Please do not copy the diary entries. They belong to the author, I would not be sharing any of them if I did not purposefully comment and respond to almost every other sentence. And FYI STARTING AT chapter 17 of my annotation of this book is where it is not again for the age group below high-schoolers as there are really dark stuff coming up. Unless you use it as a model to write your own example of annotation or a challenging writing prompt to follow NEVER COPY IT EVER. I will never put this book in stores or on another website either. This is a solo Wattpad story only and only exists for the convenience of those who wish to catch onto several writing skills and practiced them, Skylights, when they have no resources to use and accessibly provide themselves off line. I don't want any money for it and I don't want popularity for it. It is just a simple gift to less fortunate than me and to me them being able to read this is satisfying enough. It is enough for me that readers will want to read it.
You, however, may quote whatever annotations I have stated that you find make a very good lesson and point I will allow that. I quote people all the time. And I will be listing several quotes from the story in these chapters to come up later because they are really good to quote, my friends.
77: 99th diary entry annotated.
First day of September
There was a big race up in Winchester last week, and Hince won. (13 words, awesome!)
Soon as he got back, he came to the kitchen to see me and to tell me all 'bout his win. (21 words)
First thing, Missy come sidin' up to him — like he came there to see her. (15 words, ghe's barely in the same room with you at any time why would he ever ask for you? You're a complete stranger to him, honestly.)
He asked where Spicy was, right in front of her. (10 words)
I gladly told him. (4 words)
78: 100th diary entry annotated. (We're halfway through the Dear America Book if you count by Diary Entries not pages.)
Monday
Mr. Harms starts each day by sayin' the day, month, and year. (12 words) Today is Monday, September 5, 1859. (6 words)
So now I can keep better track of time. (9 words, that is quite truthfully helpful.)
79: 101st diary entry annotated.
Tuesday, September 6, 1859
William has taken to Mr. Harms like a bird to berries. (11 words, simile is excellent here, well done, Clotee.)
I declare, the boy is reading now and liking it. (10 words, learning can always be fun but it depends on how fun your teacher wants to be. Most college professors have no idea how to teach this way and that is why they're so boring during class time. It is the very last yet most reason why students hate school in general.)
I'm learning a lot, too. (5 words)
I'm adding "ing" to my words now, 'cause Mr. Harms made William stop saying, "talkin'," and "walkin'," and "singin'." (19 words, people out west will still leave the g off those words. They never pronounce it.)
It is talking, walking, and singing. (6 words)
I remember to write my ings, but I still forget to say my ings. (14 words, that is hard to remember to say when you're not use to saying them period.)
80: 102nd diary entry annotated.
Wednesday, September 7, 1859
Mr. Harms has taken charge of William's days. (8 words)
Two men from down in the Quarters comes up every morning and helps William get bathed and dressed. (18 words)
One brings William down for breakfast in his rolling chair. (10 words, rolling chair is probably the old term for wheel chairs and in that case wheelchairs must have been around longer than we ever thought.)
Afterwards, we have our study time — in the cool of the morning — just hot enough to need a fanner, which is still me. (23 words, God gave you such a real gift of a blessing, dear.)
Then it's time for lunch. (5 words)
William eats with Mr. Harms most of the time. (9 words, not surprised the boy would rather be with his tutor his parents are quite boring every day.)
The rest of the day William listens to Mr. Harms read to him, or they play card games, or a game called chess. (23 words, yes Chess also existed way back then too.)
William spends the evenin' with his mother and father — but most time they spat 'bout one thing or another, so he goes off to bed. (25 words, his parents are quite boring to him and so he avoids them and their short tempers too also.)
81: 103rd diary entry annotated.
Thursday, September 8, 1859
I slipped out late last night. (6 words)
Came out to write in my diary. (7 words)
I heard a twig snap. (5 words, ooo)
Someone was coming. (3 words, good instinct)
I called to see who it was. (7 words, also good instinct) Missy answered, asking, "What you doing out here?" (8 words, what a snoopy girl.)
I was sitting on my diary. (6 words, clever way to hide it currently.)
I told her it was too hot to sleep, so I'd come out to look at the stars. (18 words, a reasonable thought again, it wasn't something Clotee hasn't done before at all, Skylights, so it's not really a lie.) "Why do you always come back here behind the kitchen?" (10 words)
She was digging for a bone. (6 words) "I like it back here. (5 words) I can see the river and the stars." (8 words, who wouldn't like such a view like that?) My hiding place behind the kitchen is no longer safe. (10 words, true)
I have to find a new place, safer, and real soon. (11 words)
82: 104th diary entry annotated.
