The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about a boy names Junior who does not want to be like everyone else in his reservation, but actually wants to get a well-studied education. Junior wants to make sure he gets a well-studied education, so that is why he gets so frustrated. He never means to ever hurt someone, but when he does he feels really bad. In this essay you will learn about who Junior is, why did he throw his book, and how was I helped to achieve my dreams. Who is Junior? Junior was a young boy who ever since he was born has had to work very hard and stay strong. When he was born, he had water on the brain, or in other words too much cerebral spinal fluid in his skull. He was supposed to pass away during the surgery, but he lived, he was supposed to suffer from serious brain …show more content…
damage. Junior, on the other did not pass away or have serious brain damage, but he is growing into a smart, young man. He lives in a poor reserve called the Spokane Indian Reservation with his mom, dad, and his best friend lives there also. Junior does not want to end up poor like everyone else in the reserve, so he makes sure that he can do anything in his power to work hard. What do you do if you get so mad, punch the ground or throw a book at your teacher?
Ding, ding, ding, if you guessed throw a book at your teacher, you are correct. That is exactly what Junior did when he was in Mr. P’s classroom. Mr. P had just handed out their geometry books, Junior seen “THIS BOOK BELONGS TO AGNES ADAMS,” who happens to be his mom. He had become to angry because his mom was thirty-eight when she gave birth to Junior, so that means that he was staring at a book that was thirty-eight years older than him. Mr. P responded by, coming to Juniors house a week into his suspension, and having a talk with him. Mr. P told Junior that he forgave him; even though, he did not want to. Mr. P and junior talked for a long time; however, Mr. P finally told Junior that he needs to go to a different school, to show his hope and strength. Junior, that day went inside his house and ask his parents “who has the most hope,” they responded by saying the white people. Junior then told them he wants to move to Reardan to get a better education, and fulfill his dreams. His parents agreed quickly with him, and the next day his dad drove him twenty-two miles to his new
school. If I had a teacher who was like Mr. P, I don’t think I would know how to respond to them. What this means is that, all of my teachers throughout school have always been reasonable, helping, and I never acted out. I have had a teacher who has helped me realize and achieve my dreams, Terry DeJonge, he is a physical education, health teacher, who also coaches’ varsity basketball. The minute he seen me in 1st grade at Saturday morning basketball he knew that I was going to be good. He would stay after school with me and some friends to shoot, he pulled up to varsity my freshman year of high school, he had gotten me a spot on Muskegon Community Colleges basketball team. The way I can utilize my teachers in college is go to them for help with not only their class, but other classes; go to them for everyday life help; and go to them to talk to them about furthering my education and what my next step is. Steps I should take to build those relationships with my teachers while in college are become more active in class discussions, go see my professor during their office hours to talk, and attend events they might be hosting. College isn’t all about building relationships with friends, but also with your college professors.
Over the course of the past semester we have read several books about Native American’s and their culture. The two books I found to be the most interesting were Perma Red by Debra Magpie Earling, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. In each story we see a young person from a reservation dealing with their Native Identities, Love, Loss and everything in between. Both of these novels have their similarities and their differences, but I believe they both offer insight into Native American culture that would be hard to come across elsewhere.
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.
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.
