Journal #1: How is the narration different from the dialect?
The narration is different from the dialect because it reads like someone very educated, and the dialect of the characters are written like uneducated southern African Americans after the Civil War. It's an interesting contrast to go from " ' Ah'm tryin' to soak some uh de tiredness and de dirt outa mah feet' " to " The rose of the world was breathing out smell. It followed her through all her waking moments and caressed her in her sleep." Many literary techniques are used in the narration, like metaphor, imagery and symbols. The dialect uses a lot of slang that is difficult to follow unless it is said out loud. The narration seems like almost a foil to the dialect in order to accentuate each writing's qualities, or it could be Janie's true thoughts that she can not express because of her restrictions of her education and dialect. This may be way off though! But the narrator does not seem like a person that does not have a significant part of the story. Maybe other authors intend for the narrators to be disconnected to the story, but this narration seems to take a more important role, like when describing Janie's spring romance.