Socratic Method - Homeschool-Life.com

1. Whete does this story haPPen?
a.
b.
L.
d.
APPENDIXA:
The Socratic List
In what country ot tegion does the story happen?
Does the story happen in the country ot the city?
Does the story happen in one spot, or does the action unfoid across a wide area?
\X4eat is the mood or atmosphete of the place where the story happens? Is it cheetfirl and
sunny, or dark and bleak? tWhat words or phtases ot descriptions does the authot use to
cteate this atrnosPhere?
e. W4eat is the weather like in the storv?
f. Do you long to climb into the pages of the book to live in its world, ot does it repel you?
\X4ry?
g. Is the setting a real or imaginary place? If it's imaginary, is it subject to the same physical
laws as our wodd is?
h.
i.
i-
Among what kinds of people is the story set? \Vhat is theit economic class? Horv do
live? Are they hopefrrl? Downtodden? Deptessed? V4ey?
Is there anything slrrnbolic ot allegodcal about the place where the story happens?
Is the setting of the story impottant because of histotical events which may have taken place
there? How does this link help you undetstand the themes of the stofy?
2. When does this stoty haPPen?
^. On rvhat day does the story happen? \Xhat time of day?
b. How long a pedod of time does the story cover? A few minutes? A single day? A whole
lifetime?
c. In what season does the story take place?
d. Does the story happen in a particular year, erz., or age of the rvotld? \ff4eat histotical events
may have iust'precied the iedod of the story? Do these events help explain the actions of
characters, the action of the story, or its mood? (fot example, is the story set in the midst of
the Industrial Revolution in England like some of Charles Dickens' wotks, or is it set ifl the
roadng 20,s in Amedca when life was gay and times wete good?)
e. In what time of life for the main charactets do the events occur? Are they childten? Are
they just passing into adulthood.? Ate they akeady gtownr,rps? Does setting the story in this
oatticulartime of the charactets' lives make the story better?
66 The Center for LiterarY Education
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f. In what inteilectual pedod is the story set? W&rat ideas wete prevalent during the pedod of
the story? Does the author deal with these ideas through his characters? Do the characters
tespond to social nrles and customs that ate the tesuit of these ideas? Sane Austen's books,
fot example, were set in the early 19th century in England, when women were bound by
social laws fotbidding them from owning ot inhedting property. Consequently, mariage to
men of ptoperty was their only soutce of financial secudw. Sfithout this knowledge, the
dialogue in Pride and Ptejudice, and the action of Emma, are r:nintelligible to the modem
reader.)
3. Who is the story about? @Ial be asked of pmtagonist or arE other cbaracter)
a. Is the charactet arr' rr or an arrimal?
b. How old is the charactet?
c. Is the character male ot female?
d. \Vhat does the chatactet look like (rair, eyes, height, build, etc.)?
c.
f.
g.
h.
Is the chatacter sane or crazy?
Is the character kind, gentle, stern, emotional, hatsh, logical, rational, compassionate or
exacting...? Make up a list of adjectives that descdbe the protagonist. \What words or
actions on the chatacter's pa-rt make you choose the adjectives you do?
Of what nationality is the character? Does he live in his native land, or somewhere else?
\X4rat does the character do fot a living? Is he a ptofessional, ot a blue-collar worker? Is he
wealthy ot impovedshed? Is he content with his lot in life, or does he long to improve
himself,like Pip in Creat Exputations?
i. Is the chatacter educated? To what degtee? How do you know?
j. What does the chatacter say about himself to other people?
k. \X4rat do other characters think ot say about him?
l. Is the chatactet a membet of any patticulat lsli.glous ot social group? If so, what do you
know about this gtoup? \ff4rat motivates this group? Vhat do its members feel to be
important?
m. V4eat does the character think is the most important thing in life? How do you know this?
Does the chatacter say this out loud, or do his thoughts and actions give him away?
n. Do the charactet's priorities change over the coutse of the story? In what way? $7hat causes
this change? Is it a change for the better, or for the worse?
o. How does the petsonality of the character reflect the values of the society (or individual) that
ptoduced the story?
p. Is the charactet a tvpe or archetype? Is he an "Everyman" with whom the reader is meant to
identi$'? Are his struggles s).rrnbolic of human life genetally in some way?
q. Is the character a "svmpathetic character"? Do you identi$r with him and hope he vrill
succeed? Do you piw him? Do you scom or despise his weakness
in some way? V4ey?
Teaching the Classics: A Socratic Methodfor Literary Education 67

4. Who else is the story about?
a. Is there a single character (ot a gtoup of characters) that opposes the protagonist in the
story? In other words, is there an antagonist?
b.
d.
