Invisible Man

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

 “What’s in a Name?”

In this activity, students will create a character and tell a story without using that character’s name to analyze and demonstrate the power in being both named and unnamed.

First, take five minutes to design and develop a character. Imagine them in their entirety and write down answers to the following question:

• What are three adjectives or traits you would use to describe the character?
• What are the character’s strengths and weaknesses?
• How does the character respond to conflict?
• What are the character’s goals?

Next, write one-paragraph narrative from your character’s perspective without naming them. Be sure to develop the characteristics you identified in the first part of the activity.

Finally, as a class or in your reading journal, discuss the following questions:

• What was it like to tell a story in which you could not give your main character and narrator a name? How did that affect the way you told the story?
• What power is there in a name?
• What power is there when someone is unnamed?
• What did we learn about the protagonist as an unnamed character?