Dialectical Journal
by: Reagan Williams (8th period)
“Sir, it’s worth dying to be free” (page 7)
This quotation represents theme because Sam is not willing to back down and fights for what he believes in. The language used in the quotation makes the reader feel fearful for Sam’s destiny. Early in the exposition the reader can tell that Sam is very opinionated and is strong willed. He will not rest until they are not under British ruling. Not being under British ruling is what Sam believes means to be free. This makes the reader feel uneasy because they do not want Sam to get hurt. They also don’t want him to go against his father, because he is strong willed as well, and they don’t want Sam to be excluded out of the family.
“You may know principle, but I know war” (page 21)
When the reader reads this quotation, they begin to side Sam’s father because his father is saying it won’t matter what’s right or wrong in war. The reader feels tense; because they know what he is saying is true. This quote is also important because it intensifies Sam and his father’s fight. It grabs the reader because it makes their argument grow. This argument makes the reader feel that they should choose who is right or wrong. The wording in this quote shows that Sam’s father is not going to let Sam make his own decision. That makes the reader unsure of which side to choose because Sam’s father sounds as if he doesn’t believe it is possible for him to be wrong.
“I’d never seen him cry before in my whole life; and I knew there were bad times coming.” (page 22)
The language used in this quotation makes the reader feel anxious because the novel is not making them read between the lines. It is blatantly telling the reader that something bad is coming. The reader also feels fearful when reading this quotation because Tim’s father doesn’t every cry. When the reader reads this, it proves to them that what’s going on is serious because Tim’s father always hides his emotion. This quotation is also important to the entire novel because it shows the reader that things around Redding aren’t going to be running smoothly. The language in the text makes the reader feel uncertain because they know that Tim’s father is a strong man. The strong language that Tim used to describe his father crying shows that even he is uncertain of what might happen next.
“You never get rid of injustices by fighting” ( page 22)
The strong language used in this quotation shows that Sam’s father believes that even if the King of England refuses to listen to the colonies thoughts and needs, they will not do anything but cause more trouble by fighting. This makes the reader understand Sam’s father’s side of argument. The quotation makes the reader reconsider withier or not they believe Sam or his father is right, yet again. It also makes the reader think about Sam and his father’s relationship as a whole. The reader does not want Sam and his father to exclude each other out of their life’s, just because they have a disagreement. This quotation shows the conflict between Sam and his father his rising and they are on completely opposite sides. This makes the reader torn. The reader doesn’t want anything bad to happen to Sam or to his father, and they want them to find a compromise.
"Don’t come any closer Sam or I’ll shoot you” (page 55)
When reading this quotation, it makes them fearful for both Sam and for Tim. The reader could tell that Tim was scared, but he was not going to surrender to Sam. The reader could also tell that Sam was most likely going to do something daring. That frightens the reader because they don’t want anything to happen to either of them. The language they used in this quotation shows the reader that Tim is serious, and it makes the reader unsure of what could happen next. That feeling makes the reader want to keep reading because of the intense situation. The language also makes the reader feel that Tim threatening Sam and choosing his father’s side over Sam’s, might be a rebellion against Sam. That makes the reader anxious about Sam and Tim’s relationship.
“Did you run away?” (page 57)
This quotation shows that Tim is still hopeful that Sam left the war and has come home to help. This makes the reader feel bad for Tim; because Sam made it clear that he is not going to leave. It also made the reader curious. The reader still had hope too, so they wanted to know the answer to Tim’s question as well. The quotation also shows that Tim is desperate. He was asking Sam if he was coming back home because he needed help running the tavern. It was clear to the reader that Tim felt desperate. That made them feel even worse because they knew that no matter how much Tim wanted Sam to come home, he most likely wasn’t going to.
“We haven’t done any fighting yet” (page 59)
This quotation shows that Sam’s father may be right. Sam has never experienced war. This makes the reader spectacle of Sam’s actions of going against his father because he has never seen a person lying on the ground that cannot be helped. Sam pretends like he knows everything, when he has seen nothing, and that frightens the reader. This frightens the reader because they are anxious that Sam does not know what is coming, since he has not fought yet. The language in this quotation shows that Sam has yet to figure out what it is like to be in war. This scares the reader because they don’t want anything to happen to Sam while he is in war for the first time ever.
“Up to that time the war hadn’t been very real” (page 61)
“Luckily, the troops hadn’t really hurt anybody.” (page 62)
“Betsey Read wad coming down the road from the center.” (page 78)
“Maybe they’ll win”103
The language in this quotation shows Tim’s change in opinion. This makes the reader anxious, because they don’t want his cousin running around saying Tim is against his father’s beliefs. When Tim says that he believes the rebels have a chance, it makes the reader excited for Tim. The reader is excited for Tim because he was no longer unsure of what was going on, and they were happy that he finally said the rebels have a chance. In this quotation, it shows that Tim’s values and beliefs are affected because he has decided that Sam might be right. The reader is nervous, because they don’t know if he is going to go against his father as well. The reader does not want Tim to be kicked out of the family because he believes the rebels will win.