Some people might believe that one’s success is made from your own abilities, but many people aren’t aware of the other people that contribute to that success. In the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, Junior faces many obstacles through his life, but through those obstacles, many people help him. Mr. P recognizes Junior’s talent and advises him to make an important decision. His basketball coach learns about the violence that Junior’s tribe conflicts him with, so he pursues to help Junior down the path. Finally, Junior’s most important people in his life, his parents, play an important role involving Junior’s success. Therefore, the three mentors who most contribute to Junior’s development, Mr. P, Junior’s …show more content…
coach, and his parents, all provide him with the advice and support necessary to make important life decisions. To begin, Mr.
P sees a lot of potential in Junior that he does not see in himself, and tries to convince Junior to understand his talent. For example, Mr. P explains to Junior what his sister has become from staying on the rez for too long: “‘Mary was a bright and shining star,’ Mr. P said. ‘And then she faded year by year until you could barely see her anymore. [...] And you’re a bright and shining star, too,’ he said. “You’re the smartest kid in the school. And I don’t want you to fail. I don’t want you to fade away. You deserve better.’ I didn’t feel smart. ‘I want you to say it,’ Mr. P said. ‘Say what?’ ‘I want you to say that you deserve better.’ I couldn’t say it. It wasn’t true. I mean, I wanted to have it better, but I didn’t deserve it.” (Alexie 40-41) This quotation shows the talent that Mr. P sees in Junior, and does not want Junior’s talent to go to waste like his sister’s. Mr. P wants Junior to understand how much potential he has in his life, but Junior is constantly in disbelief of himself. In addition to that, he also informs Junior about his current education and suggests him to change schools in order to have more hope in the …show more content…
future: ‘If you stay on this rez,’ Mr. P said, ‘they’re going to kill you. I’m going to kill you. We’re all going to kill you. You can’t fight us forever.’ ‘I don’t want to fight anybody,’ I said. [...] You kept your hope. And now, you have to take your hope and go somewhere where other people have hope.’[...] ‘Son,’ Mr. P said. You’re going to find more and more hope the farther and farther you walk away from this sad, sad reservation.’” (Alexie 43) This shows Mr. P’s thoughts of Junior’s reservation. Mr. P believes that if Junior leaves the reservation, he will find more hope. Mr. P believes if Junior does not leave the reservation, goes to another school like Reardan, he will not become the man he is destined to be. As a result of Mr. P’s advice, Junior is able to take that advice to further benefit him down the line. Next, Junior’s basketball coach gives Junior the proper support through his basketball career at Reardan. Junior’s coach constantly supports Junior and motivates him, and that creates a strong bond between them: “‘Good job,’ he said and offered his fist. I bumped his fist with mine. I was a warrior! And that’s when I knew I was going to make the team. Heck, I ended up on the varsity. As a freshman. Coach said I was the best shooter who’d ever played for him. And I was going to be his secret weapon. I was going to be his Weapon of Mass Destruction.” (Alexie 142) When Junior tries out for the varsity basketball team, a strong bond is created between Junior and Coach.
