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Essay on the first 5 chapters of the absolute true diary of a part time indian
Problems with racism in literature
Essay on the first 5 chapters of the absolute true diary of a part time indian
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Marcelo Aldave Garcia
Mrs. Love Hilliard
Multicultural Lit & Film
28 April 2017
A More In-Depth Look at Junior’s Diary Many people believe they have to follow a specific way of living or believe they have to follow a specific path, they believe that just because they grew up in a certain environment where everybody around them is doing one thing, then they have to do the same. This is what the characters in the The book “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian”, believed in for a long time. The main character felt like this, until he decided to change the course of where his life was going. The book shows the themes of Racism, poverty, identity, and dreams. They have all made a huge impact on the story, and they all lead to a lot
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Many people in the novel have dreams. Everyone has dreams. Junior’s mom had dreams, Junior’s dad had dreams, Junior’s sister had dreams and Junior himself had dreams. But not all of them have done something to actually accomplish their goals. Most of the Indians in the reservation have Accepted their “Current Reality”, Junior once said “We reservation Indians don't get to realize our dreams. We don't get those chances. Or choices. We're just poor” (Alexie 9). We see that Junior is a smart guy. He notices that his life isn’t going on the right direction, so he decides to transfer schools and go to a much better school out of the reservation. Junior did something to change his life, but we never really got to know what his dream was. We just know he has a lot of hope in the future. Someone that the author has actually told the reader about the dreams that the person had was Junior’s sister. Mr P talked to Junior and told him his sister Mary had the dream of writing Romance novels. Mr. P told Junior that Mary was the smartest girl in the class, even smarter than Junior. Mr P said “I really thought she was going to be a writer," Mr. P said. "She kept writing in her book. And she kept working up the courage to show it to somebody. And then she just stopped."(Alexie 23). Mary gave up on her dream and stayed in the basement most of the time. One day, her life changed. She decided to change her life and moved to Montana with her husband. “After seven years of living in the basement and watching TV, after doing absolutely nothing at all, my sister decided she needed to change her life.” (Alexie 48) . Mary seemed happy, and then Junior realized that “She was trying to live out her dream”(Alexie 50). Mary didn’t completely give up, she always had hope that her life would change; and when she was given the chance to leave the basement to change her life she did it. Junior once said “There's always time to
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.
She believes the American Dream means having family and a home. Her beliefs are not negative, but her attitude regarding obtaining these possessions is negative. She tries to obtain a family or a loving relationship and preserve a home by any means necessary. In the novel, she is portrayed as a separated young woman whom is irresponsible and selfish. She willingly pursues a married man in an effort to have someone she can love and someone to love her back. She does not want to be alone or feel lonely. She disregards the wife and children Lester has at home. After Kathy loses her home, she makes poor choices to retrieve her home. She takes the law into her own hands and disregards the feeling and lives of the new owners of the home. Kathy’s actions are unacceptable, but her view of the American Dream is simplistic and
... Dream, by many is a dream of wealth and prosperity that is easily achievable in America; however, not everyone thinks of it this way. Janie Crawford and Jay Gatsby both display different views on the American Dream and how it affects them in their lives. Neither Janie or Gatsby dreams for wealth. Instead they dream for a place of equality and individualism. Both characters want to be able to express themselves in their own way without having to conform to society. This shows that societal norms of the era in which both novels were written take different effects for different people, thus suggesting that there is no single American Dream.
In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian there are examples of courage throughout the whole book. Junior decides he wants to go to an all white school. ‘“I want to go to Rearden,” said Junior. I couldn’t believe I was saying it. For me, it seemed as real as saying, “I want to fly the moon.” said Junior.’ (Alexie, 46) This quote is important because it shows that Junior isn’t afraid to try new things and he doesn’t
Growing up on a reservation where failing was welcomed and even somewhat encouraged, Alexie was pressured to conform to the stereotype and be just another average Indian. Instead, he refused to listen to anyone telling him how to act, and pursued his own interests in reading and writing at a young age. He looks back on his childhood, explaining about himself, “If he'd been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called a prodigy. But he is an Indian boy living on the reservation and is simply an oddity” (17). Alexie compares the life and treatment of an Indian to life as a more privileged child. This side-by-side comparison furthers his point that
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 concept of the American Dream has been present in the lives of many since the beginning of American literature’s arrival
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2007. Print.
