The best method to fulfill Maya's teacher's instruction to use more direct characterization is to "directly and explicitly tell the reader what the character is like." This approach involves explicitly stating the character's traits, motivations, or emotions rather than implying them through actions or dialogue.
For example, if a character is described as "Sara was incredibly generous, always putting others' needs before her own," this is direct characterization. It clearly informs the reader of Sara's personality without requiring them to infer it from her actions or words.
In contrast, showing a character’s personality through their thoughts, actions, or dialogue involves indirect characterization, which is not what the teacher is asking for. Indirect characterization requires the reader to interpret the character's traits based on their behavior or thoughts, while direct characterization lays it out clearly.
So, if your response was focused on showing personality through actions or thoughts, you misunderstood the nature of direct characterization. The correct answer is to explicitly tell the reader what the character is like.
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