Character. A character is a person or animal who takes part in the action of a literary work. The main character is called the protagonist. A character who struggles against the main character is called an antagonist. Characters can also be classified as major characters or minor characters. Major characters are ones who play important roles in a work. Minor characters are ones who play less important roles. A one-dimensional character, flat character, or caricature is one who exhibits a single quality, or character trait. A three-dimensional, full, or rounded character is one who seems to have all the complexities of an actual human being. As you read “Priscilla and the Wimps,” determine for each character whether he or she is: 1) the protagonist, antagonist, or neither; 2) a major or minor character; and 3) a one-dimensional character or a three-dimensional character. To help keep track of your findings, you may want to place checkmarks in a graphic organizer like the one to the right. The narrator has been done for you as an example. Hyperbole. A hyperbole is an exaggeration made for effect. Look for hyperboles as you read.
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• American History Connection. The earliest identified American gangs formed after the Revolutionary War (1775–1783). These gangs were known as Smith’s Vly gang, the Bowery Boys, the Broadway Boys, the Long Bridge Boys, and the Fly Boys. Members were in their teens and early twenties.
• Geography Connection. Although today’s American gangs are more common in metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, gang activity also occurs in mid-size cities and small towns. In 1984 Los Angeles had an estimated 450 gangs and 40,000 members; by the mid-1990s those estimates had grown to 900 gangs and more than 100,000 members. In 1987, the city of Louisville, Kentucky, reported 1,000 gang members; Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1,757 members; and Fort Wayne, Indiana, 50 members.
What have you or some of your classmates done when intimidated by a bully or gang member?
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