Another way to write a character analysis

by Dr Davis on June 12, 2008

A strong character analysis will:

  1. identify the type of character it is dealing with.
  2. describe the character.
  3. discuss the conflict in the story, particularly in regards to the character’s place in it.

A different approach to writing a character analysis

If you are having a panic attack, or its milder equivalent, of writing a character analysis, consider treating it as a personnel review. Pretend you are the manager and these three characters (or five or six) are working for you. What would you say about them?

Remember a personnel review will typically cover these items:

    quality of work
    job knowledge
    relationships with others
    customer service
    work habits
    dependability
    adaptability/flexibility
    promotability

Which of these can best be used (in character analysis of the play Oedipus Rex) to describe Oedipus? Creon? Jocaste?
A problem to avoid:

Many evaluations contain too few facts and too many opinions. What the evaluator believes to be true (opinion) is frequently accepted as truth without question, challenge or reservation. Corroboration backed by facts is often missing.

    from How to write better employee evaluations

And how to do a good job from the same source:

    Seek input from other observers when appropriate.Base written evaluations on multiple, first-hand observations.Know what you’re looking for. Evaluate the right things. Concentrate exclusively on factors directly related to job performance….Focus on improvement. Use the evaluation to set goals for better performance.

    …Be as specific as possible. Use examples. Glittering generalities don’t help much in targeting action or improvement plans.

    …Choose words carefully. The goal is clarity.

Just some thoughts for your character analysis on Oedipus.
An example of stock questions asked on an employee evaluation that you might use can be found here. It is from New York.

Another presentation on personnel reviews is this one from New Mexico.

Obviously not all of them will be relevant for the play, but they are still interesting to think about.

If this post was helpful to you, please leave a note in the comments to let me know. You could point out what was most helpful, so that I will know what I might want to expand later.

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