Junior creates a good first impression with Coach which reveals in him pointing out Junior’s strengths as a basketball player. Overall, Coach makes Junior feel welcomed which leads to Junior feeling more confident than before he arrives. In addition to the bond that has been created between them, after the basketball game at Wellpinit, Coach realizes the violence that Junior’s people on Wellpinit conflict on him which result in Coach visiting Junior at the hospital: “‘The quality of a man’s life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence, regardless of his chosen field of endeavor.’ ‘That’s a good one.’ ‘It’s perfect for you. I’ve never met anybody as committed as you.’ ‘Thanks, Coach.’” (Alexie 148-149) Coach makes Junior feel idolized, and he also motivates Junior by saying he is the most committed person he has ever met. That shows his appreciation for Junior’s courage when faced with adversaries. Since Coach understands Junior’s conditions, he gives him the proper support which creates a strong bond and makes Junior feel welcomed to the varsity
team. Finally, Junior’s parents play an important role in Junior’s decisions through life. Junior’s dad is very supportive of Junior's basketball career, so he tries to talk Junior in to try out for Reardan basketball team: “I almost didn’t try out for the Reardan basketball team. I just figured I wasn’t going to be good enough to make even the C squad. And I didn’t want to get cut from the team. I didn’t think I could live through that humiliation. But my dad changed my mind. [...] And she boosted me up so I could get a drink. And imagine, all these years later and we’re married and have two kids.’ ‘What does this have to do with basketball?’ ‘You have to dream big to get big.’” (Alexie 135-136) Junior’s dad finds out about Junior not trying out for the basketball team, and leads to him trying to convince Junior go. Junior’s dad gives Junior insight by comparing his past with Junior’s current situation which inspires Junior to dream big and try out for his varsity team. Even though Junior’s dad is an alcoholic, he can still help Junior in making the right decisions. In addition to Junior’s dad convincing Junior to join the basketball team, Junior asks his parents regarding him transferring to Reardan and without hesitation, they agreed: “I mean, they’re always known that I’m weird and ambitious, so maybe they expect me to do the weirdest things possible. And going to Reardan is a truly strange idea. But it isn’t weird that my parents so quickly agreed with my plans. They want a better for my sister and me. [...] Yeah, Dad is a drunk and Mom is an ex-drunk, but they don’t want their kids to be drunks.” (Alexie 46) This shows that Junior’s parents trust in Junior decisions even though Reardan is an expensive school, and none Junior’s family has been to an high-end school before. Junior’s parents know that Junior would have a better chance of succeeding there than at Wellpinit and they do not want Junior to end off like them. As a result of Junior’s parents helping Junior to make important life decision, this leads him to a better pathway in life. Therefore, all three of Junior’s mentor all offer Junior their advice and support to help Junior create important life decision. Mr. P offers his advice for Junior to go to Reardan which Junior later finds out is the right decision. Coach and Junior create a strong bond that helps Junior through his basketball career. Furthermore, Junior’s parents play an important role in Junior’s decision making by motivating Junior throughout his basketball career, and their decision to let Junior go Reardan. The effects that Junior’s mentor has on Junior are not just text, but is reality. In society, most people in the world, struggling or not, have a mentor at least once in their lives. There are so many ways that a mentor can guide you through, speech or even though actions all those methods have the ability to change your decisions and future.
Junior was very irresponsible and was racing with his friends. This ended up very bad with the Cadillac’s parts all over the place. Lawrence senior got really upset and sent Junior to Stanford University to show him how to grow up and start being responsible with money and life.
Joes High School’s total enrollment consisted of sixteen girls, and twenty boys. Ten of the boys that had enrolled there played basketball. All of the boys were over six feet tall. Lane Sullivan, the new coach of the basketball team, had never even touched a basketball before he started coaching. Sullivan had never coached anything at all before he started coaching the Joes basketball team. In order to gain knowledge about the sport, he got a book about it. He started coaching in 1927, but before the 1928 basketball season, Joes High School didn’t even have a gym. Instead, they’d practice outside on a dirt court, and two times a week they’d take a bus to the nearest gym, which was ten miles away. In order to play home games, the boys had to play in the local dance hall. The “court” was nowhere near regulation size, and the ceiling was so short that the boys couldn’t shoot an arched shot. The people who attended these basketball games had no place to sit and watch the game, the all stood around the edges of the court and on the small stage. Joes High School finally got their own gym around Christmas time because the people of Joes donated their time and material in order to make it happen.
