William Tecumseh Sherman

Reservation Blues A common theme in both “If 6 was 9” and Jimi Hendrix Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie, is those perceived to be different are denounced by others around them. This is seen by Coyote Springs, a Spokane band originating from the Northwest. As Coyote Springs struggles to rise into stardom, they face many challenges. Faced with exotification and exploration of their own culture as well as alienation from their own tribe, the band continues to push forth and create music on…

Throughout the novel, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian” Sherman Alexie’s really gives an authentic feel to his story as it is written about himself. Written in first person, Alexie portrays his journey through the eyes of Arnold Spirit Jr. Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Willpinit, Washington. Able to describe the depths of these obstacles and wisdom he gained throughout his life on the Reservation. With knowing that these events throughout the book were a…

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…

As we grow into adulthood our primary goal in life is to build an education. To figure out what career we want to pursue. The texts by Sherman Alexie, Mike Rose, and Richard Rodriguez have all discussed how their background has influenced their education and upbringing to adulthood. “Blue-Collar Brilliance” by Mike Rose highlights how society determines the intelligence of workers based on their job or career. In Richard Rodriguez’s “Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood,” his education and…

In Zitkala Sa’s short story The Soft-Hearted Sioux a Native American boy goes to a mission school that teaches him that killing anything is wrong. His father is sick and unable to hunt, and he did not kill until it is too late. The young man is born and raised Native American but, is taught Christianity in school which made him a social outcast to both his people and their ways of life. Zitkala story The Soft-Hearted Sioux, portrays that the boy is torn between two faiths. The conflict with his…

The Outsiders Character Analysis I am writing my character analysis about Ponyboy. I will be telling about how Ponyboy acted throughout the story, how he reacted to things, and a summary of his over all personal appearance. Ponyboy is the youngest person in the group of greasers coming in at age fourteen. He lives with his two brothers Darry and Sodapop because his parents died a few years ago in a car crash. He has long brown hair that is always greased and in his face. He is a good kid for…

The movie “Smoke Signals” and the novel “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian” have some similarities and contrasts. The movie is about two indian boys named Victor and Thomas who go on an adventure to retrieve Victor's’ father's’ ashes. In the novel Junior, the main character struggles to find his place in society, he ends up going to a white kids school instead of the indian reservation school. Another thing to notice is that Victor and Thomas were around the age of 18 maybe 19…

The forbidden books all tell stories of love, adventure, friendships and much more that is forbidden by the government; however, there is a way for their legacy to continue on through the art of storytelling. In Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Siji, two boys have to go through re-education on the Phoenix Mountain due to their high status within the community. Luo and the narrator both have an obsession with reading, but they are not able to openly express that so they satisfy…

Life can be hard at times, especially if you are forced to give up everything you know and start a new one. In Joseph Bruchac’s novel, Code Talker, this is exactly the case. Kii Yazhi, a young Navajo boy, has to give up his life as a Navajo to go to boarding school and learn English. There, he must never speak in Navajo or else he will be punished by the teachers. Kii, now named Ned by the teachers, must overcome this challenge and many others if he wants to survive World War II. Upon arriving…

INTRODUCTION - ~ THESIS - When evaluating Arnold “Junior” Spirit from Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and Jin Wang from Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese, similarities radiate in both characters as their disparity in race deem the two of them as outcasts in the entirety of society. In addition to their lack of social interactions, their uniformity in their impulsive decisions cost them each a dear friend. Although Junior and Jin are quite similar, they…