There is two type of role models. The one that you look up to and the second type is the role model that you want to learn from and do the total opposite of that person. In the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. The main character is Arnold Spirit Jr. who goes by the name ( Junior) . It is based on Sherman Alexie childhood but mostly his life in high school. Junior is a role model but in his own way , his actions show qualities of what would be called a bad role model, but his actions afterwards show otherwise. He is a young man who has a huge heart who is a good role model, Because he has control, preserves ,and he cares about others, but the strongest qualities out of all are he has hope, unlike …show more content…
his best friend named Rowdy who is the type of role model that you want to be the total opposite of that person, because Rowdy is rude, he hostile with his actions and words and who just gave up. Where Junior has not, he is the type of role model you want to look up too. Junior and Rowdy are best friends who both live on an Indian reservation(rez),what has a really harsh living environment, Junior has family who loves him, but sadly Rowdy family is abusive.
The only difference between them that determines who is a role model you want to look up to, or a role model you want to be the total opposite of that person, is Junior doesn't give up, where Rowdy has. One of the qualities that prove he doesn't give up is he has control, shown in this quote “... I wanted to punch my dad in the face.I wanted to punch him in the nose and make him bleed..” ( Sherman,11). I picked this quote to show that Junior has control. One reason is he had a dog named oscar who was his best friend but he was so sick just in pain, Junior try to do about everything he could, to save his second best friend, he asked his mom to take him to the vet, but his family was too poor . Instead, his parents decided to do the easier route, without discussing with Junior first, they decided to bring out Junior farther rifle instead. Because the vet cost 10 times more than a bullet, that was only two cents. Junior knew what was happening, but didn't want to admit he was about to lose his best friend. When Junior father, asked him to carry occur outside, Junior fought him on it, tail his father demanded. Junior finally sat Occur down under the tree in the backyard then he softly said: “ I Love you Occur” (Sherman,10) and ran away from the scene because ,he couldn't watch what was …show more content…
about to happen, but he couldn't run away as fast sound could travel. After the sad and hard moment for Junior, he was so mad, more than mad he was a volcano. He was thinking as many bad thoughts towards his father “ I wanted to punch my dad in the face.I wanted to punch him in the nose and make him bleed...I was Hot mas.Volcano mad”(Sherman,11). He is one of the role models you want to look up too, not do the opposite of his actions. One reason, because he didn't act out all those awful thoughts he had towards his father and the world. He had control over his actions and that is one of the huge things most people don't know how to do, like Rowdy who has no control, “ He got into a fist fight in kindergarten.He took on three first graders during a snow fight because one of them thrown a piece of ice. Rowdy punched them out pretty quickly”(Sherman,18). Instead of just thinking of the awful thoughts like Junior, Rowdy actual acted out on in. Yes, all role models are not perfect, they are still human and have flues they still get mad, still get sad etc. Junior is still a good role model even if he had anger thoughts. Because of his control, in his actions from not beating up his father. Another quality that Junior has to prove he is a good role model is he has perseverance , his strong heart just keeps moving, even when something or someone knocks him down. In this case, when Junior throw a geometry textbook at the teacher, then got suspended from breaking Mr.P noise, you probably could argue that he is not a good role model, but that was the best thing Junior has ever done. After going home because he got suspended, Mr.P showed up on his front door and gave a speech that changed his life, he wanted Junior to leave the rez, because he is the only person who didn't give up like shown in this quote “ You have to leave this reservation” (Sherman,42), “...All these kids have given up and, All the bullies. And their mothers and fathers have given up too...But not you”(Sherman,42). After thinking and trying to get unconfused he decided he is leaving the rez but not moving, he moving to a new school that is off the rez called Rearden, “ Rearden is the rich, white farm town that sites the wheat fields exactly twenty-two miles away from the rez”(Sherman,45). When he confirmed that he switching schools , he had to tell his best friend Rowdy. With Rowdy being hostile, he did not take the news lightly, even though Junior and Rowdy best friends Rowdy was still rude, and selfish because he didn't want to lose Junior, but instead of taking Junior offers to come with. Rowdy pushes him away, with hostile words, like shown in this quote “ Rowdy spun around and shoved me , Don’t touch me, you retarded fag!” ( Sherman,53). Even after Rowdy hurt Junior with his harsh words, Junior still tried to convince Rowdy to come with him to Rearden “ you can still come with me, “ I said, I am sorry.” (Sherman,53). Even with committing to try to bring his best friend, and do better by moving to a new school , Junior got punched in the face by his best friend. After that day they didn't talk for a long time, and when Junior tried Rowdy would write back but do something racist, be rude or just ignore him.