Friday, September 9, 1859
Since Uncle Heb's been dead, the garden's been looking real pitiful. (11 words) I pulled a few weeds from round the roses. (9 words) But it just aine the same. (6 words, true.) I miss him and sometimes turn round to say something to him, but he's not there. (16 words, but he's in a better place now.) He never will be there, just like Mama. (8 words, Your Mom is also in that better place too.)
Oh, yes, I learned from Mr. Harms that it's around and not 'round. (13 words) It's something and not somethin'. (5 words) I've got more out of Mr. Harms' lesson than I ever did from Miz Lilly. (15 words, of course, an angry short tempered woman is a terrible professor as much as she is a terrible Mom; this kind of person is easily willing to give up. Mr. Harms is more patient, calm and thorough in his teachings.)
But there's something real different about Mr. Harms, and I cain't put it to words yet. (16 words, our first subtext inclusion in an long while.)
He never even looks at me. (6 words)
Treats me like I'm not there. (6 words)
83: 105th diary entry annotated.
Saturday, September 10, 1859
I was digging through some of the trash in Mas' Henley's study, looking for things about abolitionists, and the Underground Railroad. (21 words) Nothing.
I cain't find a thing to help me understand my list of words better. (14 words, perhaps you're searching in the wrong place, Clotee.)
So, when I just wrote F-R-E-E-D-O-M, it still don't show me no picture. (13 words, as I said Freedom is such a broad and subjective word, truly.)
But I'm keeping my eyes open. (6 words, that's not the only thing you should keep open, Clotee. Open your ears to hear too as well.)
84: 106th diary entry annotated.
Sunday, September 11, 1859
Aunt Tee been so sad since she been turned out of the kitchen. (13 words) I would do anything to help make her laugh and be happy again. (13 words)
I guess that's why I did a very foolish thing. (10 words, we all do foolish things sometimes for everyone we do really love not just our romantic partner but family and friends too.)
I went down to her cabin to visit. (8 words)
After we'd talked, I used a stick to scratch writing on the dirt floor. (14 words)
C is for CAT. (4 words)
Before I could blink my eye, Aunt Tee had slapped me so hard I had to hold on to the table to keep from tobbling over. (26 words, Aunt Tee only gave her that warning because Aunt Tee hasn't forgiven herself and released her from her guilt, and she's aware it was a little mean.) Miz Lilly aine never hit me that hard. (8 words, you didn't make her do anything other than what she thought was already ordinary, Clotee.) She rubbed out the letters with her foot. (8 words)
At last, my head stopped swimming and the spots before my eyes cleared up. (14 words) There wasn't no anger in Aunt Tee's eyes, only fear. (10 words, I wouldn't say just fear that's being a little too unnatural, but rather regretful fear.) "Do you know what happen to slaves the mas'er finds out got learnin'?" (13 words)
She whispered sternly. (3 words) I knew they got beaten, or much worse they got sold to the Deep South. (15 words.) I couldn't make her understand that I was trusting her. (10 words)
I knew she wouldn't tell on me. (7 words)
"I don't wanna be trusted," Aunt Tee say, near tears. (10 words, those words are a marker of the guilt Aunt Tee won't forgive herself about it has nothing to do with Clotee or her secrets at all, Skylights.) "Look at what trust got me.
I b'lieved Mas' Henley would do right by me, 'cause I'd done right by him. (21 words, people who feel guilty for themselves instantly turn the rest of the world negative in their eyes, Skylights, and forget that there is actual rights being done to begin with actually be answered within the plantation borders, Skylights.) Not so. Look at me now. (6 words) Trusting got me here. (4 words)
Who teached you, chile?" (4 words)
I was scared to say — and real sorry I'd told her about any of it. (15 words)
I decided to hold back on all the truth. (9 words, God's sign soon but not yet she will actually understand the real reason behind your learning. She's not ready to understand, Clotee that is what Aunt Tee's conversation really means.)
"I teached myself just a few words." (7 words)
Aunt Tee sucked in her breath and clicked her teeth. (10 words) Her face was clouded over with worry. (7 words)
"Don't bring trouble to yo' own front door," she say, biting her lip, the way she did when she was real worried. (22 words, another thing that can actually be quoted it is very equivalent to the phrase "'Don't go looking for trouble.'")
"Don't you tell another living soul that you got this little piece of knowing. (14 words) You hear me?" (3 words)
Never have I been more sure of anything. (8 words) I will not tell another person my secret ever. (9 words)
85: 107th diary entry annotated.
