““All Summer in a DayAll Summer in a Day””

By Ray BradburyBy Ray Bradbury

Write About It:Write About It:

What makes What makes ““All Summer in a All Summer in a DayDay”” a a science fictionscience fiction story? story?

Record all of the Record all of the scientific scientific detailsdetails in your packet as you in your packet as you read. read.

Talk and Write About It:Talk and Write About It:

Have you ever been Have you ever been jealousjealous of one of your peers? How of one of your peers? How did these feelings make you did these feelings make you act toward that person? act toward that person? Write one idea. Write one idea.

Talk and Write About It:Talk and Write About It:

Have you ever known Have you ever known somebody who just somebody who just didndidn’’t fit t fit inin? Have you ever been ? Have you ever been that person? that person? WhyWhy do you do you think this happens? think this happens?

Write About It:Write About It:

Who is the Who is the protagonistprotagonist of of ““All All Summer in a DaySummer in a Day””? ?

HereHere’’s a hint: The s a hint: The protagonistprotagonist is is the the main character. main character.

Getting to knowGetting to know MargotMargot

Authors use a variety of techniques Authors use a variety of techniques to develop their main characters: to develop their main characters: Description (including metaphors!)Description (including metaphors!)

Dialogue and thoughtsDialogue and thoughts

ActionsActions

ReactionsReactions

With A Partner:With A Partner:

Skim the story, looking for all the different Skim the story, looking for all the different ways that Bradbury characterizes ways that Bradbury characterizes Margot.Margot.

Use one color to underline Use one color to underline descriptionsdescriptionsUse a second color to underline Use a second color to underline dialogue dialogue

and thoughtsand thoughtsUse a third color to underline Use a third color to underline MargotMargot’’s s

actionsactionsAnd, use a fourth color to underline And, use a fourth color to underline how how

the other children react to Margot. the other children react to Margot.

For ExampleFor Example

“ Margot stood alone. She was a very frail girl who looked as if she had been lost in the rain for years and the rain had washed out the blue from her eyes and the red from her mouth and the yellow from her hair.”

Yellow = Margot’s actionsGreen = description

Write Write five adjectivesfive adjectives to to describe describe MargotMargot that that

ARE NOT USEDARE NOT USED in the in the story!story!

Stop.Stop.

How do authors do that?How do authors do that?

Authors often develop their Authors often develop their characters through characters through INDIRECT INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION.CHARACTERIZATION.

This means that they This means that they SHOWSHOW us who us who the character is, rather than the character is, rather than TELLINGTELLING us.us.

The opposite of The opposite of INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATIONINDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION

is is DIRECT DIRECT CHARACTERIZATIONCHARACTERIZATION

This is when This is when the author the author explicitly tells us explicitly tells us what the what the character is like. character is like.

With A Partner:With A Partner:

Find a place in the story where Find a place in the story where Bradbury uses Bradbury uses DIRECT DIRECT CHARACTERIZATIONCHARACTERIZATION

HereHere’’s a hint: This method is often s a hint: This method is often used to describe a used to describe a charactercharacter’’s s appearanceappearance. .

Talk About It:Talk About It:

Which Which method of characterizationmethod of characterization do you do you think is best? think is best?

Which method is Which method is most interestingmost interesting to you to you as a reader? as a reader?

Which method is Which method is most challengingmost challenging for you for you as a writer? as a writer?

Writing Practice:Writing Practice:

Choose one of the following sentences and Choose one of the following sentences and change it from change it from DIRECTDIRECT to to INDIRECT INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION: CHARACTERIZATION:

Fred Fred is nervousis nervous around women. around women.

Janie Janie is depressedis depressed about her parents about her parents’’ divorce. divorce.

My brother My brother loves to eatloves to eat..

Stacy Stacy has a lot of confidencehas a lot of confidence in her athletic in her athletic ability.ability.

For Example:For Example:

Fred Fred is nervousis nervous around women. around women.

- OR - - OR -

Beads of sweatBeads of sweat start to form on Fred start to form on Fred’’s s temples whenever he talks to the temples whenever he talks to the pretty pretty brunettebrunette teller at the bank, and often teller at the bank, and often his his hands shakehands shake so badly that he struggles to so badly that he struggles to put his cash into his wallet. put his cash into his wallet.

Talk About It:Talk About It:

WhyWhy is is characterizationcharacterization important to a important to a story? story?

What messageWhat message does Bradbury send with does Bradbury send with the story the story ““All Summer in a Day?All Summer in a Day?”” (In other (In other words, what is hiswords, what is his THEME?) THEME?)

How is How is MargotMargot’’s characters character an important an important part of the storypart of the story’’s s theme?theme?