Bessie Head, author of the short story “The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses” constructs her characters through the use of description and diction. Not only does the protagonist, Brille, become a clear, almost real image in the reader's mind, but also the rest of the prisoners and the antagonist Warder Hannetjie. Head's descriptive skill allows the reader to feel like they actually know the characters. He uses slightly descriptive words to actually describe the characters, but the image is built through the diction he used for the different characters. Over the course of reading, the character Brille becomes almost an acquaintance through what the reader learns from Head's diction and description. Brille's description of what it looks like is simple. There's not much to his description,”. . . a skinny little man with a sunken chest and comical knobby knees” (Head, 11). An image of this prisoner has already formed. Head portrays Brille as a loyal and honest companion to others. Prisoners are not supposed to eat cabbages and when the guard sees a cabbage that Brille dropped after eating some of it, he asks who did it and Brille replies, "It was me" (Head, 13). Brille admitted his wrongdoings so that others wouldn't have to pay for what he had done proving that he is truly respectful and loyal to his comrades. Brille appears to be well educated judging by the diction used in the story. In a letter to his children Brille writes: “Be good companions, my children. Cooperate and life will flow well” (Head, 14). The vocabulary and pronunciation shown suggests that Brille is well educated. Brille and her personality are well created through Bessie Head's use of description and diction. Br...... in the center of the paper ......the reader gets the image of a group of cunning men in a sort of family group doing what they want, together. Bessie Head uses diction and description in her story to build characters. By the end, the reader feels like they have met Brille, Hannetjie, and the rest of the prisoners. Head uses his descriptive skills to create an image in the reader's mind. It continues with the use of diction to identify personality traits and relationships between different characters. Throughout the story the characters are constantly consolidated in the reader's mind. Works Cited • Capo, Bessie “The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses,” Heinemann International, African Writers Series, Copyright 1989 • Modern World Literature, McDougal Littell, Houghton Mifflin Company , Copyright 2001• WiseGEEK.com, Morrow, Licia “What is a antagonist", Conjecture Corporation, Copyright 2003-2013