Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Question of the Week (11/12/10)

For those of you who were absent on Friday -- create a detailed character sketch in writing of one of the characters in TTC so far. Make sure to include 3 quotes using MLA format of your character. The sketch should include details of their physical and personality traits. Be detailed.

Then, create a character of your own using the Dickensian characters as your own inspiration. The character can be from any country or time period. Have fun with, but remember to be as detailed as Dickens.

Post your original character sketch on the blog by the end of the school day on Monday. Your original character must be inspired by a Dickensian character from A Tale of Two Cities. Have fun with this.

18 comments:

Carl Tischbein said...

Character Sketch:

Alex Cash is a cashier at the local 7-Eleven. Alex is 16 years old and is tall, about 6’1” and lanky. He has short, curly blonde hair. Alex generally wears a t-shirt and sweatshirt, with washed-out jeans. His expression is always neutral, and never seems to care much about anything. He always stands up very straight and has excellent posture. He always wears a New York Yankees baseball cap backwards. Alex does his job well and is always punctual, arriving after 4:30 after school and goes home at exactly 9:30. He is quiet, but very friendly and helpful when needed. His parents died in a car accident when he was an infant and he was scarred for life. He lives with his grandfather, about 2 miles from the 7-Eleven. He is caring a conscientious and does both his schoolwork and his work at the 7-Eleven thoroughly. He doesn’t really have a social life, although people like him, he likes to just stay at home and at his job. He doesn’t really have a sense of humor, he doesn’t understand jokes and has a pretty bad time with sarcasm.

Haiti quilter said...

I think that Alex Cash is a very good modern time representation of a modern dikensian charater. Bridget Moolah is a high-class New York woman. She lives in Manhattan and has a job working at south-street bank. Although she is pretty well off she doesn't pay much attention to the current fashion. She spends most of her days working long hours at bank, even when she is at home she only reads the "Wall Street Journal" So far she hasn't had a lot of sucess when it comes to love, because she is so absorbed with her work. Her natural hair color is brown, but she dies it white because she thinks that it makes her look "distinguished". She always wears a crisp black shirt with a jet black skirt. Under the skirt she wears opal colored tights. She is alittle bit shy when meeting potential clients (especially men), but under her hard entimidating exterior she is a very sweet and caring person.

Haiti quilter said...

This is my picture

erbear508 said...

Jerry Cruncher reminds me of a single mom who is tougher after her divorce. She was deeply in love with her husband who left her in the dust for her best friend. This ultimately broke her heart, but toughened her skin and helped her become stronger. After the divorce, her ex-husband moves to Morocco with his new wife and baby on the way. The single mom becomes a strong person and doesn't accept help from her friends or family and it determined to thrive on her own. She is always running her three kids to sporting events, friends houses, and other activities for the kids. All this is pretty hard for her to do on her own, but her kids don't know that at night their super mom works a second job until midnight to get some extra money. Because of her long hours, tempers are a little short in her house, but every night the kids pray for their family to get through.

Kate Kerin said...

Lisa Birdwinson is 56 years old, has graying hair, and is very slight and bony. Lisa wears mostly simple clothing of neutral colors that make her skin look jaundiced. She lives out in the Vermont countryside with her only son, Lucas. She used to be a veterinarian but has not gone back to work after a nearly fatal car crash. Instead of working as a veterinarian she works at a local restaurant as a cook. Her son moved back from Maine to be with her and to help her after the accident and he has been successful in helping the recovery. The car crash she was in remains a mystery because she will not talk about it, but Lisa is recovering quickly and will soon be able to go back to her original work. I like the other characters posted especially Sophie's drawing of her character that seems to resemble Jarvis Lorry.

sam merrens said...

Character Sketch:

Jürgen Bjørnsson

Jürgen is a large and intimidating man, though he is not a mindless hulk. He is of Germanic and Scandinavian descent, and has cropped blonde hair atop a small head, his head, in turn, sits upon the broad shoulders of a workman. His gait is heavy and lumbering, as if in each step he has to fight his legs so that they will move even an inch. Meanwhile, his gargantuan arms swing to his knees, aimlessly and without purpose. Jürgen’s eyes are set far apart, and his flattish nose lies unobtrusively in the middle. His eyes seem to wander from what he is looking at and stare into the distance, even if there is nothing there. Jürgen’s voice, though he rarely uses it, is like that of a bear, deep and powerful. Although he may seem to be a brute, Jürgen is wise and, at times, gentle. He towers over normal men, but, at times, he somehow blends in and one finds it difficult to pick him out of the crowd. Almost as if he is so big that he just becomes a part of the background. That is Jürgen Bjørnsson.

Oren said...

I find Jürgen Bjørnsson a very Dikensian charcater because of the author's seemingly at times contradictory description of him. I also enjoyed his particularly descriptive picture wrought of his face.

