Dialectical Journal – Fahrenheit 451

The “dialectic” was the method Socrates used to teach his students how to be actively engaged in the struggle to derive meaning from an unfamiliar and challenging work. A dialectical journal is a textual analysis. You the reader are responding to the text.

Process:

• As you read, you should select passages that are insightful and suitable for a response or analysis. Look for passages that make you stop and think.
• Write your passage down, and then write a response to that quotation. This is your concrete detail.
• In your response you should make an assertion and then write your commentary (include why you think the quote is valuable in the novel), analysis, or observations to support your assertion. If you are responding to a particular literary device that is used, make sure to include the name of the device. The length of your response for each quote should resemble that of a paragraph. They should not be simply 2-3 sentences.

Requirements:

• Neatly handwrite or type in 12-point font.
• Write a response to the 5 passages from the text.
• Place inside the brads of your folder to turn in on the first day of class.

Format:

• Divide your paper into two columns. The left-hand column is labeled TEXT; the right-hand column is labeled RESPONSE
• Text Column: Write out your passage using quotation marks. Give the chapter and page # where you found the passage.
• Response Column: Write out your response following the directions listed above.