One of these moments of loss of hope is when his grandma died by a drunk person on a motorcycle. His grandma has been his one savior in his life. When she died, Junior was really depressed and felt like giving up, but he still persisted because he remembers her final words “forgive him”. Junior’s sister, whom he loved dearly, also died in a house fire while she was passed out drunk. At this point, all hope was lost for Junior. However, he had courage and found a little bit of hope. That hope was Rearden. At Rearden, Junior learned many things. Junior found a new friend, Gordy who teaches him a lot about life, and was very wise. Junior also found love there too. Penelope was his love interest “almost girlfriend”, who really cared about him. Many people at Rearden were supportive of Junior and that inspired him to become the best person he could be. Junior’s coach was especially encouraging to Junior, he even went with Junior to the hospital and stayed up with him all night. An example of Rearden’s support was at two basketball games, one on the rez and one at Reardon. At the rez, all of Junior’s fellow tribe members were booing him, but at Reardon, all of his teammates cheered him up and told him he was going to do great. Junior realizes that he is the only one on his reservation that still has hope, his hope was hope for everyone on his
Junior was born in a desperate, hopeless place. His parents and community were withering in despair. However, Junior did not choose to languish like the rest of his community; he boldly left his comfort zone for a better education—facing obstacles from losing
Have you ever wanted something really badly, but couldn’t afford it? This is a common occurrence, but what about food? Have you ever went to be hungry because you couldn’t afford to eat? Unfortunately, Junior, the main character in the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, felt exactly this way for food. Even though Junior didn’t have as many resources as the other “white kids,” he still chose to look at the positives. This novel shows that even in times of great hardship, people can still choose to have hope and look at the good in their lives.
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.
“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” is a humorous and intuitive novel written by Sherman Alexie. The reader gets an insight into the everyday life of a fourteen year old hydrocephalic Indian boy named Arnold Spirit, also referred to as Junior Spirit. He is living on the Spokane Indian reservation and is seen as an outcast by all the other Indians, due to his medical condition. Against all odds Arnold expands his hope, leaves his school on the reservation and faces new obstacles to obtain a more promising future at a school off the reservation. The novel is told through Arnold’s voice, thoughts, actions and experiences. Alexie incorporates one point of view, different themes and settings, such as poverty, friendship, Spokane and Reardan within Arnold’s journey to illustrate the different hardships he must overcome to gain a higher education.
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2007. Print.
The way that the funerals and deaths that happen to Junior impact him in an emotional way because he has to go through the funerals of loved ones many times that sometimes he doesn't know how to react. With the emotional impact, it shows how Junior deals with it. By emphasizing the funerals, it hooks readers to know more and keep turning the page.
Sherman Alexie grew up on a Spokane Indian reservation, in fact Junior and the story as a whole is based on his childhood; as he also struggled with the effects of poverty, alcoholism, identity, and social injustice. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is follows the life of Junior; a fourteen year old, Spokane Indian boy, who lives on an Indian reservation filled with poverty and addiction. The story begins when Junior decides transfer to a high school called “Reardan,” which is located outside the reservation in a rich white farm town. At first, Junior is a misfit at his new school; he has trouble making friends, mainly because he’s Indian. His transition to Reardan also causes a fight and other conflicts between him and his best friend, Rowdy, who feels betrayed by Junior. In fact, the whole reservation sees him as traitor.
Every day, people live their lives without deep thought about the health and wellness of their community. When faced with harsh living conditions or situations, it is easy to become stuck in a negative mentality which doesn’t allow room for positive thoughts in order to create positive change. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, it explores the areas and factors of public health that ordinary people may or may not be aware of. The main character in the story, Junior, says “There’s always time to change your life”, a statement that can be true for anyone who is still young, has a decent amount of support, and hope to pull them through tough situations.
Imagine walking 22 miles to school every single day. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a book by Sherman Alexie following the life of Arnold, also known as Junior, and his struggles as a poor Native American boy going to a wealthy white school. Being poor throws challenges at Arnold in and outside of school, and he must hold onto hope, new friends, and perseverance to escape the cycle of poverty.
There are many factors that have contributed to the concurrent academic struggle with Native Americans. The government’s Americanization efforts directly repressed their culture and identity through the Indian boarding schools. There were rules invoked such as cutting the children’s h...
Sen Youngblood is an American Indian Boy in a sixth grade classroom. His teacher called for a parent teacher conference due to his academic performance in the classroom. Problems such as not doing his homework, not communicating with the teacher in a timely manner, not showing up to class on time, and cheating on tests were noticed in Sen’s education. Sen’s teacher wants to talk to his parents about it because she wants to see a difference in his education. This is a case study done to consider why an American Indian boy is not able to keep up in the classroom. By looking into nine different concepts of his deep culture and creating advice for his teacher, one can see how a person’s culture can affect their life as they venture into another