Journal 1:

The narration differs from the dialect in that the dialect portrays the way the African Americans spoke at this place and time and the narration portrays the average American dialect with no regional accents. The effect that this distinction has on the book is that the reader can better relate to the characters in the story through the African American dialect. The reader can also more fully understand the setting of the story which draws the reader into the book. The absence  of a specific dialect in the narration provides a distinction between the two depicted cultures and gives a sense of how the author choses to portray herself.

Journal 2:

The setting affects the text in a significant way. The setting portrays the atmosphere in which the characters live in and also depicts who they are. Because of the African American dialect, the reader can come to a conclusion about the types of different characters, where they might live and what kind of background they have. The setting describes the place in which the characters live as a tight community, full of gossipers and friends. The people are interested in every new change that occurs in the community proving that not very much happens in the town. Where they live (setting) accounts for the specific dialect as well.