Ann's Profile (the protagonist of A Cry in the Night)

Ann's Profile (the protagonist of A Cry in the Night) - student project

Comprehensive Character Attribute Form

Type of character (protagonist, antagonist, sidekick, etc.): protagonist – young child

Name:  Ann

Goal:   to redeem herself from guilt in her pet’s death by rescuing a feral cat in a terrible storm

Flaw:   as a young child, she is naturally immature, but she tends to want to exert control over everything in her life (Princess Syndrome) and to do things her own way – when she loses control, due to her own actions, she blames herself needlessly for the outcome and becomes determined to make things right, without regard to her own safety and without fully considering the outcome of what she impulsively intends to do  (she exhibits insecurity; naïveté; inability to put the past behind; inability to face the past; stubbornness; and rashness)

Age:    8 years old (her birthday is April 7th)

Sex:    female

Height:  49” (4’ 1”)

Weight:  50 lbs.

Race:  white (she has a light complexion, lots of freckles, and she tans easily)

Hair color:  strawberry blonde

Eyes:  intense blue

Grooming: fairly clean all over; her hair and teeth are brushed daily

Clothing: kid’s styles and colorful – wears blouses or shirts, with pants, jeans, or short skirts

Health issues: a little too thin - with wiry arms and legs; hyperactive (doesn’t sit still very much); overly sensitive; rather high-strung; and very emotional/dramatic

Physical abilities:  she is athletic and can run very fast

Speech (accent):  speaks English, no discernable accent

Parents:  Jim (James) and Betsy (Elizabeth) – they are a close, loving family

Siblings:  none (she is an only child)

Friends:   very sociable - she has many friends; most are classmates or cousins

Best friend (or person closest to): Laura (a classmate) and Michelle (a cousin)

Least favorite people: Mr. Benet, the gym teacher who yells a lot

Enemies: she is “frenemies” with Dennis at school – he oftens teases her at school

Pets: Tabby the cat, recently deceased

Residence:  an attached 2-story frame house on Wellwood Drive

Neighborhood:  a small suburban community in Lawton, PA

Cultural background:  White, middle-class family – father works as a factory foreman, mother works   part-time as is a teacher’s assistant

Religion (and attitudes about religion): unspecified in this story

Memberships: belongs to school sports teams and the Brownie Scouts

Schooling: attends 2nd grade at Lawton Public Elementary School

Attitude toward school:  she enjoys social events and activities, likes to draw and write, but hates math

Popularity:  she is very popular with classmates, neighbors, and many of her teachers

Mentors:  Mrs. Green, her English teacher and Miss Wren, her art teacher

Heroes:   Wonder Woman and the “Mini-Marvels” (cartoon characters)

Favorite sports:  track (running), swimming, and “pee-wee” basketball

Work experience:  none (helps Mom and Dad around the house – sometimes)

Hobbies:  drawing, writing, playing with her cat (now deceased), playing “dress up,” going over to friends’ houses, playing certain board games and computer games, dancing (free-style), planting flowers in the yard

Likes and dislikes (music, movies, TV, books, etc.):  loves popular and children’s music – likes to dance and sing to them; reading or listening to fairytales (if they are not too scary); loves Disney Princesses, enjoys reading second-grade fiction, nonfiction about animals, and superhero graphic novels (especially about Wonder Woman) - hates math, spicy food, and “grown-up” or scary movies

Fears:  Is afraid of scary movies and stories, but is otherwise practically fearless

Dreams:  dreams about magical lands, and Disney Princesses

Life goals (in 5, 10, 30 years): unsure, but is considering being either a teacher or a veterinarian - or she might marry a wealthy Prince and live in a castle

Nervous habits:  does not sit still easily; twirls her shoulder-length hair, or nibbles on it; runs around to work off excess energy; and sometimes bites her nails

Foibles:  her hyper-sensitivity and tendency towards the dramatic sometimes cause her to exaggerate situations and can influence her judgment and actions - she also tends to take some things too seriously and/or tends to handle things herself, when she should seek adult assistance or advice

Reasoning style:  she relates everything in her environment to herself (as if the whole world revolves around her) and is intolerance of whatever she perceives is an injustice directed against her

How would your character’s friends describe her or him?  fun to be with

Is your character shy or bold?  outwardly, she acts bold - but inwardly, she has self-esteem issues

Is your character talkative or taciturn?   her eagerness to share the events of her day, or to voice her opinion, causes her to be talkative

What most irritates, embarrasses, or bores your character?   she becomes irritated when she doesn’t get her way and embarrassed and frustrated when she can’t understand or do math in school - she keeps herself occupied, so that she is seldom bored

How would your character complete the sentence “My life is pretty good”? (that was true before her beloved cat died)