Racism, stereotypes, and white privilege are all concepts that affect all of us, whether we believe it or not. If an adolescent of a minority can distinguish these concepts in his society, then we all should be aware of them. These concepts are all clearly demonstrated in “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”. Anyone and everyone could clearly understand this novel, but the intended audience is middle school to college level students. The novel’s goal is to help white students understand the effects of white privilege in an easier, more understandable way.
The concept of the American dream has been related to everything from religious freedom to a nice home in the suburbs. It has inspired both deep satisfaction and disillusioned fury. The phrase elicits for most Americans a country where good things can happen. However, for many Americans, the dream is simply unattainable. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Winter Dreams,” Dexter Green, a hardworking young man born into the middle class, becomes wrapped up in his pursuit to obtain wealth and status in his life. These thoughts and ideas represent Dexter’s fixation on his “winter dreams,” or, the idea of what the American Dream means to him: gaining enough wealth to eventually move up in social class and become somebody, someday. As Dexter attempts to work himself up the social ladder, he falls in love with Judy Jones, a shallow and selfish, rich woman. But to Dexter, Judy represents the very idea of the American Dream-- obtaining wealth and status. Dexter’s pursuit of Judy and essentially the American Dream becomes an obsession. In the end, Dexter is forced to accept the realization that his “winter dreams” are actually just empty wishes. By characterizing Judy as a superficial, materialistic woman, Fitzgerald criticizes the destructive nature of the American Dream.
The Holocaust was a time of sadness for many people. However, one story that took place during the Holocaust was truly inspiring and impacted the lives of many people around the world. This was the story of Anne Frank and her family. Anne Frank was one of over one million Jews who died in the Holocaust (Anne Frank 1). In September 1939, when World War II began, more than one and a half million Jews lived in countries occupied, or soon to be occupied by Hitler (Lee 1). Because of this many families were forced into concentration camps due to Hitler during this time. However, Anne’s family decided to try and avoid the brutal camps by going into hiding in the secret annex. Anne Frank and her family are famously known for Anne’s diary that was found by Miep Gies in the secret annex (Anne Frank 1). Not long after the diary was found, Anne’s story was known all around the world. Anne Frank impacted the lives of many by showing people an insight of what life was really like for Jews under Hitler’s control and being someone who people can look up to. Therefore, Anne Frank impacted the lives of many people around the world and has become a “famous symbol for the lost promise of the children who died in the Holocaust” (Anne Frank 1).
As Indians living in white culture, many problems and conflicts arise. Most Indians tend to suffer microaggressions, racism and most of all, danger to their culture. Their culture gets torn from them, and slowly, as if it was dream, many Indians become absorbed into white society, all the while trying to retain their Indian lifestyle. In Indian Father’s Plea by Robert Lake and Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie, the idea that a dominant culture can pose many threats to a minority culture is shown by Wind-Wolf and Alexie.
Each character in the novel has their own interpretation of the ‘American Dream – the pursuit of happiness’ as they all lack happiness due to the careless nature of American society during the Jazz Age. The American Dreams seems almost non-existent to those whom haven’t already achieved it.
Lennie dreamed about tending the rabbits on the farm with George, but Lennie doesn’t have a chance to do that anymore. Curly’s wife wanted to be an actress in Hollywood for a show, but she never got the call that she’s in. Crooks never got to be a free slave. But this story at least talked about the characters trying to reach those dreams, which shows they have dignity and pride within themselves. But in reality, dreams are something we stride for, dreams will never be perfectly perfect nor perfectly
When people think of the American Dream, they usually picture a wealthy family who lives in a big house with a white picket fence. They see the husband being the breadwinner for the wife and kids, by supporting and providing the best way that he can. They also picture the wife catering to her husband 's every need. The protagonist Janie Crawford lives this American Dream but soon comes to a realization that this life isn’t her destiny. Crawford learns that love does not involve money but rather being joyful. In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, Janie breaks the American Dream myth by living a non-traditional life through belief, happiness, and freedom.