This document provides an agenda and discussion for an English class focusing on the book A Game of Thrones. The class will discuss character selections, introduce the first essay assignment on character analysis, cover the rhetorical strategy of analogy, and review vocabulary words for an upcoming test. Students will write in class using analogy to describe their chosen character. For homework, they are asked to read further in the book, post their character analogy, and describe their character with details and a short scene. They will also study vocabulary words for a test in the next class.

1. S
EWRT 2: Class 4

3. Agenda
S QHQ: A Game of Thrones
S Analytic Authority Picks
S Introduce Essay #1
S Rhetorical Strategies: Analogy
S Introduction to Vocab List #3

4. QHQ
What do you
think?

5. S Will others ever treat Tyrion with some respect?
S Q: Can Tyrion Lannister be considered an
honest man who lives up to his word and
“honor”?
S Can we believe Tyrion for the negative things he
said about the Littlefinger?
S Why was Catelyn so quick to accuse and
capture Tyrion Lannister?

6. S What has Daenerys lost and gained
from her marriage to Khal Drogo?
S Why is Daenerys able to adjust and
even thrive as part of Khal Drogo’s
khalasar?
S Is Dany going to fit into the Dothraki
life style or will it change her?
S Should [Dany] feel the least bit
indebted and humbled for her position
among the Dothraki? Is it fair, and does
it indicate reform, that she is
manipulating her servants’ sense of
belonging that resembles that which
used to be her own?
S What is Viserys’s main
purpose; will he triumph?
S Does Viserys regret
marrying his sister to
Drogo?
S Will Dany betray her
brother and pay him back
for all the stuff he has done
to her?
S Why did Dany stand by and
watch as Viserys was killed
by Khal Drogo with molten
gold?
Targaryen Family

7. Stark Family
S I wonder if Catelyn’s angry
reaction to Tyrion’s scheme
to harm her son could have
some psychological effects
on health or could it be a
sign of objectification (Bran
is her son, therefore she
makes him into an object—
almost?) Is it her own
insecurities which lead her
to this reaction?
S Is Eddard Stark an
honorable man?
S Why does Eddard Stark
talk about honor so much?
S Is there a significant meaning in
Syrio Forel calling Arya, “boy”?
S What will be the result of Arya
learning how to sword fight?
S Why does Ned let Arya keep
needle?
S Why did Jon choose to defend
Samwell Tarly in the practice
yard?
S Was it a good idea to place
Jon in the Night’s Watch?

8. Assorted Others
S Why exactly did Jon
Arryn look for King
Robert’s bastard and how
was it related to his
untimely demise?
S Is Lord Petyr Baelish
(also known as
Littlefinger) trustworthy?
S Will Aemon being a
Targaryen play an
important role in the
future? Will he be of
use to Jon Snow since
they can both relate to
similar situations?

9. S
Let’s Choose Characters!
Who do you want?

10. Who will you
choose?
There are more than 40 characters
to choose from, including both
major characters, like Jaime
Lannister and minor characters like
Old Nan, Samwell Tarley, and
Gregor Clegane
There are two selections for each of
the eight chapter characters
(Eddard, Catelyn, Daenerys,
Tyrion, Jon, Bran, Sansa and Arya)
There are advantages and
disadvantages to each character.

11. S There are character lists on the tables in front. They are organized by family,
castle, or country.
S I will call you up in order of your score. In the case of ties, you will choose
alphabetically.
S When your turn comes, write your name on the line nest to the character you
have chosen.
S Tell me who you have chosen, so I can mark him or her off of a list that will
show on the overhead.
S Keep in mind who you want as we move through the process, so when it is your
turn, you can choose quickly.
S Please, keep on eye on which characters are still on the table so that you are
ready to sign-up for yours. Please keep the noise down while people are
choosing.

12. Introduce Essay #1
S Essay #1 The Character Analysis
S Write a 3-5-page character analysis essay.
S To analyze a character, you must find out what makes him or her “tick”
by looking at social, behavioral, physical, and mental or emotional traits.
You also must examine how the author presents those traits through
actions, words, thoughts, looks, and reactions. Select a character and
write an essay answering one of the following questions about him or
her. Feel free to use the character for which you are the analytical
authority. You are not, however, limited by this for your character
analysis essay.

13. S TOPIC 1: Not all supporting
characters play an integral role in a
story; however, sometimes a minor
character is so important to the
novel that the theme, plot,
protagonist, or antagonist would be
greatly changed if that character
did not exist. From A Game of
Thrones, analyze a minor character
that plays a significant role. Write
a well-developed essay in which
you analyze the character and
explain why he or she is a
significant character in the work.
Be sure to use specific examples
and quotations to support your
claims.

14. TOPIC 2: A dynamic character is
one who changes or grows
emotionally or psychologically
from the beginning of the novel
until end. Many novels have
multiple dynamic characters.
Choose one character from A
Game of Thrones and write a well-
developed essay in which you
prove that he or she is a dynamic
character. Be sure to use specific
examples and quotations to
support your claims.

15. TOPIC 3: Often a character reflects
the culture of the country in which
he lives, that is, he or she
exemplifies the skills, arts, values,
beliefs, and ideals that of a certain
people or country. From A Game of
Thrones, choose a character that
embodies the culture of the people
he or she represents. In a well-
developed essay, define the culture
of one character and show how that
character illustrates that culture.

