Journal Entries

The novel is made up of 4 parts (labeled in roman numeral). You will create 4 entries per story part for a total of 16 entries in your journal altogether.  (16 total–each made of a quote you pick in MLA citing, a connection of the quote to drama concepts/terms, and why you picked it) Part I–pages 1-108  (4 entries) Part II–pages 72-258  (4 entries) Part III–pages 259-355  (4 entries) Part IV–pages 357-403  (4 entries) Remember, you are not writing an essay for this unit, so your journal entries are important in that this is where you will use your writing thoughts to explore the novel and deepen your observations of narrative and hero’s journey and all of the many concepts we have discussed this semester.  Read and write and enjoy it.  Think of the characters, too, as you write your journals.  What are your thoughts about them?  Who resonates with you and why?  -CHARACTERS- Nao Yasutani – one of the protagonists of the novel, a 16-year-old native Nisei (second-generation Japanese American immigrant) Californian girl. Jiko Yasutani – Nao’s great-grandmother, who is a Zen Buddhist nun. An anarchist, feminist, and novelist, who was also a “new Woman of the Taisho era”. Haruki #1 – Nao’s great-uncle, a WWII soldier who supposedly died while carrying out a kamikaze mission over the pacific. Haruki #2 (or Harry Yasutani) – Nao’s father who had a prestigious job at Silicon Valley, but is fired from his job and loses most of his savings after the dot-com bubble burst, prompting him and his family to move to Tokyo. Ruth – the other protagonist of the novel. A novelist facing the problem of writer’s block. Oliver – Ruth’s husband, who is an environmental artist. Pest, or Pesto – Ruth and Oliver’s cat. As you know, EACH journal log entry should contain three parts: Part 1- Share a quote from the novel in MLA format with a parenthetical citation. Part 2-Connect the quote to the concepts of story (plot, climax, setting, character, theme, tone, symbol, etc.) Part 3-Explain why you picked it and/or what it means to you.  From A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki