Today, we are going to read chapters 1-2 and look at things that perhaps you can write a dialectical journal on. 

THEMES:
Nature vs. Human Law
Nature of Evil
Sin vs. Forgiveness or Punishment vs. Forgiveness
Individual vs. Society
Exile
Public Guilt vs. Private Guilt
Civilization vs. Wilderness or Town vs. Woods
Good vs. Evil

EXAMPLE OF A DIALECTICAL JOURNAL:

from the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God

(Zoe Wassman):  
 

Journal #1:

“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board. For some they come in with the tide. For others they sail forever on the horizon, never out of sight, never landing until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation, his dreams mocked to death by Time. That is the life of men.

Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember, and remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly.” (Pg. 1)

 
The first two paragraphs are defining the gender roles used throughout Hurston’s novel. Just like in a lot of literature, the women are the weaker gender, and men the stronger, more efficient gender. These two paragraphs are saying that men are more empirical than women, especially in their dreams. When men think something is unattainable, like a ship that rarely docks on land, they let it go and move on. When women think something is unattainable, they can’t discriminate the difference between they want and what it true, meaning that women live a more romanticized life. This creates the dynamic for the unsuccessful relationships and unrealistic expectations throughout the novel as a whole.  

 

27. “After his death Sigemund’s glory grew and grew because of his courage when he killed the dragon, the guardian of the hoard. Under the grey stone he had dared to enter all by himself to face the worst without Fitela.” - lines 885-888.

This section recounts the tale of Sigemund, legendary dragon slayer. He is paralleled by Beowulf later in the book. Both are dragon slayers. Sigmund enters “all by himself… without Fitela.” It would be, I think, a safe guess to assume Fitela is a Pagan god. By emerging victorious without Fitela’s help, it can be inferred that Pagan gods have no influence on the outcome of fate. This is why there are conflicting ideologies of “fate” and “wyrd” in the poem. 

When Beowulf, on the other hand, enters, he attempts to take on the dragon by himself. This is an example of overstepping one’s bounds as a result of too much pride. Perhaps by giving way to the sin of pride and attempting to single-handedly defeat the dragon, Beowulf effectively forsakes God's help in the fight. This, in combination with the desertion of all his retainers but one, proves fatal for the legendary warrior.

This being so would point once more to Beowulf’s reliance on God’s hand in the favor of fate, reinforcing the importance of faith.

Unit Learning goal: Students will demonstrate knowledge of nineteenth century foundation works of American Literature by determining how a theme is developed over the course of text by analyzing structure, author’s choice of details, and character; and, by writing an essay on how these elements (or one of them) influences the meaning of the novel as a whole.

Scale/Rubric relating to learning goal:

4 – The student can write a 5-10 page essay that explores how structure, details (symbol, imagery, figurative language) is developed of the course of the novel and how it influences the meaning of the novel. 

3 – The student can write a 3-5 page essay that explores how structure, details (symbol, imagery, figurative language) is developed of the course of the novel and how it influences the meaning of the novel. 

2 – With some direction/help from the teacher the student can write a 3-5 page essay that explores how structure, details (symbol, imagery, figurative language) is developed of the course of the novel and how it influences the meaning of the novel. 

1 – Even with help from the teacher the student is unable to the student can write a 3-5 page essay that explores how structure, details (symbol, imagery, figurative language) is developed of the course of the novel and how it influences the meaning of the novel. 

Objectives (smaller chunks of overall goal) and suggested time periods

At the end of this Unit the Students will be able to

1)  List and explain 3-5 symbols from the novel The Scarlet Letter

2)  Discuss the basic structure(s) of The Scarlett Letter

3)  Given the main ideas of various pieces of Romantic Literature

4)  List the key aspects of Romanticism

5)  List the key aspects of transcendentalism

6)  Discuss who the Fireside poets were and what they believed in

7)  Keep a dialectical journal while reading The Scarlet Letter

8)  Evaluate the purpose and argument of public advocacy

9)  Determine two or more themes in a text

10)          Discuss the importance of rhyme scheme and stanza structure and how they create meaning

11)          Compare Emerson and Thoreau

 Major Themes addressed:

The idea of individualism and the purpose of nature.

The meaning of sin and forgiveness.

Sometimes to be patriotic means to protest one’s government.

The meaning of truth and the idea that everyone has a dark side.

Is the price of progress ever too high?

 

Lets look at some symbols:

Hester Prynne

Hester: Hestier in Greek mythology, Zeus’s sister, a woman of beauty

            hestier (hasty)

Prynne: prurient

             prune: purify her sin

             pry: probe into the interior of one’s heart