The novel called The Absolute True Diary Of A Part Time Indian has won four awards including the National Book Award For Young People's Literature, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Odyssey Award, and California Young Reader Medal, however it was banned or challenged in some schools like Idaho. Schools like Idaho believe The Absolute True Diary Of A Part Time Indian should be banned because the novel contains sexual scenes, multiple inappropriate usages of profanity, and multiple death related incidents to the characters. Although some parents believe the novel should be banned in their children's schools, The Absolute True Diary Of A Part Time Indian should be discussed as part of the 10th grade high school students curriculum and be available at their school library because it contains multiple life lessons that are relatable to adelsconces.
The reasons for banning the novel do not outweigh and outnumber the good morals and messages that are in the novel. The Absolute True Diary Of A Part Time Indian contains multiple uses of profanity like when Roger said to Junior, “Did you know that Indians are living proof that n***** f*** buffalo” (Sherman 119). This was said by Roger when Junior recently transitioned to Reagan, the new all white school. Roger did speak very offensive
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Or when he first met the Reddens school counselor he said, “[she] was kind of sexy for an old woman”(Sherman 80). These and other sexual statements in the novel, such as on masterbation, can make someone uncomfortable, especially a parent who's child is reading the novel. However although, “The novel has multiple mentions of masturbation and uses of profanity,” it still “teaches valuable life lessons in a language that students can understand such as friendship, acceptance, (cultural, genetic, economic, ability), and forgiveness”
Being said so, parts in the book where violence such as wolf attacks, gunshots, and potential homicide is clearly depicted through simple yet powerful vocabulary. The book also contains parts about kissing and a sexual act which was depicted through a fade-to-black style. Although the book contains such scenes, the depth of the words that were used to elaborate a particular scene was not too strong and was in fact in a moderate level. The book can therefore still be suitable for young readers. At the same time, the characters within the book are also of the same age range which made it easy to understand and relate to the story as it progresses and
For younger readers this book carries very strong language but it has a strong message. One of those is that it shows what students will do for drugs. While researching the book you discover that in South Carolina, Berkley County school district, was one of the first to pull the book from schools and libraries. This occurred after a mom protested the book when her 8th grade daughter had to read little experts from the book to her classmates. The students mother did not want her to be reading a book with so much profanity and references to sex. One of the most controversial lines that comes from the book is when Alice writes in her journal “Another day, another blow-job”. She doe...
To conclude, in the book The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-Time Indian an Indian boy shows how to escape the poverty of his Indian Reservation by going to a wealthy white school, as well as keeping his Indian Culture alive when living on the reservation.
Encountering struggles in life defines one’s character and speaks volumes about their strength, ambition, and flexibility. Through struggles, sacrifice, and tragedy, Junior in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, adapts to survive difficult situations and faces his problems head-on. As he makes life changing decisions, adapts to an unfamiliar culture, and finds himself amongst misery and heartbreak, Junior demonstrates resilience to overcome adversity and struggles.
In the fictional story, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian written by Sherman Alexie, a Native American author, describes the problems of a teenager living between two different cultures; one Native American, and the other white. Alexie uses figurative language elements to convince teenagers to be aware and support people living between two worlds in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. By using these literary elements, Sherman Alexie guides the audience to respond emotionally and act upon about the book’s message. Throughout the story, Alexie uses juxtaposition to show the differences between the two worlds the protagonist lives in.
Reading Chapter 11, “Genders and Sexualities,” written by Carrie Hintz was to construct and enact alternatives for these two traditional categories. Data is clearly indicated that sexual material is some of the most controversial content in literature. Children’s literature that is involved with adolescent’s childhood are key battlegrounds for attitudes about gender and sexuality. The significance of gender and sexuality in children’s literature is the persistent investment in what is perceived to be the innocence of children. Innocence is defined in part by children’s enforced ignorance of sexual matters. According to James Kincaid, “Youth and innocence are two of the most eroticized constructions of the past two centuries. Innocence was that
“But we reservation Indians don’t get to realize our dreams. We don’t get those chances.” (p. 13) In The Absolutely True Diary of A Part Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, Junior, the narrator, is an Indian teenage boy living on a reservation, where no one's dreams or ideas are heard. The Indians on the reservation feel hopeless because they are isolated and disenfranchised. Junior learns how to cope with his hopelessness and breaks through the hopeless reservation life to find his dreams. Examining his journey provides important examples for the reader.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian showed all of the problems that arose in Junior’s journey. From poverty and alcoholism to bulimic semi-girlfriends, he had so many excuses to stop, but the passion of his dreams pushed him forward. Like a hero, Junior continued, determined to do well and build a greater future for himself. An example that showed Junior’s passion for education and desire to achieve his goals was when he threw an old geometry textbook at his teacher: “My school and my tribe are so poor and sad that we have to study from the same dang books our parents studied from. That is absolutely the saddest thing in the world…My hopes and dreams floated up in a mushroom cloud” (Alexie, 31). Junior clearly understood his disadvantaged education and he was very upset about it. He longed for a better education. Junior was passionate about education, because it would allow him to achieve his goals and break the depressing pattern he was trapped in. Bravery and determination are caused by passion, and heroes are very passionate about their actions. Passion clearly drove Junior when he walked to school, since he said, “Getting to school was always an adventure…Three times I had to walk all the way home. Twenty-two miles. I got blisters each time” (Alexie, 87). Putting all of this effort into simply going to school, Junior must have had
Picture yourself in a town where you are underprivileged and sometimes miss a meal. In the novel, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” Sherman Alexie wrote the book to show hardships that Native Americans face today. Alexie shows us hardships such as poverty, alcoholism and education. In the novel, Junior goes against the odds to go to an all white school to get a better education to have a better life
Adolescents experience a developmental journey as they transition from child to adult, and in doing so are faced with many developmental milestones. Physical, cognitive, social and emotional changes are occurring during this tumultuous stage of life, and making sense of one’s self and identity becomes a priority. Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian addresses the challenges of adolescence in an engaging tale, but deals with minority communities and cultures as well.
Hardship is everywhere but Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” is an amusing and intelligent novel that clearly provides the reader with perfect examples of poverty and friendship on an Indian reservation. Alexie incorporates those examples through the point of view and experiences of a fourteen year old boy named Arnold Spirit Jr.
... and how they’d wonder what the hell it meant, and then finally some dirty kid would tell them” (201). This kind of vulgarity infuriates Holden because it is corrupting the children and he knows that he can’t stop it no matter how he hard he tries because there will always be someone else writing it, continuously exposing more and more kids to mature themes.
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2007. Print.
In more of an extreme case, after Junior finally overcame his fear of leaving the reservation for a new and more positive life, he was not treated fairly. In the beginning of his experience at Reardan he writes, “After all, I was a reservation Indian, and no matter how geeky or weak I appeared to be, I was still a potential killer” (Alexie 2007:63). This is a perfect example of how easily people believe things they hear. Junior was literally a weak fifteen year old that could never hurt a fly, yet people looked at him as a killer because that was a stereotype about Indians. This idea goes along with Johnson’s thoughts of symbols, “symbols go far beyond labeling things” and “Symbols are also what we use to feel connected to a reality outside ourselves” (Johnson 2008: 36).
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian T.I.Q.A.T.I.Q.A.W In the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, the theme of the story is; “no matter what people say or think of you, always follow your heart.” There are so many examples in this book that lead to this. According to Sherman Alexie, the author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, he says; “You have to leave this reservation.” (Alexie 42).