Tans Dialectical Journal

Dialectical Journals HOW CAN CULTURE BOND OR DIVIDE HUMAN BEING? The term “Dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving question and answer.” Think of your dialectical journal as a series of conversations with the texts we read during this Unit. The process is meant to help you develop a better understanding of the texts we read. Use your journal to incorporate your personal responses to the texts, your ideas about the themes we cover and our class discussions. You will find that it is a useful way to process what you’re reading, prepare yourself for group discussion, and gather textual evidence for your Literary Analysis assignments. Procedure ○ As you read, choose passages that stand out to you. Record them in the left-hand column of a TChart. (ALWAYS include page numbers.) ○ In the right-hand column write your responses to the text (ideas, insights, questions, reflections, and comments on each passage). ○ Label your responses using the following codes: ➢ (C) Connect - make a connection to your life, the world, or another text ➢ (CL) Clarify - make a statement or idea less confusing or more clear ➢ (R) Reflect - think deeply about what the passage means in a broad sense - not just the characters in the story. What conclusions can you draw about the world, about human nature, or just the way things work? ➢ (E) Evaluate - make a judgement about the character(s), their actions, or what the author is trying to say ○ Provide at least six (6) entries. Each entry must be at least 5 sentences long.

Sample Dialectical Journal Entry: The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien Passages from the Text “...they carried like freight trains; they carried it on their backs and shoulders-and for all the ambiguities of Vietnam, all the mysteries and unknowns, there was at least the single abiding certainty that they would never be at a loss for things to carry.”

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Your Response (R) O’Brien chooses to end the first section of the novel with this sentence. He provides excellent visual details of what each soldier in Vietnam would carry for day-to-day fighting. He makes you feel the physical weight of what soldiers have to carry for simple survival. When you combine the emotional weight of loved ones at home, the fear of death, and the responsibility for the men you fight with, with this physical weight, you start to understanding what soldiers in Vietnam dealt with every day. The quote sums up the confusion that the men felt about the reasons they were fighting the war, and how they clung to the only certainty -- things they had to carry -- in a confusing world where normal rules were suspended.

Dialectical Journal #1 HOW CAN CULTURE BOND OR DIVIDE HUMAN BEING? Passages from the Text “...He was a man of action, a man of war. Unlike his father he could stand the look of blood. In Umuofia’s latest war he was the first bring home a human head. That was his fifth head; and he was not old man yet.”

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Your Response (E) In this passage, author wanted to describe the different of behavior of Okonkwo and his father. According to the text, author shown the character of Okonkwo as he was young and strong man by comparing to his father. Okonkwo’s father was described as a coward person because he really dislike the war and death. Different from Okonkwo that the author described him as a hero who brought the victory to the village. Apart from the character’s behavior, this passage was also shown the unique of Igbo culture that they considered their enemies head as a reward of the fighter.

Commented [1]: I like this response, but it seems like an (R). An (E) response will judge or evaluate the passage.

Dialectical Journal #2

Passages from the Text Okonkwo was inwardly pleased at his son’s development, and he knew it was due to Ikemefuna. He wanted Nwoye to grow into a tough young man capable of ruling his father’s household when he was dead and gone to join the ancestors. He wanted him to be a prosperous man, having enough in his barn to feed the ancestor with regular sacrifices. And so he was always happy when he heard him grumbling about women.

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Your Response (R) This passage illustrated Okonkwo’s parental side toward his son, Nwoye. Even Okonkwo was described at the first three chapters that he was an emotionless man, but inwardly he still love his son. Every parents might love their children but it depended on how they shown it out. Similar to Okonkwo, he truly love his son but he was not good at showing off. From this reason, it caused the contradiction between emotion and behavior of Okonkwo. According to this passage, in perspective of Okonkwo, he very proud in his son, Nwoye, because of the development that the son has made. He also created some of expectations about the future of Nwoye that he would be affluent and trustable person. Observation and expectation were the basic stuff that every parent would had. Even Okonkwo were terrible at showing emotion, but however he would probably be a good parent. Inwardly, Okonkwo was still love and care about his children definitely.

Commented [2]: Good response. One thing you've missed is how Okonkwo is "happy" with Nwoye complains about women. How terrible!

Dialectical Journal #3

Passages from the Text

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Your Response

Dialectical Journal #4

Passages from the Text After the singing the interpreter spoke about the Son of God whose name was Jesus Kristi. Okonkwo, who only stayed in the hope that it might come to chasing the men out of the village or whipping them, now said: “ You told us with your own mouth that there was only one god. Now you talk about his son. He must have a wife, then.” The crowd agreed. “I did not say He had a wife,” said the interpreter, somewhat lamely...

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Your Response

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(CL) This misunderstanding scene happens because the different culture of Igbo and white people. Igbo people, most of them spend their life with nature, also, their huts and habitat mostly located in forest. Then, their believe and culture probably influenced by the nature. Likewise the belief of people in Umuofia and Mbanta that they believe about the god of nature. Most of the god in believe of Igbo people come from natural element, for instance, Oracle of cave, god of rock, and sacred python. Accordingly, it is hard to make Igbo people understand about Christianity and the spirit of god. About Jesus Kristi who has been mentioned in this paragraph, he is known as the son of god in Christianity. Generally, either son or daughter, both of them is needed to come for the fertilization of their parents. And these is also what Okonkwo believe. But in case of Jesus Kristi, it totally far away from the general concept. Because of the belief of Christian that they believe the god is so immaculate then god cannot have any sexual relation with female. There is impossible that god will have a child and also overthrow the general idea of having children. The confusion of child of god caused misunderstanding concept to Okonkwo. To explain why Okonkwo does not understand the concept, that is because Okonkwo has a strong and constance mind. Therefore, it is hard to convince him to believe in the thing that he has ever seen it before.

Dialectical Journal #5

Passages from the Text

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Your Response

Dialectical Journal #6

Passages from the Text

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Your Response