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Expository essay for the absolutely true diary of a part time indian
The true diary of a part - time indian
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Change
10/28/16
Have you ever felt what it’s like to change drastically? To have your life just switch around?
This book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, written by Sherman Alexie, is about a young Indian boy living on a reservation. This boy experiences many things in his life. Just a few being, changing schools, losing family members, and potentially losing a best friend. He experiences a lot of change and some of it is are pretty painful.
There are many themes in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. One particular theme being shown throughout the story is that change can be painful.
In this book, Junior encounters a surpass amount of painful change. Some of that change affects him deeply and some are for the best.
“I’m going to rearden tomorrow” (Alexie 51). This is what Junior said to Rowdy before he transferred. Rowdy being the always angry teen he is, he lashed out at
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Junior and punched him in the face. This quote was chosen because it was in fact a very big change for Junior.
When he got to the new school he was mocked for a bit and rowdy stayed frustrated with Junior for a while. After a bit Junior became top dog at the school and rowdy had eventually come around.
“When she was struck and killed by a drunk driver” (Alexie 157). In this section of the story, Junior’s Grandmother was struck and killed by a drunk driver. This was a very depressing time for junior.
This quote was chosen because this impacted Junior’s life drastically. He was pretty happy at the time, but when this happened he became really sad and depressed. And it only got worse from there, he later found out that his sister had died in a fire.
“I took the ball right out of his hands!” (Alexie 192). In this part of the story Junior was playing a game of basketball for his school. When it started Rowdy (who was on the other team) rushed towards the basket and almost dunked it when Junior, out of nowhere, actually jumped higher than Rowdy and took the ball right out of his
hands. This quote was chosen because after the game was over (Juniors team won) he noticed that the other team was almost crying. He then remembered that basketball was all that they had going for them, and he just snatched it away from them. He then proceeded to run to the locker room bathroom, puke and then cry tears of sadness while his teammates cried tears of joy. Junior thought of himself as a monster. On the whole, Junior was forced to endure a surpass amount of painful change. Some affected him deeply and some was for the best. There are many themes in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. One particular theme being shown throughout the story is that change can be painful. So, why should you care about this? I’ll tell you why, in everyone’s life, they will endure and go through change and some of that change will be painful. But just know that you’re not alone on this, because everyone will experience change and there are people who can help you get through this. So, you may think the world is ending but it’s not, it’s only just beginning.
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.
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
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.
Can you imagine growing up on a reservation full of people with no hope? The character Arnold in the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie did. In the beginning of the book, Arnold was a hopeless Native American living on a hopeless reservation. In the middle of the book, Arnold leaves the reservation and finds out that his sister left too.
Sherman Alexie makes it clear in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian that Native Americans believe that they are in no control of their financial situation. As a result of believing this, Native Americans will not try to overcome being in poverty. This creates an infinite circle of impoverishment. The main character of the novel, Junior, makes the hardships of being in poverty clear in this statement:
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
One can only achieve their dreams if they persevere because conquering obstacles strengthens one’s resolve. Junior decides to transfer from Wellpinit (a school on the reservation) to Reardan (an all white school outside of the reservation), only to prove that he can live up to his dream without giving up, unlike the other Indians on the reservation. This results in him losing his only best friend and facing many conflicts. Junior overcomes many of the obstacles that he faces throughout his journey by persevering through hardships, which help make him stronger. In the novel, Junior perseveres in spite of overcoming many of the obstacles that he faces throughout his journey. Despite the sacrifices that he makes and the hardships and struggles
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.
Hardship is everywhere but Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” is an amusing and intelligent novel that clearly provides the reader with perfect examples of poverty and friendship on an Indian reservation. Alexie incorporates those examples through the point of view and experiences of a fourteen year old boy named Arnold Spirit Jr.
He knows that he never wants to be like his father when he grows up. Alcohol also causes a lot of deaths in Junior’s life. His sister died in a terrible fire because she was too drunk to escape her burning RV. Junior was let out of school early because of his sister’s death. He has to wait for his father to come get him, and he laughs and he cannot stop laughing at the thought of his dad also dying on his way to pick Junior up, “.it’s not too comforting to learn that your sister was TOO FREAKING DRUNK to feel any pain when she BURNED TO DEATH!
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2007. Print.
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.
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.
The novel called The Absolute True Diary Of A Part Time Indian has won four awards including the National Book Award For Young People's Literature, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Odyssey Award, and California Young Reader Medal, however it was banned or challenged in some schools like Idaho. Schools like Idaho believe The Absolute True Diary Of A Part Time Indian should be banned because the novel contains sexual scenes, multiple inappropriate usages of profanity, and multiple death related incidents to the characters. Although some parents believe the novel should be banned in their children's schools, The Absolute True Diary Of A Part Time Indian should be discussed as part of the 10th grade high school students curriculum and be available at their school library because it contains multiple life lessons that are relatable to adelsconces. The reasons for banning the novel do not outweigh and outnumber the good morals and messages that are in the novel.