Dialectical Journal—Kate Chopin’s The Awakening

Free Dictionary defines dialectic as “the art or practice of arriving at

the truth by the exchange of logical arguments.” The Dialectical
Journal allows students to actively read and engage with the text.
Essentially, this is a double-entry journal designed so that you can
record the conversations you have with yourself as you read. This will
allow you to pause and reflect on the reading you have been assigned.
This process will take you longer than you are used to, but you will find
that this will strengthen your reading and our class discussions. We
will be able to dig deeper and find hidden meanings and treasures in
the author’s words.

How to set up your journal:

1. Divide a page lengthwise into two columns.

2. At the top, write the date, the title of the novel, chapter(s)
assigned, and the author.
3. In the left column, write TEXT at the top and then share the
quotes complete with page number.
4. Then in the right column, write your REACTION at the top of the
entry and share your thoughts and/or explain your argument
here.

The following are ideas to help you begin. Not all areas need to be
addressed in each journal entry. To receive full credit, every reading
assignment should include at least 6-8 entries!

TEXT REACTION

When responding to a passage,

Share full quote with page please focus on these points and
number here. questions:
1. What is the author trying to
express about the character, time
period, beliefs, values, etc.?
2. Analyze the vocabulary used in
this section. Why does the author
choose this word in particular?
3. Compare/contrast the actions of
this character to another character
from another work.
4. Analyze the author’s craft,
starting with but not limited to:
 Is he/she remaining true to
the character?
 Are the situations a true
reflection of the time?
  Is the idea shared weak
and/or underdeveloped?
5. Make connections to other
sections of the work.
6. Focus on a particular theme
being addressed.

*Please note that I will be collecting these journals, so you

might want to type them or make sure that your notes are
legible!