Model Dialectical Journal
Entry
Please quote the passage and
page number on the left hand
side.
“Cal,” I asked, “why do you talk
nigger-talk to the-to your folks
when you know it’s not right?”
“Well, in the first place I’m
black--”
“That doesn’t mean you hafta
talk that way when you know
better,” said Jem.
…“Suppose you and Scout
talked colored folks’ talk at
home it’d be out of place,
wouldn’t it? Now what I talked
white-folks’ talk at church, and
with my neighbors? They’d
think I was puttin’ on airs to
beat Moses.”
…“It’s not necessary to tell all
you know. It’s not ladylike—in
the second place, folks don’t like
to have somebody around
knowin’ more than they do. It
aggravates them.”
(125-126).
In a well written analytical response…
Step 1: Pick a passage that captures your imagination and analyze
it in light of your literature circle role.
 Mockingbird Metaphor and Big Ideas
 Character Analyst
 Parenting
 Race, Class, and Relationships
 Ethics
In this passage, Jem and Scout see Calpurnia in her element at the local
African American church she attends. They are struck by how differently
Calpurnia speaks. Around black folk, she speaks “nigger.” Around Jem
and Scout, she speaks—what they consider—“the right way” (“whitefolks” talk).
Although these comments are not malicious, they reveal the underlying
assumptions Jem and Scout have about language which, in turn, indicate
their view of their world. Despite the ethical, morally admirable way in
which Atticus is bringing them up, Jem and Scout still subscribe to a
worldview that says that African Americans—their speech in this case—
are somehow less than whites. African American vernacular is “wrong”
and illegitimate. Jem and Scout do not say this to Calpurnia with harsh
judgment. They ask matter-of-factly which points to how deeply
entrenched and accepted racial stereotypes and assumptions are in
society. Even the nicest children perpetuate them as evidenced in this
passage!
That Calpurnia speaks “white” English around Jem and Scout and
switches to African American vernacular around folks in her community
is telling: she is consciously navigating the rules of both worlds. In a Jim
Crow, segregated society, she is forced to switch languages to fit in with
the people around her. She knows she is a black woman with little social
power, and to survive, she plays by the rules society sets up, even if it
means speaking “black-folk” talk with her friends and “white-folk” talk
with the Finch’s.
Step 2: Pose 3-4 unanswered questions the passage raises. Use
icon words to enrich your question.
1.
2.
3.
4.
What are other rules Calpurnia has for herself when it comes to
interacting with whites and blacks?
What are Jem and Scout’s current beliefs and attitudes towards
blacks in society? What details in the text reveals their attitudes?
Are Jem and Scout’s beliefs and attitudes towards blacks changing
over time?
What unspoken rules do we follow in our lives when it comes to
language? Do we speak different versions of English?
Step 3: Make personal connections to the text and/or reflect on
your ideas, unanswered questions, etc.
This passage reminds me of how the language we use with people
powerfully reflects our relationship with them. I speak academic English
with my students 100% in the classroom because it is my job. Outside of
the classroom, however, I am looser with my English. If I spoke
conversational English, slang even, in class, I think my students would
like it at first but ultimately lose respect for me as a teacher because they
expect, consciously or unconsciously, an English teacher to speak polished
academic English.