After study time — Monday, September 12, 1859
Now Mr. Harms is on to something! (7 words)
And I brought the trouble to my own front door. (10 words)
He and William was reading a play together. (8 words)
As usual I was standing behind them, fanning — up and down, up and down — and reading over their shoulders. (19 words)
William got stuck on the word "circumstances." (7 words)
I was so taken by the story, I plum forgot where I was. (13 words, ever had a story zone you out before right out of real reality? Then you know exactly how Clotee feels when you're suddenly zapped back into real reality.)
Suddenly, my mouth got ahead of my thoughts and I blurted out the first part of the word. (18 words, the mouth often slips before the mind, the mind slips before the heart does slip. This is logical common sense.)
"Cir—" I caught myself, but not soon enough. (8 words)
Mr. Harms jerked around and looked at me — his mouth dropped open a little, like he was surprised. (18 words, he is not a stupid man nor is he dangerous to you at all, Clotee, just like he's not dangerous towards William. He could never tell on you period.)
"What did you say?" (4 words)
"Cir — yes, sir? (3 words, good try to save it.)
Yes. Sir is what I said. (6 words) Sir. Sir? (2 words) May I go, please?" (4 words)
I was thinking fast — Lord let me get out of this. (11 words) Mr. Harms looked down at the book, then he looked back up at me and where I was standing. (19 words) He told me I could go, but asked my name. (10 words) He knows — he knows! (4 words) Lord! Lord! (2 words, she saying it is this way because she is begging the Lord for help which is what we are suppose to do when we fear trouble coming our way. It's a pleading statement just like David in his Psalms he wrote about crying out for the Lord and his deliverance meaning crying out his name.)
What's going to happen to me? (6 words)
86: 108th diary entry annotated.
Wednesday, September 14, 1859
I guess I was wrong about Mr. Harms being on to me. (12 words) He aine said a thing, and I'm still fanning during lessons. (11 words)
I let up writing for a few days, 'cause l've been too scared to go near the hiding spot, what with Missy slipping around, and maybe Mr. Harms is on to something. (32 words, not knowing if the Stranger is a safe person to speak to is the worst, but I think his silence is enough to prove he'd never be a cruel liar.
87: 109th diary entry annotated.
Thursday, September 15, 1859
Spicy looks tired when she comes in from the fields. (10 words)
But she says the tobacco don't slap you in the face, and call you all hours of the night, and send you to do this or that. (27 words, true plants don't slap you back unless you purposefully run into their stuff.)
Spicy likes the fields better than working in the Big House. (11 words) Missy likes the Big House. (5 words) She's struck by all the sparkle and pretty of the Mas'er's house. (12 words, Missy is more girly than any of the other slaves this statement alone confirms it.) She go around touching things, and oohing and aahing over it all. (12 words)
She so busy looking at stuff, she gets careless.
I have to redo some of her work sometimes to keep us both out of trouble. (25 words)
When I show her where she's made a mistake, Missy gets mad and starts yelling at me all hateful. (19 words, Eugh, such the definition of a bully even more so than Miz Lilly. ) "You just think you cute. Make me sick — all the time trying to talk all proper-like. (16 words the last sentences) You're just a skinny, little thing, so don't come trying to say I'm stupid." (14 words, such is the beginning of being a bully verbal harassment of insults like calling someone skinny one too many times or saying they talk too nice and neat the more comments like this are repeated to the same person the more degrading they become towards the person they're aimed at.) I never say she's stupid, even though I think it. (10 words) And I don't try to talk proper-like. (7 words)
Then before the evening is over good, she's back trying to be friends with me again. (16 words) She always asking me a lot of questions about Hince. (10 words) I know how to get back at Missy, though. (9 words) I say, "Why don't you ask Spicy." (7 words)
It's hard to b'lieve we was ever friends. (8 words, maybe when she was younger than 5 years old cause she didn't know nothing about the cruel unfairness of the real world but in the context of which this book has been set you were barely ever even close friends.)
Missy bears watching. (3 words)
According to my recent research on how long wheel chairs have been around, the existence of such a thing has been around since the 4th century bc and has been continued to be used until a German person invented what the modern one is now today. So wheelchairs and their concept have been around for an extremely long time, Skylights. The concept of this is older than the origins of the word sister and its shortened nickname sister according to most research I have found online the earliest appearance of sister being used began in the earliest languages of Latin, German and French during 11th century bc. Enjoy -Lumna10