Dialectical Journal Assignment - Oedipus the King*
Overview and Purpose
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A dialectical journal is a journal in which students use a two-column format to focus at length on specific passages or patterns of language in an author's work. For Oedipus, we will be teaching students to read using direct, on-text annotation as a first read, and then create a longer response in their dialectical journals in answer to specific questions.
The major reason the journals are important is that they allow students to express their initial ideas more freely and without being concerned about structure or format. Their answers can and will be the basis for the later essay assignment that completes this unit of study, so in essence, they're "pre-writing" the essay throughout. Students will need a composition notebook dedicated specifically to this task. |
Step One: Reading After Annotation
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Step Two: Set Up the Journal
(Adapted from this source) |
SENTENCE STARTERS
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Sample Journal Entry
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Example Question: Why does this play begin with a question? How does that choice on the author's part help to set the mood of this play?
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Answer: I really like this moment because I think this was a really interesting choice -- it kind've made it seem like a bit of a mystery. The people are all worried about this plague in Thebes, and Oedipus wants to know why those people are asking him for help, and this question pretty much just kicks off the action. One part that doesn't make sense, though, is the fact that Oedipus doesn't already know there's a plague, but one answer could be that the audience needs to know what's going on, so they have Oedipus tell us.
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My evidence for thinking this is...The first thing that Oedipus says is "What is it, my children?" (Sophocles 3).
...and this evidence/ moment / statement / event is important because...We don't know the answer to the mystery any more than Oedipus does. One word here that seems really important to me is that Oedipus calls them "my children," which says to me that he feels like he's their father, like he's responsible for them. In this way, Oedipus reminds me of my dad -- he's the one who feels responsible for the family whenever there's a problem. |
Specific Reading Questions
First Reading
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First Reading: Page 3, from "What is it, my children..." to page 4, "...do all that the god asks."
Questions: Leadership Mark with an "L" where you see issues of Oedipus' leadership.
Questions: Humans and Gods Mark with an "HG" where you see issues about humans and gods.
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Second Reading
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Second Reading: Page 9, from "You! All of you!..." to page 12, "...so that you won't cause me any more grief."
Questions: Knowledge and Truth Mark with a "KT" the places in the text where you see issues of knowledge and truth.
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Third Reading
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Third Reading: From Creon's angry exit on page 18 to the end of the Chorus' statement on page 27.
Questions: Sins and Crimes Mark with an "SC" where you see issues of sin and crime.
Questions: Truth, Continued Mark with a "T" those places where you see issues having to do with the truth.
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Fourth Reading
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Fourth Reading: From the Chorus' statement on page 27 to the end.
Questions: Blindness and Sight Mark with a "B" where you see issues having to do with blindness
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Fifth Reading (After the Ending)
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Choose Any Four
Students should choose any four of the following questions to answer, supporting their answer with data.
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This dialectical journal technique was based on the following source: http://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/16378/Pre-AP%2010%20Dialectical-Journal-Handout.pdf