Sometimes, as the captain of the Titanic learned, there is more to an iceberg than meets the eye. In many cases, what you see above the water may one be a small piece of the entire iceberg. Often, most of the iceberg – the dangerous part – remains underwater, out of sight.
An iceberg is a good metaphor to use when studying a specific character. Like an iceberg, part of the character is easily visible; but at the same time there might be a part, sometimes a large part, of the character that remains unseen. Consider the following examples:
| Character | Visible Characteristics | Characteristics Below the Surface |
| Haulden Caufield | Angry, disillusioned, indifferent | Sensitive, susceptible, wounded |
| Arthur Dimmsdale | Moral, sincere, a leader | Immoral, insincere, devious |
| Ultima | Mystical, threatening, unapproachable | Nurturing, wise, mentoring |
| Piggy | Annoying, whiny, nerdy | Reasoned, intelligent, insightful |
| Jay Gatsby | Wealthy, worldly, upstanding | Scandalous, unethical, secretive |
| Boo Radley | Odd, isolated, reclusive | Brave, caring, protective |
All characters reveal something about themselves to others, but sometimes it’s more interesting to analyze what a character DOESN’T reveal to others. Using the iceberg as a an analytical tool we will examine and think about the seen and unseen characteristics of a character. Look at the example I did for the character of Iago from the play Othello.
Today, we will come up with ten characteristics for ourselves, Mrs. Drover, and Jerome (Pig Boy).
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Tomorrow, we will write a paragraph for the two characters. On the back of each Iceberg, write a paragraph describing the character with textual evidence. You do not need to have a quote for each word that you used, but I do want one quote for a visible characteristic and an unseen characteristic.
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