The Signal-Man

Sherman Alexie uses humor as a way to connect his stories with the readers. In one of his interviews the famous writer says "I think being funny breaks down barriers between people"(Nygren 299). It is easy for one to infer that humor is not necessarily added into his stories to make the audience laugh, but to make a sort of crude emphasis to what Sherman Alexie is trying to state with his writings. In other words, one could look at Sherman Alexie's work as ice cream, and at the humor like its…

Living in an Indian reservation, Junior faces many problems because of his abnormalities. Going to a very poor school Junior knows he must find hope somewhere else. Little did Junior know when he threw his geometry book at his teacher how that would change his life and what would follow. With Mr. P’s advice, he decides to leave the Spokane reservation and the problems of alcoholism, poverty, and friends. In the story, The Absolute True Diary of a Part- Time Indian, By Sherman Alexie Junior shows…

In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part -Time Indian, Sherman Alexie creates a text that easily explains Alexie’s own experiences. The use of images, the development of his protagonist’s friendships, and the depiction of tragic events all develop the identification of Arnold Spirit, in a unique and accessible manner. The style used by Alexie is used to brighten up the life of Arnold, and happenings that revolve around his community. Imagery helps us create an interpretation of how we should…

In the book The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian the characters develop in many ways. During Junior's adventures he encounters many changes and finds the people who are there for him. The novel shows that good friends should always be honest through the interactions that Junior, his friends and family have through the story. Junior has helped people with their problems and in turn, they grew closer together. On page 52 Junior is leaving the reservation and Rowdy -- he doesn’t say…

My personal experience in participating in these discussions with my classmates has caused me to examine myself very much, as well as outside influences in the community. I want to say in Chapter 1 of the text when we learned about the broken window theory it really resonated with me as an individual. When I have been traveling or driving in poverty stricken neighborhoods I have always noticed how some of the windows are broken out and things are left unrepaired. It was important to read in…

To begin with, knowledge collected intelligence, you gain knowledge by attending school and learning. In these stories "Superman and Me", by Sherman Alexie, "A Smart Cookie", by Sandra Cisneros, and "Its Our Story Too!" by Ivette Cabrera, all have one thing in common and that is the use of knowledge. In "Superman and Me" Alexie gained knowledge by reading lots of books. In "A Smart Cookie" her mother says he had the knowledge to continue school, but the looks got in her way. In "Its Our Story…

Arnold (a.k.a Junior) is the witty and colorful protagonist of Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part- Time Indian. The first thing Arnold refers to is that he is a hydrocephalic (1.1). However, instead of referring to his disorder as the name given to it by the doctors of the scientific world, he instead refers to it as “water on the brain” (1.1), immediately capturing the reader’s attentions. Junior’s actions, thoughts, and problems do relate to most of the readers of the book,…

Our traditions shape our identity as a person, but we can also break away from our customs to create our own identity. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is about a high school student named Arnold who leaves his life on the reservation in attempts to find success. He struggles with finding his identity in this new environment. Arnold sees himself as having two different halves, Junior the outcast from the reservation and Arnold from the white high-school at…

An Indian reserve full of people hopeless of a better life. But one boy is different. This story is about a boy who lives in a depressing, dreary, and lifeless Indian reserve. But against all the odds, this boy named Junior keeps hope through all the hardships. One day, while at class, he got to the point of frustration that he threw a book across the class. It ended up breaking his teacher’s nose. While suspended at his home, Mr.P visited him. He explained why he forgave him. After that, Mr.P…

In Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Junior and the reservation are faced with isolation by both the government and other communities because of racial stereotypes. Ever since 1851, reservation have held indians, and have kept them from knowing what's beyond their borders. Junior and his whole reservation suffer from being held up in these reservations, not knowing what the first step is to free themselves and leave the reservation and be successful. Fortunately,…