16. TOPIC 4: Analyze a character that reveals
his or her personality, ethics, morals, and
nature through the challenges he or she
faces. Think about the different types of
conflict that exist. Conflict can be
external, such as person versus person,
person versus nature, or person versus
society. Conflict can also be internal, for
example, person versus self. How does
your chosen character experience conflict
during the novel? Keep in mind how
conflict causes a character to change
throughout the course of the story.

17. TOPIC 5: Aristotle's ideas about
tragedy were recorded in his book
of literary theory titled Poetics. In
it, he has a great deal to say about
the structure, purpose, and intended
effect of tragedy. His ideas have
been adopted, disputed, expanded,
and discussed for several centuries
now. In a well-written essay,
analyze a character from Game of
Thrones, arguing for or against his
or her status as a “tragic hero.”

18. One Step at a Time
S Let’s just start by describing our
characters. Using analogies will help the
reader see what you mean.
S An analogy is reasoning or explaining
from parallel cases. In other words, an
analogy is a comparison between two
different things in order to highlight
some point of similarity.

19. Analogy: A Rhetorical Strategy
S An analogy is a kind of comparison that explains the
unknown in terms of the known, the unfamiliar in terms of
the familiar.
S A good analogy can help your readers understand a
complicated subject or view a common experience in a new
way. Analogies can be used with other methods of
development to explain a process, define a concept, narrate
an event, or describe a person or place.
S Analogy isn't a single form of writing. Rather, it's a tool for
thinking about a subject/

20. S Despite similarities, an analogy is not the same as a
metaphor. According to The Elements of Figurative Language
(Longman, 2002), the analogy "is a figure of language that
expresses a set of like relationships among two sets of
terms. In essence, the analogy does not claim total
identification, which is the property of the metaphor. It
claims a similarity of relationships."

21. S While analogy and simile are both comparisons of two seemingly
unrelated things, they are not the same. A simile is a figure of speech,
while an analogy is a type of argument. Generally, an analogy is more
complex than a simile.
S A simile is usually structured in one of two ways. The figure of speech can
use the word "like" to compare two items. An example using "like" is, "Her
hair shone like the sun." Hair and the sun usually are not considered the
same, but the simile describes them as shining in a similar manner. An
example of a simile using "as" is, "His teeth were as white as clouds." In
that simile, the man's teeth are compared to the color of clouds.
S Analogies are used to make a connection between two objects or ideas to
better explain the first object. For example, a short type of analogy is,
"Coffee is to caffeine as beer is to alcohol." Coffee and beer are both
beverages, and caffeine and alcohol are the drugs they contain. In some
instances, it may be difficult to determine the connection between the two
items.

22. An analogy is not quite the same as comparison and contrast
either, although both are methods of explanation that set
things side by side.
You might show, in writing a comparison and contrast,
how San Francisco is quite unlike Boston in history,
climate, and predominant life-styles, but like it in being a
seaport and a city proud of its own (and neighboring)
colleges. That isn't the way an analogy works. In an
analogy you yoke together two unlike things (eye and
camera, the task of navigating a spacecraft and the task of
sinking a putt), and all you care about is their major
similarities. (The Bedford Reader: Bedford/St. Martin's,
2008)

23. S Pupils are more like oysters than sausages. The job of teaching is not to
stuff them and then seal them up, but to help them open and reveal the
riches within. There are pearls in each of us, if only we knew how to
cultivate them with ardor and persistence.
(Sydney J. Harris, "What True Education Should Do," 1964)
S Even in his last years, grandpappy had a mind like a steel trap, only one
that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut. (Sandra Hull, Arlington)
S A gang of boys is like a pack of wolves.
S Jaime’s sword is Tyrion’s book.
S Asking Joffrey to run the kingdom is like asking a kindergartener to
balance your checkbook.
S Expecting Cersei to be honorable is like expecting the direwolves to play
nicely with kittens.
Examples of Analogies

24. Analogies help people understand
complicated ideas quickly
S 1. Computer Resources (CPU, RAM, Hard Drive)
A computer is like a kitchen at a restaurant.
The computer's processor is like a chef, who works to prepare the food. The faster the
chef, the faster food is ready. A dual-core processor is like having a kitchen with two
chefs, so two things can be prepared at the same time.
The computer's RAM is like counter-top space. Everything in RAM is easy for the
processor to get at, so if you have a lot of counter space, the chef can work on
preparing more things at once. If you don't have enough counter space, the chef can't
work on as many things. Some programs use a lot of RAM, just like some recipes call
for a lot of ingredients, so it is harder to fit more stuff on the counter.
The computer's hard drive is like the cupboards and refrigerator. These things hold the
ingredients until the chef needs them. If space runs out, then the old ingredients need
to be thrown out to make room for new ones.
You, the computer user, are then the customer who is ordering things from the kitchen.
If the chef is slow, or their isn't enough counter-top space, it's going to longer for things
to get done, especially if you are ordering a lot of things at once.

25. In-class writing:
S Use analogy to describe or explain your
character.
S You can compare your character to a
machine, a plant, another character or
person, or a season. The possibilities are
endless.

26. Study the
words for the
test in class 7

29. Homework
S Read A Game of Thrones through 400
S Post #6 In-class writing: analogy
S Post #7 Describe your character; include page numbers
•What does your character look like? Include, for example, hair, eyes,
height, weight, build, or other physical characteristics.
• Now choose one aspect of the character’s appearance, a detail (bitten
nails, frizzy hair, a scar) and elaborate on it.
• Write a short scene in which your character is looking in the mirror
or write a short scene in which another character first sees your
character.
S Study Vocabulary: Exam class Seven