In what way is he antagonistjc? SThat goal of the protagonist is he opposed to?
What actions does he take to oppose the protagonist?
Is the antagonist out to do physical harm to the protagonist, violence to his reputation, his
memory, his work ot his familv? How do you know?
e. How does the author's description of the chatacter inforrn you oIhis antagonism? Does he
have any physical atttibutes or petsonality ftaits that mark him as antagonistic?
f. \il&v does he oppose the protagonist) Does he merely belong to a different social gtoup?
Does he see the wotld in slightly different ways? Ot is he an evil villain, like Shakespeare's
Iago?
G
f)
. Is he teprehensible, so that none would wish to be like him?
h.
How do this charactet's wotds and actions affect those around him?
i.
'
Does his presence corrupt?
Is he strangely attractive? Does he draw others into his wicked sensibilities (i.e. \Wormwood,
Screwtape l:tters)? Does he seem somehow rational, justi{ied, even righteous in his actions
(i.e. Javen, I-zs Miserab/es)?
k. Has the antagonist always opposed the protagonist? If not, what caused his change of
direction? Was there a turning point on his road to antagonism?
I. Does the author believe this character to be tesponsible for his own sinfrrlness, or does he
believe him a product of a "negative environment"?
m. Is the antagonist ftuly evil, by definition, ot is he metely antagonistic to the protagonist by
virtue of his vocation or duty?
n. What are the antagonist's surtoundings (does he live next doot to the dump like Bob Ewell
n To Kill a Mockingbir4? Are they telated to his character? Did the authot pur him there on
purpose?
5. What does the protagonist want? (hIa1 a/so be asked of other cltaracters)
^.
b.
Fill in the blank Ttris story is about the protagonist trying to _.
Does he attemPt to overcome something - ^ physical impediment, or an emotionai
handicap?
c. Does he strive to overcome a physical obstacle outside of himself (An ocean, for example,
like Chdstophet Columbus, ot nature generally, like aJack London character)?
68 The Center for Literary Education
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e.
f.
Does the ptotagonist try to capture an object (fhe Silvet Chalice)?
i. Or a person (Agatha Chdstie's Hetcule Poirot)?
ii. Or a beast (St. George and the Dragon)?
iii. Or a perfect wodd (Thomas More's Utzpia)?
iv. Ot a mate (Pride and Prqjudice)?
v. Or fieedom (Hartiet Tubman)?
vi Or success (Coodb1e, Mr. Chips)?
vn. Or justice (]ean Valjean of Its Miserables)?
vin. Or inner peace (The Brothers Karamaqou)?
tx. Ot contentrnent (does he even know what he's looking for)?
Is the conflict an extemal one, having to do with circumstances in the protagonist's physical
wodd, or is it an rntemal conflict, taking place in his mind and emotions?
Do his objectives or goals change throughout the story? How? W4ry?
6. Why can't he have it?
^. Do physical or geogtaphical impediments stand in the chatacter's way?
b. Does the character lack strength, mental acumen or some other necessary ability?
c. Does he lack self-confi.dence, good health, or social connections?
d. Does the character's age, economic class, race, or sex stand in his wav?
e. Is the character racing against time?
f. Are thete people other than the main antagonist who represent an obstacle to
character's pursuit of his goal?
g. Is the conflict a m^n v. man struggle?
h. Is the conflict ^rrrafl v. nature struggle?
i. Is the conflict a marr v. God struggle?
i.
Ir the conflict ^m n v. society struggle?
k. Is the conflict am^n v. himself struggle?
l. Does God himself (ot Providence, ot Fate) oppose the character? How do you know?
7. What othet problems are there in the stoqy?
a- Ate there other things in the story (people, responsibiJities, etc.) that distract the characters
ftom theit main goals?
b. Do chatacters' actions provoke ftrtther conflict or unrest in the story?
Teaching the Classics: A Socratic Methodfor Literary Education 69
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c. Is the protagonist involved in more than one important conflict in the story (Scout vs. Boo
Radle,v and Bob Ewrll n To Kill a Moc,kingbird, for exampie)?
d. Are there other charactets in the story who don't r:ndetstand the ptotagonist's motives and
ambitions?
e. Is there a conflict within the conflict (As when, for example the mutdetet turns out to be the
detecdve's wife)?
f. Ate there larger issues, (a laryer context or frame) in which conflict exists and forrns a
baclground fot the story (A war setting, for example)?
8. What happens in the story?
a. W4eat major events take place in the story as a result of the conflict?
b. How do the protagonist and r},.e antagonisl tespond to the conflict at fust? Do these actions
ptovoke fi:rthet conflict?
c. How do the interactions of the chatactets heighten the tension of the conflict that exists?
d. \X4eat extemal impulses heighten the conflict - lveather, wat, surffrrer brea\ separation,
sickness. etc?
