1. ASManager2.zip Driver
2. h_portrt.txt File Contents

h_portrt.txt Driver File Contents (ASManager2.zip)

Name: <  >
Class: <  >
Date: <  >



Word Portrait

Quick Write
Please write a quick description of a character-- someone you know, someone from literature, or someone dwelling in your imagination.

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Below is a word portrait describing the Fat Man in The Maltese Falcon by D. Hammett. Please read it outloud if possible. First read it for enjoyment. Then read again, thinking about what makes this such good writing.

The fat man was flabbily fat with bulbous pink cheeks and lips and chins and neck, with a great soft egg of a belly that was all his torso, and pendant cones for arms and legs. As he advanced to meet Spade, all his bulbs rose and shook and fell separately with each step, in the manner of clustered soap-bubbles not yet released from the pipe through which they had been blown. His eyes, made small by fat puffs around them, were dark and sleek. Dark ringlets thinly covered his broad scalp. He wore a black cutaway coat, black vest, black satin ascot tie holding a pinkish pearl, striped gray worsted trousers, and patent-leather shoes.

His voice was a throaty purr. "Ah, Mr. Spade," he said with enthusiasm and held out a hand like a fat pink star.

Please list some of the techniques or elements in this characterization that make it particularly good writing.

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Did you notice that Mr. Hammett chose language that sounds fat and soft and flabby? He used almost cartoon-like images of the Fat Man. He also uses a simile to describe the man's hand that was "like a fat pink star."

Using some of Mr. Hammett's techniques, create a word portrait of an imaginary Thin Man. Use Mr. Hammett's description as your model. When you see bracketed words, try to come up with a similar way of describing the feature for an extremely thin and bony person. You may want to change some of the other wording in addition to working with the words in the brackets.

The Thin Man

The [fat] man was [flabbily fat] with [bulbous pink] cheeks and lips and chins and neck, with a [great soft egg of a belly] that was all his torso, and [pendant cones] for arms and legs. As he advanced to meet Spade, all his [bulbs rose and shook and fell separately] with each step, in the manner of [clustered soap-bubbles not yet released from the pipe through which they had been blown]. His eyes, made [small by fat puffs around them], were dark and sleek. Dark ringlets thinly covered his [broad] scalp. He wore a black cutaway coat, black vest, black satin ascot tie holding a pinkish pearl, striped gray worsted trousers, and patent-leather shoes.

His voice was a [throaty purr]. "Ah, Mr. Spade," he said with enthusiasm and held out a hand like a [fat pink star].


Name and save this file now. (Press ctrl+S, type a name for the file, and press enter.)

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Have a friend or your partner read your Thin Man passage. Were you successful in using language that sounds thin and bony? Did you successfully draw a portrait by which the reader can picture your Thin Man?


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Now it is your turn to apply some of the techniques you've been exploring in Mr. Hammett's writing. Based either on someone you have observed, and may know well, or upon a character conjured up in your imagination, write a one or two paragraph description. You will want to clearly see the character in your own mind before you recreate the character through your writing. So, get a clear picture and then have fun forming language into a wonderful word portrait.

First, describe in one or two words or a short phrase the following characteristics of your character.

Most noteworthy feature:	<  >
How the character walks:	<  >
How the character talks:	<  >
The character's posture:	<  >
The character's clothing:	<  >
The character's voice:		<  >
The character's gestures:	<  >
The character's eccentricities:	<  >
Other?				<  >

Title of my character sketch:	<  >



My Sketch

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After you complete your portrait, you may enjoy collaborating with a friend to further develop your description.<  >


If you haven't done so already, name and save this file now. (Press ctrl+S, type a name for the file, and press enter.)

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end of activity
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