Character Foil Fun

I've always loved Kevin Hart....I love him even more now that I was able to use him so that my students would understand foil characters!  We used the concept of (I'm ashamed that I think this movie is so funny) Get Hard, in order to understand how authors enhance characterization through the use of a character foil.  

I discussed how and why this literary technique is used by emphasizing the film and all of the ways in which the characters are different.

We even practiced with a few of their favorite texts before we ever discussed the foil characters in OTK. My students later completed a group project on Oedipus + Creon and how they are a great example of foil characters. 

BUT, I always like to challenge my students individually as well - especially in an Honors Class!


I'm actually a huge fan of tricking my students into doing harder work than they think they can do. (You're always smarter than you think you are!) So, I secretly choose AP prompts and make the word choice appear easier, to take away some of their fear. They have no idea they're doing AP work, but their test scores and writing styles certainly show improvement!

 I decided that their first official analytical prompt would deal with foil characters.  I use a released form of open-ended AP prompts.  This is a great way to introduce your students to more difficult material + apply it to whatever you're currently studying. All you have to do is change a few words and BAM you have an instant activity that challenges students, yet still sticks with the content.  Here's a list of open ended AP prompts if you're interested: Click Here!


We spent an entire week discussing how to write an analytical paper, what NOT to do, and how to make your project stand out from the rest.  Their notebooks looked like this at the end of the week:

The culminating activity: Choose a story or novel that you've read that displays an example of a foil character.  Illustrate the characters and include their differences.  Include at least 2 symbols + three quotes that highlight their differences on each side.

THEN, respond to the following prompt: In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of the minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. Discuss how the relation between the minor character and the major character from the book/story you chose illuminates the meaning of the work. Here's a few of my favorite illustrated examples:

You can purchase my foil project which includes a rubric, project outline, examples of paper + illustrations, and more! Click here to view: Character Foil Project

We're moving on to my favorite memoir now, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. What's everyone else reading?