Name: ______________________________Date: ___________________Period: ________
The Stranger
Socratic Seminar
Directions: For your final assessment on The Stranger you are going to engage in a 40 minute
Socratic Seminar discussion with half of the class. You will not know until the day of the
seminar what your topic will be, who you will be discussing with, and during what period you
will be discussing in the inner circle. You may prepare as many notes as possible and you are
allowed to use your book during the discussion.
When you are in the outer circle you will be required to take notes on the topic that is being
discussed. These notes include your opinion to the prompt along with evidence from the text(s),
as well as, your reaction to the Socratic Seminar discussion. Consider the following questions:
What would you contribute to the discussion? Would you agree or disagree with what is being
said? What questions would you ask the group? What is your overall impression of the
discussion? Does the group follow the structure/format of a Socratic Seminar? Your notes in the
outer circle should be thorough, thought provoking and written neatly. This assessment will
count as a 100 point TEST grade for the novel. See the rubric on the reverse side for
grading.
Topics for Socratic Seminar Discussion
Option #1: Meursault observes the world around him and then responds to his observations in
some way. In most of the situations in Part I, Meursault’s reactions are more visceral than they
are cerebral. However, over the course of the novel, as the nature of the details he observes
changes, so does the nature of his reaction. Consider how Camus’s style reveals this change in
Meursault’s character. Focus on his use of diction, figurative language, imagery, tone, and
sentence structure. How doe these elements of the novel reveal the change in Meursault? In
what ways is Meursault the stranger?
Option #2: The Stranger presents the conflict between independent thinking and social mores.
In the novel, Meursault may be thought of as a “radical thinker” in some way; an artist,
philosopher, or individual whose vision contradicts or challenges that of the norm (whatever the
norm may be!) Is his end happy or tragic? Consider the conflict, the ways in which he thinks
independently, the social mores he faces, his vision and how it challenges or contradicts the
norm and the result.
Option #3: Think about the protagonist’s plight in Albert Camus’s story “The Myth of Sisyphus”
in terms of crime and punishment, and think about Meursault’s situation in The Stranger.
Discuss the absurdity of their situations. In what ways do Sisyphus and Meursault represent
“absurd heroes”?
Option #4: Meursault in The Stranger and Mariam in A Thousand Splendid Suns grow up living
very different lifestyles; however the two protagonists share many similar experiences including
their future executions. Examine the relationship between these two characters. How might
they compliment each other, if at all? Consider the characters environment, familial status, and
relationships with others. How do the two protagonists ultimately deal (or not deal) with their
impending death?
A Level Participant:
Participant offers enough solid analysis, without prompting, to move the
conversation forward. Through comments, demonstrates a deep
knowledge of the text and question. Participant has come to the seminar
prepared, with notes and marked/annotated texts. Participant, through
comments, shows active listening to other participant. Participant offers
clarification and/or follow-up that extends the conversation. Participant’s
remarks often refer back to specific parts of the text. (72/75 points)
B Level Participant:
Participant offers solid analysis without prompting. Through comments,
participant demonstrates a good knowledge of the text and the question.
Participant has come to the seminar prepared, with notes and a
marked/annotated text. Participant shows that he/she is actively listening
to others and offers clarification and/or follow-up. (63/75 points)
C Level Participant:
Participant offers some analysis, but needs prompting from the seminar
leader.
Through
comments,
participant
demonstrates
a
general knowledge of the text and question. Participant is less prepared,
with few notes and no annotated text. Participant is actively listening to
others, but does not offer clarification and/or follow-up to others’
comments. Participant relies more upon opinion, and less on the text to
drive comments. (57/75 points)
D Level Participant:
Participant offers little commentary and comes to the seminar ill
prepared with little understanding of the text and question. Participant
does not listen to others, offers no commentary to further the
discussion. He/she distracts the group by interrupting other speakers or
by offering off topic questions and comments. Participant ignores the
discussion and its participants. (50/75 points)
F Level Participant
Participant does not speak during the Socratic Seminar or comes ill
prepared with no understanding of the text and question. (0/75 points)
RUBRIC:
Discussion:
__________/75 points
Outer Circle Notes:
__________/25 points
____________________________________________
TOTAL:
__________/100 points