Character Sketch:

Rémy Blanc

Rémy is a tall and very thin man with a permanent sneer and a talent for trickery. A quick look at Rémy would suggest that he almost sickly thin, but underneath his shabby suit, he is quite well muscled and has a very athletic build. Rémy has very tall features with a long thin triangular nose planted in the center of his face. Rémy's eyes are dark flecked brown and always have a glint in them. His close-set eyes are constantly flicking back and forth un-noticibly and attentively. his ears are small and are exposed on the sides of his head and are contrasted by his coal black hair. His hair is very short on his head and in large curls and almost bounces when he strides. His pale toned mouth is fixed in a sort of sneer with a palpable air of mockery and criticism about him. His complexion is very pale and his face is unblemished and his perfectly stretched skin has no errant wrinkle. Still in the prime of his youth Rémy makes his living as an acrobat as well as an inside man. He works in the underworld of Paris and has four pocketbooks full of employers, shady and respectable. This is Rémy Blanc.

Parker Gardner said...

Wong-Chin Hare is a 73-year-old Chinese immigrant living in San Francisco. He is very short, barley tall enough to see customers over the counter of his spicy bagels shop, and has a very long bear sprouting out of his chin. These are the two most prominent features of Mr. Hare’s appearance, but upon close inspection, he is revealed to be much more. Mr. Hare is an infectiously happy, but silent man with a toothless smile always plastered across his chubby face and, despite his simple kindly appearance, a cunning and mischievous look in his eyes. Were he to speak his voice would be shrill and raspy, and his heavy accent would make him infuriatingly difficult to understand. It appears that all the hair which was once on his head has slipped down his cheeks and collected at his chin, leaving his brow wrinkled and shiny. Although he does own a bagel shop, he has now moved almost completely into the realm of retirement, and owns the shop for the soul purpose of closing it when people try to come in. he does this because in his old age he has discovered that he has a remarkable ability to get away with most things, and his favorite hobby has now become seeing exactly how long people will tolerate him. To further his appearance of age he has a thick, wooden cane, which he does not need, inch thick glasses that are of no use to him, and, over the years, has become very accomplished at being extremely inefficient and slow. Some of his favorite activities have become waiting for traffic lights to turn green before slowly and painfully making his way to the middle of intersections, refusing help at the cashier’s counter and slowly bagging his own groceries (often taking over an hour to do so), and finally, getting into cabs and falling asleep before the drive can ask him his destination. This is Wong-chin hare.
remy blanc is very well described an i can easily picture him. I think oren did a good job of both describing his appearance and conveying his attitude.

daniel said...

Leo Kopano is a 26 year old African American who immigrated to the US from South Africa about 7 years ago. Leo is about 6'3 and dark skinned. Leo has an Afro and his hair is very black. His hair is very curly and not straight in anyway. His ears are hidden within his hair so it is hard to see. Leo Has a great smile and his teeth are very white. Leo is a very happy guy and loves to spend time with his friends. He has a great sense of humor. His friends all like is deep accent and sometimes they don't understand him. Leo is learning English but still has a deep accent. Leo wears a suit to work and on the weekend he wears casual cloths mostly sports cloths. Leo works all week at his sports journalism job and on weekends he finds lots of activities to do. Leo's parents are back in South Africa and he is living in Boston with his brother. Leo Kopano is a great guy and everyone likes him.

Marlou Taenzer said...

Cara Lucky is around 4 feet 8 inches tall which most would consider rather short for a girl her age. She has dirty blond hair that barley touches her small shoulders. As she despises the task of brushing her hair she usually keeps it in a messy pony which is held by a black scrunchy. Her warm brown eyes give one feeling that one has known her for a while. Her face is covered in freckles, which have become more and more over the years. They are however especially prominent on her small crooked nose. A past time of her mother has become connecting the freckles, something that Cara strongly dislikes. Around her neck she always wears a necklace with a small letter C, this was a birthday gift from her father. Her large hands, which her parents are hoping is a sign that she will continue to grow, as well as her long and thin fingers the nails of which are always painted in a light pink shade have become well known for her outstanding performances on the piano. Cara plays many sports and is therefore quite strong, she regularly beats her older brother in arm wrestling. She is almost always in a good mood, which is something that radiates from her facial expression. When she is smiling you can see her tiny white teeth (which were recently relieved of braces). She can usually be heard speaking in a rather loud face cheerful voice. Cara is usually wearing jeans and a t-shirt, she is rarely seen in coats as the climate in California, where she lives, is warm. Cara enjoys school because she likes being challenged, she is determined to be the best in everything which is both a good and slightly problematic trait. Good because she usually produces outstanding work and results in most areas of life. Problematic purely because no one is perfect and it is not possible to do everything perfectly, this is something that Cara refuses to accept. Her overachieving attitude has been the source of many arguments between relatives and friends. None the less one can hardly think less of her because of this. Despite this impressive drive to succeed there are till traits of an average teenager in Cara. She usually misses the school bus and is left with no choice other than to run to school, which usually causes many ruined pairs of sandals as well as her being about ten minutes late to first period. She however does not mind this because she does not like Spanish very much anyway.
I think that all of the above character descriptions are very good.

Parker said...

