Sherman Alexie Essay

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Sherman Alexie was born on October 7th 1966. He is a novelist that lives in Seattle, Washington. Alexie is not only known for his novels, he is also known for being a story writer, a poet, and also a filmmaker. Sherman’s childhood was not the greatest. When Alexie was born, he was not expected to live. As a child, he had many problems with seizures, and an enlarged skull. He lived on a reservation, and was bullied by a lot of other children. Alexie’s mother wanted him to learn English, so she moved him to other schools. Alexie’s father was not around much when he was a child. He was an alcoholic and left the family from days on end. Sherman Alexie influenced Indian/Native American culture through his literary works including Face, One Stick Song, and First Indian on the Moon.
A direct quote from the text is “Estranged from the tribe that gives no protection, what happens to the soul that hates its reflection?” (Alexie). I believe that this quote has to deal with how it is hard to live in a reservation sometimes. Depression definitely came along in Alexie's life, and I think that’s what he is illustrating. I think that this quote shows the reader how they may have it better than they think they do. This illustrates Native American culture because it lets other people understand that living on a reservation is much more different than living elsewhere.
Sherman Alexie’s text One Stick Song impacted the way that people think living on a reservation is like. One Stick Song is a book of poems about Alexie’s way of showing people how living on a reservation was. The book has some very dark humor and it really pushes the atmosphere of living on a Native American reservation. A powerful quote from the text is “If I stand at this window long

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