This text is an excerpt from chapter 6 of Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. This passage occurs a week later, after Junior damages Mr. P's nose. Junior wishes to transfer to Reardan, a privileged white school. He explains that he wants to transfer schools, for he wants a better education. Junior thinks that by going to Reardan, he will be able to get the educational opportunity he never got.…
Everyone goes through difficult stages in their life, and everybody copes with their hardships differently, but what really helped Junior through his tough time was the support of his friends. Within the book, Alexie gives scenarios in which Junior gains friends that support him after the deaths he faces. Throughout the book, The Absolutely True diary of a Part-Time Indian, Junior’s only way to cope with the tragedies he faced was through the presence of strong friendships in his life. One of the first gestures of friendship was revealed on Junior’s first day back from school since the death of his dad’s best friend Eugene.…
There's have been much ignorance with a certain group of people that are suffering in the economy, lack of opportunities, and much more, they are called Native Americans or they are also known as Indians. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie. Junior is a teenager who lives on a reservation that is full of poverty and a negative environment. He transfers to a white school called Reardan, making him the different one in it, and caused his own tribe to go against him. Juniors influence with the tribes that identify him are making an impact because of the poverty, funeral goers, and the restrictions the teenage boys have.…
Have you ever had a hard time switching from a totally different environment? The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, demonstrates many things. Most importantly it demonstrates how a new environment can give you a different perspective. Junior changed many times throughout the novel. Especially, Penelope gave him a different view of himself.…
Book censoring has been around for years, back in ancient time’s people would burn books to keep these discouraged books from the eyes of the public. Back then there were only a few copies of every book, compared to now where there are thousands of books. It would be difficult to take away all of those books that some people feel they are “unsafe” to be in public libraries. In the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, written by Sherman Alexie, it does contain sexual references, foul language, racial comments, and talks poorly about Christianity, but it also talks about a boy who has to work through many hurdles in his life. People keep books like this one from being in the public libraries and from the school libraries because they don’t…
In Sherman Alexie's novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Junior must balance his acceptance and rejection of reservation culture in order to be happy. This is first shown when Junior tells his best friend Rowdy that he is switching schools, next it is shown when his tribe gives him peace after his grandmothers passing, and finally it is shown when Junior shows empathy for his tribe. Junior first rejects tribal culture when he leaves the reservation to go to Rearden. This is junior rejecting reservation culture because he is abandoning his friend so he can go to a white school. Junior leaves Wellpinit for a better education.…
Annotated Bibliography Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little,Brown and Company, 2007, Print. Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is about a boy named Junior and how his family suffers from poverty whilst living in a reservation. After having a conversation with his teacher about how leaving the reservation would be best for him, he confronts his parents about switching to a better school off the rez, who decide to allow it.…
Have you ever been treated badly because you are different? In the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Junior, a mentally handicapped and Native American student, is often bullied. Although stereotyped and made fun of, both for his race and his brain disability, Junior’s friends help get him through these hard times. His friends have helped him persevere in spite bullying, death of loved ones, and have stood by his side even through their fights. Friends are essential in times of need to help cope with reality.…
¬ The words “disgusted” and “heartbroken” describe my reactions to the destructive nature of poverty concerning young people. This aspect is discussed in the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. My reactions include disgust because I did not expect Native Americans to live in absolute poverty and heartbrokenness because they continue to live in squalor while attempting to survive in it.…
Sherman Alexie’s novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian uses humour to address the serious life conditions of Native Americans. In particular, Alexie focuses on the prevalence of alcohol abuse and poverty that is often found on reservations. Alcohol abuse is a very prominent issue on the Spokane Reserve, and Junior acknowledges this problem through comical commentary. Junior constantly makes fun of the stereotype of the drunken Indian, even though he is personally affected by alcoholism on his reservation. Alcohol is responsible for the deaths of Junior’s grandmother, sister, and his father’s best friend.…
Sherman Alexie’s, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian” is the account of Arnold Spirit, also known as Junior. Junior is the novel’s narrator and while he is witty and seemingly proud of his heritage in the beginning of the story, it appears the point of the novel is to show us Junior’s transformation. He begins life on the reservation, attending school in Wellpinit, Washington. Eventually, he transfers to an all-white high school twenty-two miles from the reservation in Reardan, where he begins to change. A shallow reader may think the novel is only about Junior’s journey, but actually, Alexie has managed to show us the difference between Arnold Spirit and Junior as two separate people.…
Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian touches on many issues faced by many modern-day Native Americans throughout their lives, one such issue being poverty, which appears to be present in most Indian families. The sort of poverty that plagues the Spokane reservation is the same kind that has plagued Native Americans for generations. One possible root cause for the situation would be that the current natives on the reservation see that their parents couldn’t do anything to rid themselves of poverty, so they lose hope and, as a result, perpetuate the problem. While the degree of poverty in Junior’s Indian reservation is extreme, the underlying struggles that come with such a financial predicament are to be made note…
Blossoming Lives Sprouted From Friends, Family, and Fights In the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie one realises humans all need other people to help one change and grow; the characters Arnold and Roger demonstrate this by helping each other alter negative parts of themselves. Initially, Arnold is a hopeless, trapped in a perpetual stream of despair, demoralisation, and defeatedness. In a final attempt to escape the suffocating hold his society has on in him, he transfers to Reardan, a rich, white, racist school. Here, with the help of his new friends, teachers, coaches, and support from his family he changes into an inspired boy who realises that he can achieve greatness and reach his goals despite his status as a social pariah.…
The world is full of groups and communities. Because of this, we often have to manage collective identity with individuality. In the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie the main character, Junior, has to balance being loyal to his community and embracing his individual dreams. When Junior is on the reservation he describes himself as being half-white, and at his majority white high school, he feels half-Indian. Despite the conflict between these two groups and feeling like the rope in a game of tug-of-war, Junior retains much of his individuality.…
The Pain of Poverty “Poverty doesn’t give you strength or teach you lessons about perseverance. No, poverty only teaches you how to be poor” (13). In Sherman Alexie’s novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, like many other Native Americans, Junior lives in poverty. Poverty has contributed to Junior not pursuing his dreams, him not having many chances or choices, and him having a poor education. However, Junior lives in poverty, he still manages to overcome the odds.…