Dialectical Journals for Lord of the Flies
*Be sure you have downloaded the appropriate document from the website and re-named the file. *
A dialectical journal is a way to gather, analyze, and comment on a text as you read.
For Lord of the Flies your journals will concentrate on characterization. There is a final table for you to add additional quotes on theme, symbols, etc that you may feel are worth discussion.
There are two ways an author can convey information about a character:
Direct or explicit characterization
The author literally tells the audience what a character is like. This may be done via the narrator, another character or by the character him- or herself.
Example: “The patient boy and quiet girl were both well-mannered and did not disobey their mother.”
The author is directly telling the audience the personality of these two children. The boy is “patient” and the girl is “quiet.”
Indirect or implicit characterization
The audience must infer for themselves what the character is like. Consider using the STEAL acronym to look for indirect characterization
Speech / What does the character say? How does the character speak?Thoughts / What is revealed through the character’s private thoughts and feelings?
Effect on others / What is revealed through the character’s effect on other people? How do other characters feel or behave in reaction to the character? What do they say about the character?
Actions / What does the character do? How does the character behave?
Looks / What does the character look like?
For each chapter you must collect and comment on a minimum of 1 quote for 3 different characters. (A total of 3 quotes per chapter) You may collect as many additional quotes as you like.
As we move further into the research project (around the end of October) you may begin to concentrate on just one character, but the same number of overall quotes are required.
Journals may be spot checked at any time and will also be used to guide in class discussion.
Failure to do these journals will result in a failed grade for the 6-weeks as they will also be used for the final test and the research project.
To complete the journal:
· As you read and encounter a particularly useful or meaningful quote, select and copy it.
o If reading from the paperback, you will have to just re-write the quote.
· Change to Pages, double tap in the cell on the left for the appropriate character, then past in the quote. Add in the page number.
o If journaling on paper, be sure to leave a line between each entry.
· You can comment immediately (in the right column), but I recommend continuing to read and then reviewing and commenting on each quote at the end of the chapter.
Example journal:
Name: John Smith
Period: 2
Ralph /“Ralph smiled and help up the conch for silence.” P23 / Golding establishes Ralph as a symbol of order. He uses the conch shell to hold on to the idea of civilization in that the sound of the shell brings all of the boys together so that they can establish the basic rules and structure of the new society. This is an example of good leadership because Ralph allows the other boys to have a say in their government even though he is the one that holds the power-the conch.