Lucy Manett is a short and petite french girl with long curly blond hair. She has inquiring blue eyes, and a young, pretty face. Lucy is a very polite girl, which shows she has grown up in a rather wealthy society. She speaks very good english with a slight french accent. "Pray, Take a seat sir." (pg29) Shows Lucy's polite and sweet nature. "-respecting the small property of my poor father, whom I never saw- so long dead-." (pg 29) Lucy has had an emotionally rough childhood, she is a sad girl who thinks her dad as dead. " I am going to see his ghost, It will be his ghost, not him." (pg 34)
Lucy is afraid of what she will see. She is afraid of what her father will look like and if he will love her. She has had a sad child hood, growing up thinking that she was an orphan.

Parker said...

Penn Allen, a young sailor of eighteen. She stands tall in her 5 ft with dark skin tanned by the sun, her hair once dark brown is streaked with light golden streaks highlighted by the sun, and salt from the ocean. Her hands calused, and muscles toned by the rigorous work of keeping up the boat. She helps to man the white canvas sails that power the twenty four foot sail boat. Her eyes the color of the green caribbean sea take in the vast emptiness of the open ocean. Her teeth shine like white pearls when she smiles. She moves lightly and graceful like a dancer, she loves the sea, but it is all she has ever known. Penn longs for company of other people her age, but does not want to leave her home, the vast ocean.

Unknown said...

Ryan Jones is a prominent businessman in New York City. He's fairly tall with a stocky build. His fair skin and light blonde hair show Scandinavian heritage. His light eyes are sunken in from high levels of stress, and he generally appears to be very tired. He doesn't have much of a social life, all he focuses on is work. He always wears black suits, with ironed white shirts. Ryan has one focus in life, his job, and that is very apparent in his closed personality.
Remi Blanc is really well described and I can really picture him.

David Desaulniers said...

Harold Heckler is an old man living in Poppersville, Oklahoma. He was in the Navy in his youth day but lost his leg and eye on a battle ship on the count of falling off the watch tower. He received a purple heart and has been living off Navy pension checks ever since. Now he is 89 years old and goes day to day just sitting on his porch in his rocking chair heckling kids as they go by on their bikes. He is unmarried and has no friends, and wishes all young people would stay away from his home.

Meryl said...

Caroline Vivid is the well know blond in Tennesee. Caroline is 18 years old. She carries herself with great poise and grace. Caroline is very friendly and light hearted. She holds people around her very high and cares deeply for them. She doesn't let little things get to her and loves to be around people. Her blond hair falls in waves that cascade around her. Her eyes are a green/blue that looks like an ocean storm at storm. Her soft nose rounds into her small mouth that always seems to be moving. She is tall in stature. She has always had what she wants in life, but tries not to take that for granted. She knows how to care for people and love animals. She has a boyfriend of 4 years and they are deeply in love. She hopes to marry him and have children of her own. She would be a great caring moving who would spoil her kids enough, but not to much.

Hudson Schuchman said...

Juan Carlos de Rico is the leader of a mexican drug cartel. His nickname is el murcielago or the bat. Naturally, he drives a jet black Lamborghini Murcielago. If you saw him on the streets of LA, where he lives, he wouldn’t stand out much, which is something he aims for. His english has a thick mexican accent but with an equally thick urban sound. His clothes and short hair that is buzzed down don’t stand out much. The only thing that might attract your attention is the thick but finely made gold chain that he wears around his neck with a small and unassuming circle of metal that has a stamped picture of the saint guadalupe on it, although this type of necklace isn’t uncommonly worn among Latin Americans.

David said...

Hudson I like your character, especially his name.
Luther Crabs is a middle aged, highly overweight Australian immigrant who runs his own business planting rare flowers in peoples' yards. He does most of his work at night because he feels that rare flowers flourish when planted in the moonlight.
He lives in a very small apartment with his two pets; a dog and a fish that he both named after himself. The apartment building has a strictly enforced rule stating that no pets are allowed within the building, but he manages to bypass this by sneaking up onto the roof each day, placing his fish tank in the shade and chaining his dog to an air vent so that they are undetectable while he is out and about each day. At night, he stops by his apartment and brings them both back inside before he goes to his job planting rare flowers.
During the day Luther operates on a strict routine; he starts by taking a two hour power-nap to regain his energy after a hard night of moonlit gardening. After he wakes up, he spends ten minutes securing his pets on the roof and goes off to eat breakfast at a local cafe. As mentioned earlier, Luther is highly overweight. This is almost entirely due to his habit of eating a breakfast four times the size of a regular meal. Once he has completed his breakfast, he goes off to his church. He does not go to the church to pray, but rather to vituperate the religious officials that run it. Each day he goes and yells at them for praying that his small midnight flower planting business will fail. Nobody has every really prayed against Luther's strange business, but he does not understand this because he is completely uneducated. He has never received a formal education mostly due to the fact that his entire childhood was spent drifting across the pacific ocean from Australia on a small, wooden kayak.
Mr. Luther Crabs is a very short tempered man, which is evident from the way he scolds any and all people affiliated with any religious belief. He is gentle at heart, but has trouble understanding most of the english language, so he gets frustrated when people speak to quickly to him. Overall, Luther Crabs is just an average immigrant living in a small apartment, trying to make a living off of a very poor business plan.

Alli said...
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