How to do a Dialectical Notebook

1. How to do a Dialectical Notebook Step by step instructions

2. What is a Dialectical Notebook? A Dialectical Notebook is a double-entry journal On one side are passages copied out and/or questions about the text On the other side are responses to the quotes or questions that you took on the other side. The purpose of a Dialectical Notebook is to practice doing a close reading.

3. What is a Close Reading? • Reading with a pencil hand and annotating the text. • Annotating is underlining or highlighting key words and phrases, as well as making notes in the margin. • Also look for patterns in things you’ve noticed about the text- repetitions, contradictions, similarities, and literary devices. • Literary devices include personification, metaphors, similes, ect. Think back to the poetry analysis you did in 10th grade. The purpose is to explore the author’s purpose in using these devices not simply identifying them. • Ask questions about the patterns like why does the author repeat that word in every paragraph? • You should also explore the author’s syntax (grammatical structure) and diction (word choice)

4. What is SOAPST? • SOAPST stands for: S peaker (Who is the narrator in the passage) O ccasion (When it was written) A uthor (Background info on the author) P urpose (Why they wrote this piece) S ubject (The main point of the piece) T one (The use of words to depict a meaning) • The type of quotes that you pull should try to address one of these. • Think of SOAPST as a guide when you decide what to explore in your dialectical journal • Dialectical journals are not a “journal” persay. This is not the place to discuss whether or not you liked a piece. You can bring your opinion in when addressing things such as how an author used a metaphor, or the way the author constructed a sentence.

5. The following as examples to use as guides while you do your own journal. Feel free to look back if you need help. A poetry examples

6. We paused before house that seemedA swelling of the ground;The roof was scarcely visible,The cornice but a mound. Since then 'tis centuries, and yet eachFeels shorter than the dayI first surmised the horses' headsWere toward eternity. “Because I could not Stop for Death”Emily Dickinson Because I could not stop for Death,He kindly stopped for me;The carriage held but just ourselvesAnd Immortality. We slowly drove, he knew no haste, And I had put awayMy labor, and my leisure too,For his civility. We passed the school, where children stroveAt recess, in the ring;We passed the fields of gazing grain,We passed the setting sun. Or rather, he passed us;The dews grew quivering and chill,For only gossamer my gown,My tippet only tulle.

7. “He kindly stopped for me” “The carriage held but just ourselves and Immortality” “And I had put away my labor, and my leisure too,For his civility.” This line is an example of personification. Dickinson refers to Death as “he” and explains that he “stopped.” This may be an allusion to the Grim Reaper or the mythological Greek god Thantos. The idea that Death rides in a carriage once again furthers the personification. It also creates the image of a gentleman not the terrifying image of the Grim Reaper that is most often seen. The words “carriage” and “kindly” in the above passage creates this image. Perhaps Dickinson meant to refer to the god Hades, he rode in a carriage pulled by black horses. By indicating Death’s “civility” Dickinson insinuates that she was the one who was not civil. “And my leisure too” is set off by comas indicating that this may be an after thought. Dickinson seems eager to rid herself of her labors but a little more hesitant to leave her leisure behind. In other words, perhaps Dickinson had not thought that she would leave those things that she loved in death. “Because I could Not Stop For Death”Emily Dickinson

8. “We passed” Stanza three “Or rather he passed us” “’Since then ‘tis centuries; but each feels shorter than a day.” In the third stanza, this phrase is repeated three times. Perhaps Dickinson is trying to create the feeling of a long journey by repeating this phrase. It reads a bit like a list. This stanza seems to replay the life. The school yard represents childhood, the grazing fields the middle years of life, and the setting sun old age. The passage is another example of personification and perhaps another allusion. Dickinson refers to the sun as “he”; this may also refer to the Greek god of the sun Helios. This also contradicts what was said in the stanza before. Perhaps this would indicate that Dickinson’s main character died young, before she reached old age, explain why old age passed her. This line indicates that the narrator died many centuries ago. This is also an example of a paradox since the narrator states that the century is shorter than a day.

9. Reminders Your entries should do more than just point out sentence structure and literary devices; you should be looking for the author’s purpose or commenting on whether you think the literary device worked in the context it is used. If you summarize the poem, you cannot score well. Some of the your entries will be longer than others. Remember that if you pose a question on the left (which you should try to pose at least one) you must attempt to answer it on the right. Do not go on the internet and look these poems up. I want to hear what you have to say. It is better that you are interpreting the poem on your own. For some of these works, there is not a right or wrong answer. OWN YOUR ASSERTIONS! Using the internet for this assignment is cheating and will be deemed as such.