The Description of Character

MOTIVE III

The Description of Character.—. Unity of impression is secured in the follow¬ing model by the use of a fundamental quality :

MODEL

Jot Bascom could always be relied on for the latest and most authentic news He was an attend¬ant at every funeral, and as far as possible every wed¬ding, in the village ; at every flag-raising and husking, and town and county fair. When more pressing duties did not hinder, he endeavored to meet the two daily trains that passed through Milliken's Mills, a mile or two from Pleasant River. He accompanied the sheriff on all journeys entailing serving of papers and other embarrassing duties common to the law He went with all paupers to the Poor Farm, and never missed a town meeting  He knew who owed the fish-man and who owed the meat-man, and who could not get trusted by either of them. In fact, sofar as the divine attributes of omniscience and omnipresence could be vested in a faulty human creature, they were present in Jot Bascom.

- KATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN, The Village Watch Tower.

ANALYSIS OF TIIE MODEL

1.	The fiaragrafth structure is the same as in Descrifition¬motive I.

2.	The material used to develoft the fundamental quality in character-descrifition consists of.

The habits of life, tastes, opinions, accomplishments, but not details of the personal appearance, of the person whose character is described ; we need this latter material for a separate motive — that of the description of personal appearance. Use incidents chiefly for material in writing character-descrip¬tion. What is the fundamental quality of the character described above ? What details enforce this quality ?

The Parson, too, appeared, a man austere, The instinct of whose nature was to kill ; The wrath of God he preached from year to year, And read, with fervor, Edwards on the Will ; His favorite pastime was to slay the deer In Summer on some Adirondac hill ; E'en now, while walking down the rural lane, He lopped the wayside lilies with his cane.

- HENRY W. LONGFELLOW, The Birds of Killzitgworlh.