Journal entries for Banned Books unit.

1. Banned Books
Literary Terms Journal Prompts

2. Directions
• Over the next few classes, you will complete a
series of journal entries analyzing LITERARY
TERMS in your Banned Book. This PowerPoint
contains ALL of the entries.

3. Characterization
• Describe the most important character (so far)
in your book.
▫ What is this character’s name?
▫ Appearance: What does s/he look like?
▫ Actions: What has s/he done?
▫ Words: What does s/he say?
▫ Others: What do other characters think of
him/her?

4. Protagonist/Antagonist
• Protagonist: the main character in work, on
whom the author focuses most of the narrative
attention.
• Antagonist: the character or force against whom
the protagonist struggles (if there is one).
▫ Who is the protagonist in your book?
▫ Who is the antagonist? (If there is one.)
▫ What are they in conflict over? How do you think
this conflict will be resolved?

5. Conflict (external)
• External conflicts include man vs. man, man vs.
nature, man vs. social force(s), man vs.
supernatural force(s).
▫ First, describe one or two significant external
conflicts in your book.
▫ Next, predict how you think the conflict will be
resolved.

6. Conflict (internal)
• Internal conflict is a struggle inside a character
(such as drug addiction, self-destructive
behavior, and so on).
▫ First, describe an important internal conflict in
your book.
▫ Next, predict how the conflict will be resolved. Or,
if not, why not.

7. Character (dynamic)
• A dynamic character is one whose personality
changes or evolves over the course of the
narrative or appears to have the capacity for
such change.
▫ Identify a dynamic character in your book.
▫ Why is this character dynamic? Explain, citing
examples from the book, how this character has
changed, or demonstrates capacity for change.

8. Theme
• Theme is a central idea or statement that unifies
and controls an entire literary work.
▫ Identify one of the themes in your book.
▫ What does the author want you to know about this
theme?
▫ List several examples (from the book) that support
your interpretation.

9. Theme
• …is so important we are covering it twice!
• Theme is a central idea or statement that unifies
and controls a work of literature.
▫ Identify a SECOND theme in your book.
▫ What does the author want you to know about this
theme?
▫ List several examples (from the book) that support
your interpretation.