Writing a Character Analysis
After you've gathered evidence and written a working thesis statement about your character, you are ready to write an initial draft of your analysis. Start by writing an interesting lead sentence and using it to introduce a beginning paragraph. Or you can develop the middle paragraphs first and return to write the beginning and ending. If you need inspiration along the way, look at the end of this lesson to find an analysis of another character from Jason Reynolds's Track Series.
Writing the Beginning Paragraph
Start your essay with a lead that gets readers' attention and orients them to the piece of literature you will analyze. Then provide background information that leads to your thesis statement.
Write a lead sentence.
Try out each lead strategy below. Let the examples inspire you as you write similar leads for your own topic. Make a copy of this Google doc or download a Word template.
- Name the work and author and summarize its importance.
Ghost by Jason Reynolds tells the story of a middle-schooler running toward a better future.
- Ask a compelling question about the character or theme.
Have you ever tried running away from a problem?