Dialectical Journal
A dialectical journal is a written assignment in which you make attempts to analyze text for deeper meanings. The first
time you complete a dialectical journal, the importance is NOT on being PERFECTLY CORRECT in your analysis. Instead,
the emphasis is on considering what possible deeper meanings might be present in the text and TRYING to figure them
out. This means that you’re going to have to take a risk in your thinking, and it also means that EVERYBODY can,
therefore, complete this assignment successfully because ALL YOU ARE EXPECTED TO DO IS TRY.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Here’s the thinking process that will help you formulate an analysis:
In the form of a quote, identify something that stands out to you in this act/scene as something you think the author
may have wanted you to get a deeper meaning from.
Who is involved in this scene? (list the characters) Note: Your answer to this question is not considered analysis so it
does not count toward your 100 words.
Give a brief summary of this scene. (2-5 sentences only) Note: Your answer to this question is not considered analysis so
it does not count toward your 100 words.
Rhetorically speaking, does the quote you’re analyzing contain a symbol or an allusion (or maybe both)?
Think about your answer to the question above. Then, consider the following:
 Without researching beforehand, do you get a feeling about a deeper meaning to this symbol? AND/OR
 What meaning does this symbol usually carry in literature (and art)? (You may need to do some research to
answer this question.) OR
 What is this alluding to? (You may need to do some research to answer this question, but in The Crucible, the
author will always be alluding to either the bible or McCarthyism and the hunt for Communists in the 50s.)
What could be the reason(s) the author used this symbol/allusion?
What importance could all this deeper meaning have for the storyline (also known as the “plot”)?
What importance could all this deeper meaning have for these and/or other characters?
Do you get the feeling that this symbol/allusion could be foreshadowing anything? If so, take a guess, based on the
context of the story/play/novel, of what you think it could be foreshadowing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Here are the expectations for this assignment:
 1 entry per act in The Crucible. This is a total of 4 entries. Type only one entry per page. You will have 4 pages.
 Each entry must contain no fewer than 100 words of analysis. Keep in mind that repetition of the same idea over
and over, even if written in different words, will not count toward your 100 words of analysis.
 Your assignment must be typed: Times New Roman, 12pt., black ink.
Set up your page like this: (If you need help setting up this table on your document, schedule a tutorial session with me.
Type the quote you plan to analyze here, and be sure
to properly cite it. Your Act II notes have an
example of how to cite lines from a play.
Who is involved in this scene? This does not count
toward your 100 words of analysis.
Write a brief summary of this scene…about 2-5
sentences. This does not count toward your 100
words of analysis.
Leave this box blank.
Type your 100 word analysis of this scene here. No
fewer than 100 words, or you will be asked to redo
this entry. Do not repeat the same idea over and over
again, or you will be asked to redo this entry.
Below is an example of a successful dialectical journal entry. NOTICE that the entry contains A LOT OF SPECULATION (in
other words, the student does a lot of WONDERING if this scene has deeper meaning).
“Lilacs have a purple smell. Lilac is the smell of
nightfall, I think” (Miller II. 49-50).
Elizabeth and John are participating in a very strained
meal together. This is obvious from their awkward
interaction with each other. Something has clearly
The characters involved in this scene are Elizabeth
happened to threaten this couple’s comfort with each
Proctor and her husband, John Proctor.
other. Proctor is trying to ease this discomfort by
talking about things that don’t seem to matter all that
much. In other words, he’s making small talk in an
effort to lighten the mood a little. Elizabeth seems
emotionally chilly to her husband despite his best
It is nighttime in the play. John Proctor has just
efforts to make things more comfortable between
come in from walking around the farm dropping
them. I wonder what happened to cause the
seeds in it. Elizabeth has made a rabbit stew, and it is discomfort between them and who is at fault for it.
dinner time in the Proctor household.
Perhaps they are both at fault. When Proctor fills the
awkward silences with small talk, he mentions things
like flowers, which can be symbolic of rebirth, purity,
and new beginnings. Additionally, Arthur Miller has
Proctor specifically name the lilac rather than any
other flower. In literature, the lilac is symbolic of
first love. Perhaps this is meant to foreshadow that
there will be a renewal, or rebirth, of John and
Elizabeth’s love. Also, this scene is set at night.
This time of the day could symbolize the end of
something or the beginning of something. I think it
could be either because night is the end of daytime,
but it’s also when one day begins its transition into a
new day. This could symbolize that there could be an
end coming to John and Elizabeth’s relationship, or it
could also symbolize an end to their fighting and
tension.