MODEL: “Dialogue Between Franklin and the Gout” by Ben Franklin
A. Read the “Dialogue,” pp. 101-06, The American Experience
B. Analyze the piece
1. Audience
2. Purpose
3. Theme
C. Think about a personal weakness or character flaw that you possess.
D. Think about and list some of the techniques that Franklin uses in his “Dialogue”
E. Use some of those same techniques to create a dialogue that you might have with your own personal character flaw.
F. Type this assignment. Single space for each speaker and double space between speakers. Write enough to establish a personality, or voice, for each character. The final piece should resemble a skit and have a minimum of two characters. It should probably be somewhere between one-and-a-half and three pages. Capitalize each speaker’s name. Be sure to include an angle or attitude that you, as writer, find interesting and entertaining. Ask yourself these questions before writing: What is the conflict of the dialogue going to be and who is going to win the argument?
Create a clever title or use Franklin’s title as a guide.
Incorporate one or two of Franklin’s aphorisms from “Poor Richard’s Almanac” into your dialogue. (You may find more of them on the internet.) Be sure to credit Franklin when you quote him.
Sample Dialogue:
PEACOCK: Remember what Ben Franklin said: “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that’s the stuff life is made of.”
PROCRASTINATION: Yes, you may say that if you wish. But let me ask you, Why is it that you have waited until the last minute to type up this worksheet for your students? Do you wish to preach against the very vice that you practice so assiduously? Make up your mind. Am I friend, or am I enemy?