Character and Characterization. A character is a person or animal who takes part in the action of a literary work. Characterization is the act of creating or describing a character. Writers create character using three major techniques: by showing what characters say, do, or think; by showing what other characters (and the narrator) say or think about them; and by describing what physical features, dress, and personality the characters display. As you read, note how Potok uses these methods of characterization to reveal the characters in “Moon.” Use the graphic organizer below as a model for recording examples of characterization in the story. Examples have been entered to get you started. Make sure to record an example of your own for each type of characterization. Keep your examples handy as you will reflect on them further once you’ve finished reading.

• In Pakistan, more than 25 percent of factory workers are children under the age of fourteen. These children are forced to work long hours and live and work in dark, cramped, unsanitary conditions. They are separated from their families and deprived of education. It is estimated that 500,000 to one million children aged four to fourteen currently work under these conditions in Pakistan and other countries.
• Child labor also has an appalling history in the United States. In the 1850s, industrialization in America increased, and children as young as six years old worked in mills and mines from early in the morning to late in the evening with no time for play or school. Injury, disease, and even death in factory accidents were common occurrences. In the 1900s, crusaders like Mother Jones and groups like the National Child Labor Committee drew attention to the plight of child laborers. In 1938, legislation was passed reg-ulating the wages, ages, and hours worked of children in the workforce.

What is your strategy for dealing with anger?