The procedure is as follows:
1. Purchase a dedicated spiral notebook and draw a line down the center of each page of the notebook. NOTE: I expect you to publish these journal entries on your blogs nightly and number them as you go.
2. As you read, pay close attention to the text.
3. Whenever you encounter something of interest (this could be anything from an interesting turn of phrase to a character note), write down the word/phrase in the LEFT HAND COLUMN making sure that you NOTE THE PAGE NUMBER. If the phrase is especially long just write the first few words, use an ellipsis, then write the last few words.
4. In the RIGHT HAND COLUMN, WRITE YOUR OBSEVRATIONS ABOUT THE TEXT you noted in the left-hand column. This is where you need to interact in detail with the text. Make sure that your observations are THOROUGH, INSIGHTFUL, and FOCUSED CLEARLY ON THE TEXT.
Requirements:
1) For each novel we read you will need to complete a MINIMUM of 55 entries if you wish to be eligible for an “A”. 35 is the minimum for a passing grade. Make sure you number your entries.
2) A completed dialectical journal should be brought to class each day a reading assignment is due.
3) On some short fiction and poetry reading assignments I may ask you to keep a dialectic journal on the reading (usually I’ll ask for 5-10 entries for shorter works).
4) Dialectic journals will be used as part of class discussion and will be randomly collected and graded for homework.
When should you write things down?
• When certain details seem important to you
• When you have an epiphany
• When you learn something significant about a character
• When you recognize a pattern (overlapping images, repetitions of idea, details, etc.)
• When you agree or disagree with something a character says
• When you find an interesting or potentially significant quote.
• When you notice something important or relevant about the writer’s style.
• When you notice effective uses of literary devices.
• When you notice something that makes you think of a question
That is all there is to it. This way, once you have read your text you will already have a great set of notes on which to draw when you write your paper. You also should have gained a great deal of insight about your particular text.
Note: Should you rather type this, just use the COLUMN function in your tool bar and complete steps two-four electronically.
Grading (based on 55 entries, if you have 45 entries an A= B, B= C, 35 entries A=C)
A—Detailed, meaningful passages, plot and quote selections; thoughtful interpretation and commentary about the text; includes comments about literary elements (like theme, diction, imagery, syntax, symbolism, etc.) and how these elements contribute to the meaning of the text; asks thought-provoking, insightful questions; coverage of text is complete and thorough; journal is neat, organized, numbered and readable.
B—Less detailed, but good selections; some intelligent commentary about the text; includes some comments about literary elements (like theme, diction, imagery, syntax, symbolism, etc.) but less than how these elements contribute to the meaning of the text; asks some thought-provoking, insightful questions; coverage of the text is complete and thorough; journal is neat, organized, numbered and readable.
C—A few good details about the text; most of the commentary is vague, unsupported or plot summary/paraphrase; some listing of literary elements, but perhaps inadequate discussion, but not very thoroughly; journal is relatively neat.
D—Hardly any good or meaningful details from the story; notes are plot summary or paraphrase; few literary elements, virtually no discussion on meaning; no good questions; limited coverage of text, and/or too short.THEMES: The Corruption of Power, Christianity vs. Paganism, Man Alone in a Hostile World, The Roles of Woman, The Role of Christianity, The Roles of Kings and Warriors, Loyalty, Pride, The Role of Magic, Fate, Faith, Bloody-Money as a form of Punishment, Banishment, Good vs. Evil, Hospitality, The Transitory Nature of Life, and any others we have talked about.
Objectives: By the end of this unit some of the things students should be able to do include
1) Define wergild and give examples from various stories on how it works and why it was important as a form of justice
2) Define wyrd and give examples of heroes that followed this idea or code of life. Explain with examples why it was important to warrior society.
3) Define kenning and give examples
4) Define alliteration and give examples from alliterative poems
5) Define Epic Hero and Epic Poem
6) Keep a list of characters and be able to describe them and compare them to characters from other stories in relation to themes
7) Define chivalry and describe how certain characters followed the chivalric code.
8) Keep a list of symbols and relate these to major themes
9) Keep a list of motifs involving “types of stories” or events that reoccur in oral tradition
10) Be able to describe the rules and structure of warrior society
11) Define scop and discuss the important of poets in some of these stories
12) Discuss flaws of characters and how these flaws cause characters downfall
13) Compare the Seafarer, Wanderer, Wife’s Lament by relating them to warrior society
14) Discuss irony (and type) in each of these works
15) Define “Frame Story”
16) Define and give elements of a “saga”
17) Keep a list of events and descriptions that help you explore the following themes: Man Alone in A Hostile World, Paganism vs. Christianity, The Role of Kings, The Role of Warriors, The Role of Women, The Idea of Honor, Good vs. Evil, Loyalty, Pride, Hospitality, The transitory nature of life.
18) Define and give examples of allegory, allusion, personification, caesura, litotes, and aphorism
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