Since eight-year-old Cassie is the narrator of the novel you’re reading, you see the story’s events from her point of view, and you have to rely on her knowledge of events to decide for yourself what they mean. However, Cassie describes the behavior of other characters very carefully and in very specific terms. As a result, you can infer what many of the other characters are thinking or feeling.
One way to express your understanding of a novel’s characters is to write about them—in a journal entry or in a more formal essay. Another option is to put your ideas into a picture like the collage below. (A collage is a mixture of images taken from other sources and attached or layered in a way that says something new.) Click the images below to see a larger version of each collage. The collage on the right side represents Cassie’s perspective on some of the events in the novel and includes her own words. The collage on the left represents another round but less central character.
Question
Which character’s perspective is represented by the collage on the left? What do the collage’s images suggest about this character’s experience and understanding?
Turn It In!
Create a collage of your own, illustrating the perspective of one of the round characters other than Cassie or Mama in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Recall some scenes in which the character plays a central role, and gather a collection of images that could illustrate what the character sees, thinks, and feels. Somewhere on your collage, include some of the character’s own words—dialogue that makes the character seem rounder or shows that the character is dynamic, not static.
Hint!
You can select images for your collage from magazines, newspapers, and other printed documents. You can also search for images online and print them out to use in your collage. If you have access to a software program that lets you create digital collages or posters, you can create your collage on a computer and submit your final product.
When you feel that your character collage fulfills all of the assignment’s requirements and represents your best work, scan it and submit the image file to your teacher. Your work on this assignment will be graded using the rubric below.
| Points | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 5 | The images you selected for your collage illustrate what the character would have seen when participating in or observing one or more of the novel’s events. |
| 5 | The images and other visual elements in your collage suggest how the character would have felt or thought about the scene. |
| 5 | The dialogue you selected to represent a new or deeper aspect of your character’s personality reveals how the character saw, felt, or thought about the situation. |
| 5 | The images and dialogue are combined in a way that helps viewers gain a better overall understanding of the character’s perspective. |
