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Lesson 1 (from Chapter 1, The Villa)

Objective

Characterization is used by authors in literature to fully describe the personality and qualities of a specific character. In Chapter 1, Ondaatje focuses on characterizing Hana and the English patient to immediately give the reader a sense of their relationship. The objective of Lesson 1 is to explore the characterization Ondaatje uses in the novel to present characters to the reader.

Lesson

1) Classroom discussion: What do you think are the important parts of an author's characterization of a figure in his or her work? Does Ondaatje include these important parts in his description of Hana and the English patient? How does he help the reader 'get to know' these characters?

2) Written assignment: Choose one character - either Hana or the English patient - in Ondaatje's novel and summarize the way s/he is characterized. Do you feel like you really 'know' this character after reading the book? Why...

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