How To Write A Dialectical Journal For Pride And Prejudice Chapter 3

English7-4 Avery Garrity Making Meanings 3/13/13

1. The scene from the story that I remember most vividly is when Papa comes home and yells at Mr. Andersen for cutting down his trees. I remember this scene because it was very important. It showed that no matter what race you are, you cannot take advantage of others. Everyone has a right to what they own and even if you think you are superior to that person you cannot take it away. After
Papa took charge of the situation, Mr. Andersen was flustered and left in a hurry. At that point, I think he realized that discriminating is wrong and he will not ever do it again.

2.
Two passages in the story where the trees seem human are on pg. 32, “But the old pine only tapped me gently with one of its long, low branches.” Also on pg. 36, “ They had sung their frosty ballads of years gone by.” I think Cassie loves her trees so much because they are not racist and they do not even have a race. They do not care that she is black, they still sing to her just like they would a white man. In Cassie’s world, she is surrounded by people who make her feel like second class. For example, Mr. Andersen takes advantage of her family. The trees are simple and they are secure to
her.

3. The character in the story that is “out there on his or her own” is Papa. He was sent away to work on the railroad because his family is in poverty. He is a strong man and has a lot of self-respect. He refuses to allow white men to think they are better than him. He is very smart, so he confronts the problem with Mr. Andersen by putting dynamite all around the woods, then telling him to leave. If he will not leave, then he will blow up the forest himself. This showed Mr. Andersen what it feels like to have no power, because he was making Mama and Big Ma feel like they had no power.

4. When Mr. Andersen “hissed venomously,” it reminded me of a snake. I feel that Mr. Andersen’s behavior was cruel. The little children were just standing up for their parents, and he had no right to hurt them. I bet that if they were white children, he would not have been mad. Mr. Andersen would like to think that he can manipulate that family but he cannot do that. The kids were strong and persistent and Mr. Andersen did not want them getting in his way. In a way, he was afraid of what these tiny kids could do just because they had self-respect and they felt like they deserved better.

5.
“Song of the Trees” is told by Cassie, and it would be different if her father told the story. I think this because Cassie was only 8 and very vulnerable. She saw the world very straightforward, she certainly did not want the workers cutting down her woods and she went right up and told them that. Her father was a smart man and he knew how to get Mr. Andersen away from his family. He loved his family and did not want them manipulated, however he would never get right up in Mr. Andersen’s face and demand he leave without making a deal. Cassie saw the trees as her friends and Mr. Andersen did not really care about that, he just wanted to be important and have his family look up to
him.

6. “Song of the Trees” taught me that everyone has their own spot in the world and it cannot be taken away from them. They cannot be manipulated by someone who thinks they are better because of a race, religion, social class, or income. I think the theme of this story is “Everyone is equal”. No one is better than anyone else and it is hurtful to discriminate. Being born gives you rights, no matter if you are black or white. How would you like it if you were the one being discriminated? People should think about that before they talk badly about others.

7. The place I feel most strongly about is my home, although not as strong as Cassie felt about her forest. Cassie would do anything to keep Mr. Andersen from cutting down the trees that sing to her and watch over her. I would never let somebody take away my home because they thought they were better than me. Many people in that time thought that if you were white, then you were better than anyone else and you can control black people. However, no one can control anyone because we are all different and we all have the right to do what you want.

8. On page 28, my view has stayed as agree for, “People gain self-respect by standing up for their beliefs.” In the story, Papa stood up for his beliefs by setting up dynamite so that Mr. Andersen was forced to leave the forest and stop cutting down trees. For the second one, “ Given the chance, most people will never take advantage of another person,” my view changed from in-between to disagree. When Mr. Andersen had the chance to take advantage of Big Ma and Ma, he did it without even hesitating. My view has stayed as agree for the third one, “Some people are treated unfairly because of the color of their skin.” I always knew about racism and in the story, Papa’s family does not have much power over Mr. Andersen and they cannot stop him from making an unfair deal and cutting their trees down. My view has gone from agree to in-between for the fourth, “Nobody owns the earth.” It is not right to own the earth but in that setting, Mr. Andersen clearly was in charge.

9. If I needed money but the only valuable thing I owned was a beautiful piece of land that had been home to my family for generations, I would sell this land only if it were my decision. If I were too poor to buy any food or keep heat or AC running, then I would basically be slowly killing myself. It is more important to stay alive then live on a big piece of land. However if someone forced me to move and I didn’t want to, then I would not because I don’t want to give in to that person and make him feel like he had more power than I did. If my family did not want me to sell it, then they should give me some money because it is unfair to keep me there if I need money desperately.