Dialectical Journal
GRADING RATIONALE: A dialectical journal is a written assignment in which you make attempts to analyze text for deeper meanings. The first time you complete a dialectical journal, the importance is NOT on being PERFECTLY CORRECT in your analysis. Instead, the emphasis is on considering what possible deeper meanings might be present in the text and TRYING to figure them out. This means that you’re going to have to take a risk in your thinking, and it also means that…
EVERYBODY can, therefore, complete this assignment successfully because ALL YOU ARE EXPECTED TO DO IS TRY.
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Here’s the thinking process that will help you formulate an analysis:
DO THIS FIRST:
In the form of a quote, identify something that stands out to you in this act/scene as something you think the author may have wanted you to get a deeper meaning from. The quote you’ve identified probably speaks to you because it contains a symbol or an allusion or some foreshadowing. After you’ve examined the quote, if it doesn’t contain a symbol or an allusion or some foreshadowing, you should search some more for a quote that DOES contain a symbol or an allusion or some foreshadowing.
DO THIS NEXT:
- Without researching beforehand, what feeling do you get about a deeper meaning to this symbol? AND/OR
- What meaning does this symbol usually carry in literature (and art)? (You may use the internet to help you with this question, but DO NOT READ oruse ideas having ANYTHING to do with how this applies in The Crucible.) OR
- What is this alluding to? (InThe Crucible, the author will always be alluding to either the bible or McCarthyism and the hunt for Communists in the 50s.) OR
- What could this scene be foreshadowing?
THEN DO THIS:
After you have considered/answered the above questions, consider/answer the following questions:
- What could be the reason(s) the author used this symbol/allusion?
- What importance could all this deeper meaning have for the storyline (also known as the “plot”)?
- What importance could all this deeper meaning have for these and/or other characters?
- Do you get the feeling that this part could be foreshadowing anything? If so, take a guess, based on the context of the story/play/novel, of what you think it could be foreshadowing. (You ARE NOT PERMITTED to“guess” about foreshadowing or what something might symbolize if we have already discussed it through reading or discussion. Therefore, if you allow yourself to fall behind on the dialectical journal, you drastically reduce what you can write about.)
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Here are the expectations for this assignment:
- One entry per act in The Crucible. This is a total of 4 entries. Type only one entry per page. You will have 4 pages.
- Each entry must contain no fewer than 100 words of analysis. Keep in mind that repetition of the same idea over and over, even if written in different words, will not count toward your 100 words of analysis.
- Scoring will be a reflection of 20% format and 80% content.
- Your final assignment must be typed: Times New Roman, 12pt., black ink. You know that the Learning Lab is available to you every lunch during the school day. You can type, print, everything you need. Rough drafts should be handwritten.
Set up your page like this: (If you need help setting up this table on your document, schedule a tutorial session with me.)
Type the quote you plan to analyze here, and be sure to properly cite it. We discussed in class how to cite lines from a play. It’s also in your notes. / Leave this box blank.Who is involved in this scene? (This does not count toward your 100 words of analysis.) / Type your 100 word analysis of this scene here. No fewer than 100 words, or you will be asked to redo this entry. Do not repeat the same idea over and over again, or you will be asked to redo this entry.
Give brief context for this scene…about 2-5 sentences. (This does not count toward your 100 words of analysis.)
The next page contains an example of a successful dialectical journal entry.
Below is an example of a successful dialectical journal entry. NOTICE that the entry contains A LOT OF SPECULATION (in other words, the student does a lot of WONDERING if this scene has deeper meaning). (Context / Analysis / Speculation)
“Lilacs have a purple smell. Lilac is the smell of nightfall, I think” (Miller II. 49-50). / (You do not write anything in this box.)Characters Involved:
The characters involved in this scene are Elizabeth Proctor and her husband, John Proctor.
Context of this Scene:
It is nighttime in the play. John Proctor has just come in from walking around the farm dropping seeds in it. Elizabeth has made a rabbit stew, and it is dinner time in the Proctor household. / Elizabeth and John are participating in a very strained meal together. This is obvious from their awkward interaction with each other. Something has clearly happened to threaten this couple’s comfort with each other. Proctor is trying to ease this discomfort by talking about things that don’t seem to matter all that much. In other words, he’s making small talk in an effort to lighten the mood a little. Elizabeth seems emotionally chilly to her husband despite his best efforts to make things more comfortable between them. I wonder what happened to cause the discomfort between them and who is at fault for it. Perhaps they are both at fault. When Proctor fills the awkward silences with small talk, he mentions things like flowers, which can be symbolic of rebirth, purity, and new beginnings. Additionally, Arthur Miller has Proctor specifically name the lilac rather than any other flower. In literature, the lilac is symbolic of first love. Perhaps this is meant to foreshadow that there will be a renewal, or rebirth, of John and Elizabeth’s love. Also, this scene is set at night. This time of the day could symbolize the end of something or the beginning of something. I think it could be either because night is the end of daytime, but it’s also when one day begins its transition into a new day. This could symbolize that there could be an end coming to John and Elizabeth’s relationship, or it could also symbolize an end to their fighting and tension.
***Important reminder about this assignment and your grade for this assignment:
Your grade on this assignment comes from ORIGINAL, REASONABLE, EDUCATED THOUGHT. This means that you make reasonable guessesabout what the deeper meanings of symbols and scenes are, and these reasonable guesses are based on what we have discussed in class and what you already know about what some things mean/symbolize. For example, recall from class discussion:
- white <CAN MEAN> purity, innocence, newness
- flowers <CAN MEAN> love, compassion, remorse
- a meal <CAN SYMBOLIZE> the state of the relationship of the people sharing the meal
- weather <CAN SYMBOLIZE> the mood of the story/characters
A note about cheating: A grade of zero, a “Violation of Academic Integrity Policy”, and disciplinary action will be administered to any student who uses ANY SOURCE OTHER THAN HIS/HER OWN BRAIN to complete any of these DJ entries. Please do not test this policy. I have been teaching this play and this activity long enough to know when something has been lifted from the internet or from another person’s work/thoughts. You are NOT ALLOWED to receive help IN ANY FORM on this assignment from anyone other than Ms. Solomon because the goal of this assignment is ORIGINAL THOUGHT. Please take that directive very, very seriously.