Junior Started his new school, but it wasn't easy for him in a new place, new rules, new people everything was just new for him, but that doesn't stop him, from being a good role model. The third quality that Junior has, that shows he someone to look up to is, he cares for others. After a normal day of everything being all still very new, he went to the bathroom, he was hearing funny sounds, through the air vent of the other room that was the girl bathroom he heard “ AEGGHHHHHSSS it sounded like somebody is vomiting Nope. It sounded like 747 is landing on a runway of vomit” ( Sherman,105 ). After waiting in the hallway to see who the sound was coming from. He found out it was a girl in his class named Penelope, who he found out was, bulimia. Instead of walking away like nothing happen like she wanted, instead, he lifted her confidence, when he said: “ Don’t give up”(Sherman,103). That one little thing, just like that change his world, he started making friends and slowly getting a girlfriend that is Penelope, he got good grades and even sign up for
basketball. All these quotes show, he is a good role model, because he started from a place that had no hope, no confidence, no future, but that didn't stop him from thinking out the box well in his case the res. He on fire in school went to dances, made new friends, got on a varsity basketball team as a freshman, who sooner later, became the team's secret weapon . After he was on fire with school, summer came and finally Rowdy and Junior came to gather, Junior even forgave Rowdy from the thing he did to him. Junior is not just a good role model, he a good person, who can expire other kids to live their dream. With all Junior qualities that show that he a good role model with control, preserves ,and he cares about others. He a good person because he has hope, even Rowdy has hope for Junior to live out his dream, like shown in this quote “ you’re going to keep moving all over the world in search of food and water and grazing land” ( Sherman,230),” make sure you send me postcards, asshole!”(Sherman,230). Hope and motivation can bring great success to someone like shown by Junior in the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. ( Work Cited ) Alexie, Sherman. “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me.” 50 Essays: a Portable Anthology.Ed Samuel Cohen. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin's,2011.Print .
Sherman Alexie began his literary career writing poetry and short stories, being recognized for his examination of the Native American (Hunter 1). Written after reading media coverage of an actual execution in the state of Washington, Sherman Alexie’s poem Capital Punishment tells the story of an Indian man on death row waiting for his execution. The poem is told in the third person by the cook preparing the last meal as he recalls the many final meals he has prepared over the years. In addition to the Indian currently awaiting his death, the cook speaks of a black man who was electrocuted and lived to tell about it, only to be sent back to the chair an hour later to be killed again. He also recalls many of the meals he had prepared had been for dark-skinned men convicted of killing white people. The thought of racial discrimination in capital punishment seems to be the theme at first glance, but reading further indicates differently. The cook also ponders his own survival in the prison system as an inmate. Learning to cook and outlasting all the others before him, whether by age or fate, allowed him the opportunity to create food filled with love for the one that will die. After this final meal has been prepared by the cook for the condemned inmate to eat, fear and anticipation takes over his body. Just as proper temperature is needed for cooking, a proper amount of electricity is needed to operate the electric chair and this need creates a dimming and flickering effect in the prison reminding all those left behind of their possible fate:
“Because I got to hold hands with Penelope and kiss her […] all of the other boys in school decided that I was a major stud. Even the teachers started paying more attention to me. I was mysterious” (Alexie 110-111). Through this passage, Sherman Alexie highlights the importance of peer and community relationships in the process of forming an
Just about anybody can be a good role model. One may ask what a good role model is, and how a good role model dif...
Adjusting to another culture is a difficult concept, especially for children in their school classrooms. In Sherman Alexie’s, “Indian Education,” he discusses the different stages of a Native Americans childhood compared to his white counterparts. He is describing the schooling of a child, Victor, in an American Indian reservation, grade by grade. He uses a few different examples of satire and irony, in which could be viewed in completely different ways, expressing different feelings to the reader. Racism and bullying are both present throughout this essay between Indians and Americans. The Indian Americans have the stereotype of being unsuccessful and always being those that are left behind. Through Alexie’s negativity and humor in his essay, it is evident that he faces many issues and is very frustrated growing up as an American Indian. Growing up, Alexie faces discrimination from white people, who he portrays as evil in every way, to show that his childhood was filled with anger, fear, and sorrow.
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
Sherman Alexie has made a name for himself as a prolific contemporary Native American writer, taking inspiration from his own past and experiences with modern Indian life. While there are many enduring themes throughout Alexie's writings: Native identity, modern reservation life, alcohol abuse etc. when it comes to his collection War Dances, the most apparent motif is fatherhood. Community and family are the heart of Native American cultures, with the father archetype holding great honor and expectation. However with alcohol abuse, poverty, and school drop rates running rampant through Native American reservations it is no surprise that more and more Native children are growing up in broken homes. In an alarming poll by the Kids Count Data Center, a national census, in 2011 out of 355,000 polled 53% live in single-parent homes. The lack of a leader, a strong male role model is a major factor in many of the abysmal statistics facing modern reservation children. The despotism of Native American culture has always been based on the deprivation of power, status, equality, and home. This presents a paucity of male dominance, many of these men feel helpless in a society where they have no real identity. They are forced to live in the idea they have no personal potential so it is understandable why the majority of Indian males may feel inadequate and unable to care for their families. Alexie himself struggled in a home with an alcoholic and neglectful father, and like many Native children he almost gave into a similar chain of abuse and alcoholism. This is what inspires him to write, to expose the corroding inner workings of the modern Native peoples brought on by centuries of autocracy. Oppression and the idea of fatherhood is a common ...
