IB English A Lit Characterization & Dialogue Notes

Writers Build Characters to Build Meaning

1. We come to understand characters not just by what we're told, but by what we observe: how they speak, act, think, and interact with others.
2. These details help readers infer what kind of person they are.
3. Writers build characters using different techniques.
4. These reveal personality, motive, and relationships, often without telling us directly.

Methods of Characterization

Direct Description

1. This gives us a shortcut to understanding the character, a starting point before we interpret deeper traits.
2. This type of characterization often frames how we’re supposed to view the character.
3. It can set up expectations or create contrast with what they actually do later.

Actions

1. What characters do often says more about them than what they say.
2. Actions reveal priorities, values, and sometimes contradictions.
3. Readers trust behavior more than claims.
4. Writers often use actions to hint at inner conflicts or reveal growth across a story.

Dialogue

1. Dialogue creates interaction, and that's how you see personality.
2. It shows power dynamics, hidden agendas, or emotional undercurrents.
3. What’s not said is often just as revealing as what is.

Thoughts and Feelings (Internal Monologue)

1. Thoughts often contrast with behavior or speech.
2. A brave face might hide fear. An act of cruelty might be driven by insecurity.
3. When the text gives us access to a character’s inner world: their fears, memories, dreams, or self-doubt.
4. This pulls readers close, helping us empathize and understand motivations even if their actions say something different.

Comparing Methods of Characterization