Indian culture has been disappearing for centuries since the Native Americans were forced to migrate from their original homes. In the book, The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-Time Indian, an Indian boy displays 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. The Native American boy Arnold is able to show toughness, courageousness and the capability to overcome obstacles, by illustrating comics and playing basketball. For Arnold, drawing comics and playing basketball is a way to build his character and self-esteem. Without the freedom in writing comics and the self-confidence builder in playing basketball, Arnold would act
The author, Sherman Alexie, is extremely effective through his use of ethos and ethical appeals. By sharing his own story of a sad, poor, indian boy, simply turning into something great. He establishes his authority and character to the audiences someone the reader can trust. “A little indian boy teaches himself to read at an early age and advances quickly…If he’d been anything but an Indian boy living in the reservations, he might have been called a prodigy.” Alexie mentions these two different ideas to show that he did have struggles and also to give the audience a chance to connect with his struggles and hopefully follow the same journey in becoming something great. By displaying his complications and struggles in life with stereotypical facts, Alexie is effective as the speaker because he has lived the live of the intended primary audience he is trying to encourage which would be young Indian
First, Junior confronts the dreariness of the Wellpinit school system by deciding to transfer to the Reardan school system. Junior initiates this decision when he throws a book across the room upon discovering his mother’s name inscribed inside the cover. His outburst signifies Junior’s recognition of Wellpinit’s misery and desire to achieve. This ambition drives his decisions throughout the novel and defines his unique character. In addition, Junior discloses his decision to his parents with fearlessness and trepidation. Junior confesses, “I want to transfer schools... I want to transfer to Reardan” (Alexie 45). Junior’s bluntness highlights his fearless personality and validates his ability to confront his problems and tasks head-on. In complex situations, Junior possesses the skills to navigate his future. Finally, Junior’s ability to overcome problems appears in his ability to navigate his way to Reardan each day for school. With the uncertainty of gas money in his family, Junior often finds himself walking or hitchhiking to the school, however
As an American Indian boy growing up with stereotypes and challenges already against him, Sherman self motivates himself to learn, and this leads
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
Junior continuously persists and tries to make amends with Rowdy in order to save his friendship. This contributes to Junior’s maturity because he learns to never give up on the people he loves and cares for about so easily. Even when Junior realizes that the cartoon he draws for Rowdy does not help him think of how good of a team they are, this does not stop Junior from being committed towards their friendship. As Junior leaves Rowdy’s house after handing the cartoon to Rowdy’s dad, Junior observes, “I stopped at the end of the driveway and looked back. I could see Rowdy in the window of his upstairs bedroom. He was holding my cartoon. He was watching me walk away. And I could see the sadness in his face. I just knew he missed me, too. I waved at him. He gave me the finger…. But then i realized that Rowdy may have flipped me off, but he hadn’t torn up my cartoon. As much as he hated me, he probably should have ripped it to pieces” (Alexie 103). When Junior realizes that Rowdy still respects and cares about Junior’s cartoons, Junior still has hope in their friendship. Junior’s dedication to their friendship helps him mature because his perseverance towards making amends with Rowdy helps him learn to be more understanding and empathetic. This helps him conquer any obstacle with more patience and sensitivity. Not only does he never give up on his friendship with Rowdy, but also with his dream of becoming a basketball
As Miller and Wilson revealed, athleticism is not always analogous with success. Willy regarded Biff highly because he observed Biff’s presence and athleticism, and he believed these qualities would result in immediate success. Today many parents associate sports with success and therefore pressure their children to excel in sports. In today’s society it is very rare that fears of discrimination would cause children to not pursue a lucrative career in sports. Both Miller and Wilson knew the impact of sports on family dynamics, and how sports have evolved from a leisure time activity to a full-time commitment. Clearly, many of the qualitative aspects of sports--competition, teamwork and physical dexterity can contribute to being a success in almost any career.
“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.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is a novel about Arnold Spirit (Junior), a boy from the Spokane Indian Reservation who decides to attend high school outside the reservation in order to have a better future. During that first year at Reardan High School, Arnold has to find his place at his all-white school, cope with his best friend Rowdy and most of his tribe disowning him, and endure the deaths of his grandmother, his father’s best friend, and his sister. Alexie touches upon issues of identity, otherness, alcoholism, death, and poverty in order to stay true to his characters and the cultures within the story. Through the identification of the role of the self, identity, and social behavior within the book, the reader can understand Arnold’s story to a greater depth.
This is not my first time meeting Junior; however, I would like to point out that before getting to know Junior, he was initially shy. It wasn’t until I had seen him four or five times that he made the connection that I was both the
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.
Everyone wants to get better at something, but some want it more than others. In “How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place of Higher Learning and You at the Podium”, the narrator wants to get better at basketball, so he wakes up everyday at 4:30 to go with his dad to his work. Everyday, the narrator would wait 3 hours in his dad’s car until the gym opened, only to sit on the bench and watch the other men play basketball. Finally, one of the best players, Dante, tells the narrator he can play but he’ll get “smoked”. However, the narrator proved him wrong. The narrator learns that if you persevere, work hard, and have confidence, your dreams may come true. In How to Transform an Everyday, Ordinary Hoop Court into a Place