1. Dialectical Journaling Samples What to do & What not to do

2. Quote from Text (Page #)(Response Code) My Notes “Not until then did they notice that Gandalf was missing. So far he had come all the way with them, never saying if he was in the adventure or merely keeping them company for a while. He had eaten most, talked most, and laughed most. But now he simply was not there at all!” (31) INADEQUATE RESPONSE: (Q)(T2T)(P) Where did Gandalf go and why did he abandon the party? Also, Gandalf looks like Dumbledore because they both have long, white beards. I predict that Gandalf will do whatever he wants to do.

3. Quote from Text (Page #)(Response Code) My Notes “Not until then did they notice that Gandalf was missing. So far he had come all the way with them, never saying if he was in the adventure or merely keeping them company for a while. He had eaten most, talked most, and laughed most. But now he simply was not there at all!” (31) ADEQUATE RESPONSE: (Q)(T2T)(P) Where did Gandalf go and why did he abandon the party? If he is truly the story-maker, it would seem necessary for him to actually be there when trouble arises. Maybe Gandalf is like Aslan or Dumbledore: a Christ-like figure who is so powerful that he is able to influence the story and its characters, even when he is not physically present. If this is true, then much of the plot (and the fate of the company) will depend upon him.

4. Quote from Text (Page #)(Response Code) My Notes “All he [Bilbo] knew was that it was still going down pretty steadily and keeping in the same direction in spite of a twist and a turn or two. There were passages leading off to the side every now and then…On and on he went, and down and down; and still he heard no sound of anything except the occasional whirr of a bat by his ears…I do not know how long he kept on like this, hating to go on, not daring to stop, on, on, until he was tireder than tired. It seemed like all the way to tomorrow and over it to the days beyond.” (67) INADEQUATE RESPONSE: (T2S) I can relate to what Bilbo is experiencing. Once, I visited a cave with my family while we were on vacation. It was really dark and cold. I would be afraid to be in there alone.

5. Quote from Text (Page #)(Response Code) My Notes “All he [Bilbo] knew was that it was still going down pretty steadily and keeping in the same direction in spite of a twist and a turn or two. There were passages leading off to the side every now and then…On and on he went, and down and down; and still he heard no sound of anything except the occasional whirr of a bat by his ears…I do not know how long he kept on like this, hating to go on, not daring to stop, on, on, until he was tireder than tired. It seemed like all the way to tomorrow and over it to the days beyond.” (67) ADEQUATE RESPONSE: (T2S) I can relate to what Bilbo is experiencing. Once, I visited a cave with my family while we were on vacation. The darkness was other-worldly and made me feel isolated, even though I was not alone. It is as if the earth had swallowed us up. Darkness is often used as a metaphor for sadness and evil. I understand this better now, having been in the literal darkness of a cave. If I had been alone in that cave, without the light of the sun or the moon, the fear would have crippled me, and I would have lost all sense of time, as Bilbo did in this passage.

6. Quote from Text (Page #)(Response Code) My Notes “All he [Bilbo] knew was that it was still going down pretty steadily and keeping in the same direction in spite of a twist and a turn or two. There were passages leading off to the side every now and then…On and on he went, and down and down; and still he heard no sound of anything except the occasional whirr of a bat by his ears…I do not know how long he kept on like this, hating to go on, not daring to stop, on, on, until he was tireder than tired. It seemed like all the way to tomorrow and over it to the days beyond.” (67) INADEQUATE RESPONSE: (A)(T2T) Bilbo is in the Belly of the Whale like Jonah. They are both heroes, and they both escape to fulfill their destiny.

7. Quote from Text (Page #)(Response Code) My Notes “All he [Bilbo] knew was that it was still going down pretty steadily and keeping in the same direction in spite of a twist and a turn or two. There were passages leading off to the side every now and then…On and on he went, and down and down; and still he heard no sound of anything except the occasional whirr of a bat by his ears…I do not know how long he kept on like this, hating to go on, not daring to stop, on, on, until he was tireder than tired. It seemed like all the way to tomorrow and over it to the days beyond.” (67) ADEQUATE RESPONSE: (A)(T2T) This passage is an example of the stage of the Monomyth called “The Belly of the Whale.” Bilbo may have already faced several trials, but this is the point of no return. He is deep in the heart of the mountain, in a place that is darker and more dangerous than anything he has previously encountered. This experience in the Belly of the Whale tests Bilbo’s courage. Although he is very afraid, he rises to the occasion by facing Gollum and outwitting him. Bilbo’s transformation is reminiscent of Jonah in the Old Testament, who remained in the belly of the whale until he accepted his mandate from God, and embraced his destiny.