9. How is the main problem solved?
^. Does the protagorrist get what he's after?
b. How are the ptotagonist's obstacles finallv ovetcome?
c. Is the siruation pleasandy resolved, ot is it resolved in a terible way?
d. \ff4eat events form the highest point ot climax of the storv's tension? Are they citcumstantial
events, or emotional ones? Is the climax a spirirual ot physical one?
e. Does the protagonist solve his own dilemma? Is it solved by some extemal source or 3d
pafiy? Is he helpless in the end to achieve his goal (like Frodo n L"ord of the Nngs), ot does he
triumph bv virtue of his own effotts (Odysseus n Tlte Odlssej?
f. Does the big conflict develop into a larget batde?
10. How does the stoty end?
^. After the climax of the story, did you wonder how it would end? How does it end? How
ate the "loose ends" tied up? Wete all of yout questions answeted?
b. Were you satisfied vrith the tesolution? If not, why not?
c. Do t-ou believe the characters' responses to the cataciysmic events, or afe they anti-climactic
in some regard?
d. How does the solution of the conflict affect each individual character?
70 The Centerfor Literary Education
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e. Does the ending ot tesolution of the story make any kind of judgments?
f. Does the resolution offer anv particular perspective or r:nderstanding of the story's themes?
11. What does the ptotagonist learn?
^. Is the protagonist changed in his mind or heart by the events of the story?
b. Does he begin to act diffetendy? In what way?
c. Is he ennobled?
d. Is he sacdficed in some wav? (was this a pat of the climax or tesolution?)
e. Does the rnztn chatacter explain to the teader his petspecfive on the events that have
transpired?
f. Does he draw upon any motifs or syrnbols to deepen his explanation of these events?
12. What do the other characters learn?
a. Are othet people in the story ennobled, changed, saved, imptoved ot otherwise affected bv
the story's events?
b. Do the,r' look at themselves differently at the end of the story?
c. Do they look at the ptotagonist differendy?
d. Do they look at their surroturdings or situations differendy?
e. Do they re-exatnine theit values and ideas?
L3. What is the main idea of the story?
^. Does the story seem to deal with a universal theme like the ones listed in this syllabus-i
b. Does the story offer an answer to a particulat problem associated with one of those themes?
c. Does the story merely cali the teadet's attention to a theme without tf itg to solve anvttring?
d. What answer does the story seem to suggest for the question,'flMhat is a good life?"
e. Wihat aspect of the human condidon is brought to light and wondeted at in this story?
L4. Does the authot use the sounds of out language to create interest in his story?
Onornalopoeia -
a. Does the authot use sound words to tell tris ston'?
Teaching the Classics: A Socratic Methodfor Literary Education 71

. Does popcom pop, soda pop fizz, and a hom bleat on any of the pages? Do any similar
word sounds appear in the text?
Assonance -
c. Does the authot use words in sequence ot in close proximity which have the same internal
vowel sounds?
Consonance -
d. Does the author use words in sequence or in close proximity that each end with the same
consonant sound?
Alliteration -
Rhlme -
e' Does the authot use wotds in sequence or in close proximity that repeat the same initial
consonant sound?
f' Does the authot end wotds or lines with the same final sound to create a musical qualiry
wiftin the text?
L5. Does the author use common words and phrases in uncommon ways?
Underslatement -
a. Does the autlor intentionally represent things in language that is less strong than the
situation ot thing would necessarily warrant for purely rhetorical effect? (For example, in
Ian Falconer's O/ivia, the natrator mentions that Olivia leams to make sandcastles "rd g.t,
"pretty good." The picture with the text is of a sand-cast model of the Empire State
Buiiding. In The Bigttt Bear, the authot mentions the trappers from the zoo were "a little
surprised" to see the boy in the trap with the bear.)
Hlperbole -
Clichi -
b. Does the author overstate or exaggerate things to make a point?
c. Do characters within the story make gtoss overstatements to ddve home an issue or idea?
d. Does the autfrot use figures of speech or exptessions that are corrunon and. overused?
Oxlmoron -
e. Does the author use sayings that are uriser than they appear at fust glance?
f. Does the authot juxtapose rwo normally contradictory wotds or ideas for the sake of making
some u'ise insight? (i.e. a healing wound, a u'ise fool a cruel kindness, icy hot)
72 The Centerfor Literary Education

16. Does the author use descriptions and comparisons to create pictures in the teadet's
mind?
