Showing vs. Telling

Telling: The black dog was terrified of strangers, especially those who wore hats.

Showing: Roxy leapt onto Mr. Snare, bringing blows with her paws one by one to his torso.  Her dusty, charcoal fur bounced around, occasionally falling out.  She persisted, bringing him up against a wall, until his Cleveland Indians ball cap was pushed loose and fell to the floor.  She dug her teeth into the brim of the hat and sprinted off to the living room.  Rips and tears could be heard across the house, as well as aggressive snarls and growls.  She returned triumphantly once the hat was completely shredded.

Telling: The old teacher spent most of his days yelling at his class.

Showing: Mr. Burton flailed around his chair, which was clearly not made for those who struggle to sit up.  Two teenage boys in the back of the class were throwing balls of paper across the room, hitting everyone but each other.  His hoarse voice called out at them.  They picked up their heads and sat up to pay attention.  Mr. Burton continued on to describe the process of mitosis as he was struck in the head by a large eraser.  He lashed around in frustration, still incapacitated from more than simple rotation by his chair.  A young girl in the front row began to giggle, amused by his inability to appear intimidating.

Telling: The young man had a way of making those around him always feel good.

Showing: Christopher strolled the hall with a certain confidence, the kind of confidence that could only come with a great deal of humility.  He darted a welcome greeting to Mrs. Wilk, the elderly physics teacher.  As he passed up the stairway he doled a number of pats on the back and high-fives, each just as sincere as the other.  Arriving at his next class, he commented on the shirt of his government teacher Mr. Fragen, who burst out laughing, clearly amused by the young man's presence.  As he sat down a few teenage boys his age arrived to ask him for his brilliant insight on the latest episode of The Walking Dead, and left satisfied with what they were told.