your essay must have a thesis—an argument, a main point, a perspective you are
trying to communicate. Your thesis cannot be an observation; for example, “Catherine is a
complicated character with many different aspects to her personality” is a statement of fact
(and one that is true of almost everyone), not a unique and focused argument. Everything you
write should have a point.
Writing Process: You are not required to submit a first draft, but you should engage in all
the steps of the writing process, which you have practiced in ENGL 101 and 102. Make a
plan and begin your research and writing well in advance of the deadline. Leave time to edit,
revise, and proofread.
Image Selection and Design: Although your web design skills will not be graded, do take
think about how best to present images along with your text. The images should be part of
the overall organization of your analysis, and you should refer to them. Choose images that
represent or symbolize aspects of the character that you are discussing, and explain the
connection between the image and the point you’re making about the character. You are
welcome (but not required) to take photographs or draw pictures rather than relying on
Google Images for everything. Remember to cite your images according to MLA format,
even when they’re your own work (how else will I know it’s yours?).
Submission
Your essay will be graded on Sutori, so you must have your text and images posted before
the deadline. You must also post the text only (no images) to TurnItIn before the deadline.
The usual MLA formatting rules should be followed for the text-only document you upload
to TurnItIn (title black, double-spacing, etc). If you do not complete both these steps before
the deadline, the essay is considered late and you will lose 15 points. (You cannot argue that
you did not know, because I will have discussed this in class on 28 October, as promised in
the syllabus, and this assignment sheet was posted on Blackboard on 27 October.)