Appendix 2: Journals
Frequently, I will give you a journal assignment [SC 7]. Expectations for the assignments are outlined
below; you will note that you did many of these for your summer work. These will be hand-written
(PLEASE WRITE NEATLY) and belong in your spiral notebook for this class. I may check journals for
completion. I may collect journals for a grade at any time (that class period, on test day, at my leisure).
I may collect one class and not the other. Do your journal work. Why? The journals will help you
process the reading assignments and prepare for class discussion. The journals will serve to aid you in
writing essays, preparing for tests, and studying for the final and the AP Exam. I value these
assignments. Please take them seriously. Plagiarizing will not be tolerated. If you are copying other
work, without citing it properly, then you will fail that assignment and may face other disciplinary
actions. Follow my format. If you use additional resources, cite your sources.
1.
Generic Journals [SC 2] —
These journals are at my discretion and may involve comparing works or characters, answering a
specific question, reflecting on a certain passage, completing a task or creative writing, etc. I will
outline the specifics for these assignments when I assign them and show you a sample. As
always, I will ask that you think deeply and head your work with the appropriate heading of
date, work, author, and pages.
Samples will be provided in class when that particular assignment is made.
2. Defend the Genre [SC 9]—
Often in class, we will discuss the elements of a certain genre style (epic, sonnet, tragedy, etc).
In your journal argue that the selection you read illustrates that the work belongs to that
specific genre. Create your argument but identifying key aspects of the genre and then showing
where the reading manifests those aspects. You may also wish (but do not have to) to identify
where it falls short or fails to address the expected elements.
Head your paper with the date, the title of the work, the author, the pages assigned, and the
genre.
Sample:
April 28, 2014. “Sonnet 116” by William Shakespeare.
Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 116” exemplifies all the characteristics of a typical Shakespearean
sonnet. It follows the 14-line structure, with a turning point occurring in the final couplet. The
rhythm is iambic pentameter, with Shakespeare employing enjambment in lines 1, 2, and 9. He
likewise uses caesura in lines 2 and 5. These devices help maintain the rhythmic flow and
meaning of the poem. The rhyme scheme follows the typical structure of ABABCDCDEFEFGG.
Within that rhyme scheme, Shakespeare employs eye-rhyme (ll. 2 and 4) and slant rhyme (ll. 10
and 12). Finally in an effort to define love, Shakespeare uses a series of metaphors, running from
lines 5-10. All of these devices, including the emphasis on love as a theme, help to define this
poem as a typical Shakespearean sonnet.
3. Question Journal [SC 7]—
For reading assignment, write a paragraph or two that focuses on questions. Make the purpose
more about ASKING than ANSWERING. Think broad, open-ended questions and not fact-based,
objective questions.
Remember to head your journal with the date, title of work, author, and page numbers.
You may write in first person. Every sentence does not have to be a question but questions
should be dominant. A paragraph is 6-8 sentences. This assignment should not read as a list of
questions but allow the questions to spawn other thoughts and concerns… working into deeper
thinking.
Sample:
April 24, 2014. “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin (pages).
What thoughts consume Mrs. Mallard as she dashes to her room after learning of the death of
her husband? She feels free. Was her marriage to him so horrible? She refers to him as a kind
man, yet she finds her marriage distasteful. Is this a reflection of the thoughts of one woman or
the female gender of the period? Why marry him if she wanted freedom? Did things change
after marriage? Did she have a choice? Do women today? Was he aware of her unhappiness?
Did he care? Was she aware of her unhappiness or was it only at his “death” that she finally
understood her longing for freedom? If that is the case… are we as free as we believe or are we
too trapped by the choices and relationships in our lives?
4. Quote Journal [SC 8]—
For reading assignment, pick a quote significant to your understanding of the text. Then analyze
that significance. How does this quote represent something broader—theme, character
development, use of symbolism, irony, or allusion, etc? Finally, respond to the quote.
Remember to head your journal with the date, title of work, author, and page numbers. Type
the quote in italics. If the quote is from a character, identify the speaker.
In one paragraph analysis, take one-two sentences to explain the context of the quote. The rest
of your paragraph (five-seven sentences) should analyze the quote for significance in the larger
scheme of the work. Think deeply. Be analytical.
Finally, in one paragraph (six-eight sentences), explain the significance of the quote to you. In
what way does this quote speak to you, have an impact on your life, or touch you in some
meaningful way? This is a time for reflection rather than analysis.
Sample:
April 24, 2014. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. (Act 2. Page 132).
“Pop! I’m a dime a dozen, and so are you!”—Biff
This quote from Biff, Willy Loman’s son, speaks to Willy’s greatest fear and his ongoing internal
conflict that eventually leads to the tragedy. Biff recognizes what Willy does not. They are not
achieving greatness or changing the world but rather are simply among the mediocrity living
their lives. Willy wants more, but he lacks the inner spirit to drive him forward. He knows the
jungle is full of diamonds but is too afraid of the dark to take that risk. As a result, he lives a
quiet, seemingly insignificant life and dies unnoticed. His life, in his opinion, amounts to little
because he lacks the wealth and adventure that he feels necessary to a life of achievement.
The quote speaks to me and to everyone because we long to know we made a difference. We
want to feel purposeful and fear being forgotten. I remember in high school, after reading this
play, writing that I was a Willy Loman—insignificant and unnoticed. Society today seems to put
such emphasis on the grandiose achievements of people; we value the wealthy and famous as if
they alone inspire or alter the course of the world. Yet we forget the rest of the world. Most of
the world is composed of people who make a difference by simply doing their jobs, living their
lives well, loving their friends and family. Few of us will have moments of greatness where we
are hailed as heroes, and yet perhaps true heroism is simply in the act of living well. If that is
true, then this is the tragedy of Death of a Salesman—a truth Willy Loman never learns.