The Characterization of Dee in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” (more than 750 words).

The process of characterizationis that which every author uses to make, build, or create a character. In most cases this process is carried out in three ways: 1) the author has the character saythings that tell us what kind of person he or she is, 2) the author has the character dothings that reveal what sort of person we are reading about (or hearing, or seeing), and 3) the author also often has other people reveal things about the character (the closer to the person another character is the better—more reliable—is the information).

First, use the following title: (but put nothing in bold--I use bold here only for emphasis)

The Characterization of Dee in Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use”

Your thesis—the final sentence in your first paragraph— mustbe something like the following:

In “Everyday Use,” Dee is characterized by what she does, what she says, and what others say about her.

or

In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Use” Dee is characterized by what she does, what she says, and what others say about her.

Your next three topic sentences—the first sentence in each of the next three paragraphs mustbe—(1) Dee is characterized by what she does.(2) Dee is further characterized by what she says.(3) Dee is also characterized by what others say about her.These mustbe the opening sentences of paragraphs two through four.

Your final paragraph—a conclusion—must begin with (one of the following) In conclusion, Finally, or In summary,or even another equally conspicuous and emphatic transition to a concluding statement/paragraph.

Clearly, what you have to do is fill in your paragraphs with the appropriate materials. In paragraph one you should introduce your topic in a general way, concluding with an explicit thesis. Your body, the three interior paragraphs, must provide adequate “proof” through particular instances—explicitly quoted from the text—that substantiate the assertion of the topic sentence. You mustinclude explicit things the person saysand does, as well as important things others sayabout the person in order to satisfy these requirements. Your conclusion must conclude. In other words, you must give no further support—the province of the interior paragraphs—the body of the essay. You must pull things together, remind the reader what you have attempted to do, and be certain to revisit the key words in your thesis—and title as well—(here at least—your character’s name and the word characterization).

If you understand that this essay is on characterization . . . not on Dee, then you are on your way to a good paper with adequate focus