Winesburg, Ohio Dialectical Journal

Directions: As a close reader and insightful student, I am asking that you track various themes throughout the reading of this novel by locating important passages that provide evidence of each theme. This novel influenced American authors like Hemingway, Fitzgerald and others. I am asking you to discover WHY—through investigation and COMPOSITION. Yes, you will have to write[compose] a one to three sentence justification for the passages you collect.

How do I do this?
You are going to create a dialectical journal using the two-column [Cornell] note taking
graphic organization.

Left Hand Side: Jot down the passage, page and chapter. Use correct punctuation (quotation
marks).

Right Hand Side: What theme have you discovered? How is that theme/obsession/truth revealed? Why is this piece of evidence important to your theme? Who is the speaker?

Requirements: You must have 1 passage per chapter. This equals 25 total passages with 25
responses labeled, organized, and answered correctly. This will be a test grade
(100 points).

• Life and Death
• Isolation
• Failure
• Bravery/courage
• Femininity/Gender
• Journey/Quest
• Adolescence
• Religion
• Family
• Obsession
• Fear/Anxiety
• Coming of Age/Maturity

This is by no means a complete list of themes…

Of Mice and Men—Prose Analysis

Justification: Since you are the class of EMHS students that has not been exposed to the works and style of John Steinbeck because of curriculum shuffling, we found that to be quite insulting to your overall literary high school experience. Therefore, we have decided to put an end to your ignorance of the man and his works by combining AP Exam preparation and one of his most memorable novellas. We say novella because you will (hopefully) experience the world of John Steinbeck in a “cover-to-cover” time period. Yes, we would like for you to read a short piece of fiction from cover-to-cover. When is the last time you have done that?! The purpose of this assignment is for each student to select a passage from the piece for a personalized Prose Analysis Free-Response question.
Directions:
1. Closely read Of Mice and Men (preferably in one sitting—two to three hours). As a class we have studied the works of Robert Burns (“To a Mouse”). Your understanding of Robert Burns’ message/purpose/theme (“the best laid schemes of mice and men”) will help you enjoy and interpret this slice of American literature.
2. While reading, keep in mind what TWO pages or the unbroken equivalent of two pages would suffice for a Prose analysis Free Response question for the AP Exam. Your selected passage must have a logical beginning and end. If you google: Of Mice and Men full text, you will find a complete PDF file (only 54 pages, mind you).
http://staff.oswego.org/ephaneuf/web/ENG_9R/Steinbeck,%20John%20-%20Of%20Mice%20and%20Men.pdf
Copy, paste, and print your passage.
3. The question concerning your passage needs to be leaning towards language and tone. (DIDLS-possibly??) You will have to compose the question with a specific prompt. Browse the list of Prose Analysis prompts on AP Central, and write one that would logically fit your selected passage.
4. You guessed it!! You will answer your created Prose Analysis question— timed, and in class. However, first thing’s first. READ, ENJOY, and FALL IN LOVE with Steinbeck.