Inagery -
Sirnile -
^. Does the authot create snapshots of images in the mind of the reader for the sake of
enhancing meaning, cteating setting ot rnood, or deveioping chatacter?
b. Does the author relv upon sitniles, metaphots or petsonifi.cati.on to convev his meamng
more pov/erfi.illy?
c. Does the author describe things by shorving them to the teader via word pictwes rather than
metelv telling the readet about them?
d. Does the authot use the words "like" or "as" in making comparisons between two or more
dissirnilar thinss?
Personifcation -
e. Does the authot represent inanimate objects as being lifelike or human?
f. Do things or creafures speak urith human voices, exptessing rational thoughts and ideas?
g. Do trees have atms and dance in the \Mind? Do birds sing sweedy in praise to God? Does
the thundet bellow a warning note? Does the wind howl, "Go Hooome!" as it did tn Braae
Irene?
Met@hor-
h. Does the author make compatisons of dissimilat objects ot things without the use of the
words "like" or "as"?
i. Does the authot call one thtng ot object anothet?
i.
How does this help the author cteate a mood fot the story?
k. How does it help him emphasize a theme?
l. Ate any metaphots extended thtoughout the whole story, so that they sor:nd like themes?
(Slnbok)
17. Does the author use the characters and events in his story to communicate a theme that
goes beyond them in some way?
Iroryt -
d. \X4een read litetall1', do the words of a charactet ot narrator offer informati.on that contradicts
with what you've already discovered to be true about his or het (a character's) circumstances,
character, or thoughts?
e. Do you know mote about the character than the character himself does at any point in the
stow (dramatic inltJ?
Teaching the Classics: A Socratic Methodfor Literary Education 73

Allusion -
f. Does the author tefer to other wotks of literature, histodcal events, wotks of att, ot wellknown
ideas in his wotk?
g. Does the authot's tefetence to other wofks, eveflts, or ideas serve to underscore and enrich the
teadet's understanding of an event or chatacter in the story?
Foreshadawing-
h. Does the author provide any clues eatly in the story of things to come in the plot?
i. Are there any hints of coming doom, disastet, excitement, blessing, or action?
i.
D" characters utter statements that appeat ironic in tettospect aftet the action occuts? Does
the author let you in on the inner thoughts of his chatactets fot the sake of r:ndetscoring
potential disasters ot evefits ahead in the story?
Synbolism -
k. Does the author use any objects or ideas to tefet to ot embody acharactet quality or personal
ftait? Fot example, in To f'xll A Mockingbird, Jem, Scout, Tom Robinson, and Boo are all
"mockingbirds." It's a sin to kill thern since, in their innocence, they do nothing but sing their
song to the Lotd.
I. Does the authot use any objects, persons, pictutes, or things to represent an idea in the story?
Fot example, darkness may be used to represent wickedness. Lght may be used to reptesent
truth and goodness. In the allegorical play, Everyman, the rnain chanctet reptesents or
svmbolizes sinfirl man. The s).nnbol of a dove represents the person of the Holy Spirit.
18. Who is the author?
a.
b.
d.
e.
f.
What is the authot's name?
Is the authot afirarr ot awoman?
How old was the authot when he wrote the story?
\7as the author huppy ot unhappy? Friendiy or teclusive?
\What kinds of relationships did the author have? Did he have a family? Was he an orphan?
Did the authot suffet any hardships in his life that might have made him think ot feel a
cettain way about his subject?
g. Do the answers to these questions make themselves apparent in the authot's story? In what
wavs?
L9. Where did the author live?
^. In what country did the authot live? In what city or state?
b. Did the authot live in the crty, ot in the countryside?
c. Did the author live in poverty, or comfott?
74 The Centerfor Literary Education
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d. Do the answers to these questions make themselves aPPatent in the authot's story? In what
wavs?
20. When did the authot live?
a. In what year was the author bom? W4ren did he die?
b. \What events took place in the world during the author's lifetime? Did the authot know
c.
d.
about them? Was he involved in them?
Does the author refet to the events of his lifetime in his story?
Do the answers to these questions make
ways?
2L. What did the authot believe?
a. Was the authot a believet in a particular teligion?
themselves apparent in the authol's story? In rvhat
b. Was the authot a member of a certain political parfy or other otganization?
c. Was the author associated with a particular social cause or movement? (Examples include
temperance, abolitionism, women's sufftage, civil rights, Puritanism, etc)
d. Was the author associated with a patticular intellectual school ot mode of litetature?
(examples include Romanticism, Transcendentalism, Existentialism, Natutalism, Realism,
Postmodetnism, etc)
e. Do the answers to these questions make themselves aPparent in the authol's story? In what
ways?
f. Was the author's wotld view in any way threatened by new philosophies, scientifi.c
discoveties or oetsonal circumstances? Was this conflict reflected in his stories?
Teaching the Classics: A Souatic Methoclfor Literary Education 75