Dialectical JournalName: ____________________________________________ Date: _________________ Block: ___________

A Christmas CarolCharacter Analysis Journal

What is a Dialectical Journal?

Simply put, a dialectical journal is merely a double entry journal. The purpose of such a journal is to identify significant pieces of text and explain their significance. It should be used to think about, digest, summarize, question, clarify, critique, and remember what is read. It is a way to take notes on what is read using the actual text. In effect, you will be holding a discussion with yourself on key points, asking questions, and reacting to particular phrases that drew your attention. You will be keeping a dialectical journal for A Christmas Carol focusing on the characterization of Ebenezer Scrooge. Character Analysis Journals help readers document evidence to support their inferences and conclusions about the character they are analyzing.

Examples:

Evidence (quotation/page # or detail and context) Inference-CommentaryQuotation: “A sturdily built young mouse with quick dark eyes was moving confidently across the snowbound country" (5).

Context: Martin makes his way across a desolate landscape on a quest to help the woodland creatures of Mossflower.

From Mossflower

Small, but strong, observant, and boldThe reader is surprised to see that the hero of the story is a mouse, a small, seemingly helpless woodland creature. But this young mouse is “sturdily built” and has “quick dark eyes,” images that affirm his strength and alertness. In addition, the fact that the author shows him moving “confidently” across the “snowbound” country establishes him as a traveler who is experienced, at home in the wilderness, self-sufficient and bold.

Quotation: “External and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he…”(3).

Context: This quote is from the first stave, the narrator is describing the main character.

From A Christmas Carol

Cold and bitterThe reader learns that Scrooge’s business partner Marley has been dead for a while. The narrator describes Scrooge as cold and miserly! He never thawed his office at Christmas, everything about Scrooge seems cold!

What does it mean to make inferences?

Inference is just a big word that means a conclusion or judgment. If you infer that something has happened, you do not see, hear, feel, smell, or taste the actual event. But from what you know, it makes sense to think that it has happened. You make inferences every day; most of the time you do so without thinking about it. Writers often do not state the way a character feels explicitly. Instead, writers will include details about how a character acts and readers must use these details to make inferences about the character’s emotions. When you infer, you use observations, prior knowledge and experiences, and details from the text to make connections and come up with ideas.

Procedure:

In the left column:

Record evidence about Scrooge (words, actions, reactions).

Select evidence that directly describes Scrooge, evidence that shows what he says or does, how he acts or reacts, and what other characters say about him.

Below the quotations from the text, note the context of the quote. Remember MLA Format, be sure to use

quotation marks around quotes and cite page numbers in parentheses!

In the right column:

Make an inference about Scrooge based on the evidence and underline it! Tell what word or phrase describes the character, based upon the evidence you have collected.

Write commentary that explains how and/or why the evidence leads to or supports the inference.

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Dialectical Journal

Stave One: Marley’s GhostEvidence (quotation/page # or detail and context) Inference-Commentary

Quotation:

Context:

Quotation:

Context:

Stave Two: The First of the Three SpiritsEvidence (quotation/page # or detail and context) Inference-Commentary

Quotation:

Context:

Quotation:

Context:

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Dialectical JournalStave Three: The Second of the Three Spirits

Evidence (quotation/page # or detail and context) Inference-Commentary Quotation:

Context:

Quotation:

Context:

Stave Four: The Last of the SpiritsEvidence (quotation/page # or detail and context) Inference-Commentary

Quotation:

Context:

Quotation:

Context:

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Dialectical JournalStave Five: The End of It

Evidence (quotation/page # or detail and context) Inference-Commentary Quotation:

Context:

Quotation:

Context:

Characters Basic description of character – traits or actions of importanceEbenezer Scrooge

Bob Cratchit

Tiny Tim

Jacob Marley

Fezziwig

Belle

Fred and Fan

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Dialectical JournalA drawing of the spirits “You Will be haunted,” resumed the Ghost, “by Three

Spirits.”Describe the appearance of the spirit and the experiences Scrooge has with

this spirit. Cite page numbers!The Ghost of Christmas Past

The Ghost of Christmas Present

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

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Dialectical Journal

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