True role models are those who possess the qualities that we would want to have in the near future and those who interest us in a way that make us want to be a better person. They teach us more about ourselves and encourage us to make better choices. A role model is not just someone who is successful, but someone who has had similar experiences that we have had. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates that Atticus Finch is a true role model. Over the course of the novel, Atticus stands up for his beliefs, respects everyone despite who they are and behaves as a true father. Atticus is truly the ideal role model.
Although Junior is very young, has the ability to give advices like an adult. He knows that if he lies, he can get what he wants. The first paragraph opens up with him telling her mother he is sick. Even though her mother knows he is lying, he is stuck with his story until finally she accedes to let him stay at home. Junior is a persistent boy. He is clever. His way of gaining a woman overall, depends on where does she comes
Sherman Alexie’s Indian Education focuses his attention on three main points and uses character, setting, and ambiguity to write his story. Alexie focuses on one main character, himself, while also focusing on the setting of his school off the reservation. He uses ambiguity to make his story complex and gives a broad spectrum of meaning for his words, which flows perfectly throughout his story. The story showcases each grade of Alexie’s school life and explains the challenges he had to face through life while attending school, which was not common where he was from.
Nonetheless, out of the greater part of his family, companions, and foes, there are just two principle good examples that have influenced Junior's life until the end of time. The main good example for Junior is Mr. P, who was Junior's instructor back when he went to the reservation's school, Wellpinit. Mr. P is the character that opens Junior's eyes up to the extraordinary destitution that is on the reservation and urges Junior to develop the boldness to leave the "rez" and to proceed onward to the real world. After Junior's suspension from Wellpinit, and in the wake of hitting Mr. P with a book, Mr. P visits Junior. Mr. P discloses to Junior what might happen if he somehow happened to remain on the reservation, and advises Junior to go to an alternative school, far from Wellpinit. Junior begins to address Mr. P's judgment on the issue, and asks, "Where is trust? Who has trust?" Mr. P placidly answers to Junior and says, "Child, you will discover increasingly trust the more remote and more distant you leave this miserable, pitiful, tragic reservation." (43, Alexie) If Junior did not have Mr. P as an instructor and a companion, he would not have left Wellpinit and would have been left "kicking the bucket" in the reservation. The second good example for the storyteller, Junior, is his own one of a kind grandma. In The Totally Genuine Journal of Low
5The short story “Indian Education” is written by Sherman Alexie. The story is a great example of a writing piece that follows our theme of “life passages” in our class. The literacy elements of plot and theme help advance the idea of “life passages.” Furthermore, “Indian Education” is a short but powerful writing piece that reveals the true nature of how society portrays Native Americans. 5This is indicative of the author’s experience of discrimination and negative stigma he encounters from being in school due to the nature of his nationality, native American. 5
Role models have an astounding effect on the lives of young people in our society. A role model has the ability to shape the views, ideals, and actions of a young person. Role models help youth to discover how they wish to become in the future. The influence that role models have over young people is tremendous. It is important for role models to be positive and responsible in instilling good morals and values because future generations are directly dependent on the role models of today. By examining the influence of role models, role models in the community, and role models in the media, we will be able to determine the true effect that role models have on the lives of youth.
Many people find someone in his/her life to look up to, a role model. There are many different kinds of role models; they can be singers, public speakers, a parent, or even a friend. Role models also are not determined by certain criteria. A role model can be a role model just because they are a leader or have a great talent. Oprah Winfrey is considered a role model to many individuals because of her tough childhood, wonderful charity work, her schools, and the true relationships with her fans. Oprah stands out among many people on her ability to feel others’ pain and help those people get through their troubling times.
We all need a few role models to light up the right path for us, a good role model illustrate good behavior and skills for people to emulate. Learning more from Vujicic helped me understand better how to appreciate what I have. Decent role models can easily be found around us, they could be your family members, your neighbor, your professor, your boss, and even the homeless person you passed by everyday on your way back home. They do not necessarily have to be a famous person, they could be anyone that you admire, you respect, and you look up upon. I have always believed that good role models could influence us in many good ways; they help shaped us into a better person. Do you have a list of role models that you admire? Do you have a role model who encourage and motivate you when you are miserable or lost?
Many of us have role models in our lives and to most people role models are athletes and movie stars, but to me a role model is much more. To me a role model is a person who has positively influenced someone in life, and is not a person filled with selfishness and greed. They help shape someone’s personality, and characteristics. They are people who someone can look up to for advice in a hard situation, and know that they will give those words of wisdom. They will never judge our past actions, instead only look to help because they really care. A role model is someone who we should never feel awkward talking to about our problems. A perfect role model for me is my mother. She is a wonderful human being. She’s smart, wise, ambitious, patient and such a loving person. There are no words that can describe my gratitude towards her, but through this essay I will describe some of her characteristics that makes her my role model.