“In the middle of a crazy drunk life, you have to hang on the good and sober moments tightly.” (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie page 216)
This is a quote from the book that shows how Junior learns how to appreciate the good moments in life. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie the character Junior faces problems caused by drinking. The book starts off with his family living on the Indian reservation suffering from poverty and death. Junior loses a lot of friends and family at the young age of fourteen. He gets bullied because he was born with too much cerebral spinal fluid inside his skull, but he has his best friend Rowdy there to help him. Junior realizes that he needs to leave the reservation to get a better life for himself. He goes to a new school off the
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I have realized that even when there is so much violence and death surrounding you, you can always find a way to look at the world. Once Junior goes to his new school he stops getting bullied and isn’t as surrounded by all of the drinking at his new school.
“Drinking would shut down my seeing and my hearing and my feeling” she used to say. “Why would I want to be in the world if I couldn't touch the world with all of my senses intact”(The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie page 158) “I mean, the thing is, plenty of Indians have died because they were drunk. Nd plenty of drunken Indians have killed other drunken Indians.” (The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie page 158) Drinking will not only hurt you it will hurt others around you. For example you could get really drunk and say mean things that you might not mean. It can ruin friendships and families. If things aren’t going your way you need to think about the good days and not dwell in all of the
If you believe that hard work pays off, then you work hard and you succeed. And I want people to understand something I learned only recently: I am lucky enough to live the American Dream, and so are you” (9). Growing up with a drug addict of a mother, no father figure, no money, and barely any education, Vance is almost guaranteed lack of success. Through determination, will, and ethic, however, Vance freed himself from the burdens of his town and family and emerged as an author and lawyer who uses his own life as an example to all that with hard work and intention, anyone can break from an unhealthy, inimical environment and strive to become successful. Additionally, this cultural aspect is connected to the purpose of the memoir; Vance’s intention is that through
Sherman Alexie was born October 7, 1966. Alexis was born with hydrocephalus, which is a disease that you can die from or suffer mental disorders. Sherman went to surgery at the age of six months. He survived and did not have mental problems, but he did suffer from other problems. Alexie’s father was an alcoholic.
Have you ever lost someone you loved or was important in your life? Well Junior has, he has lost many people in his life. He has gone to a total of 42 funerals in his lifetime and he is only 14. You will find out more about Junior in the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Most of the people Junior has lost were due to alcohol.
“Knowing what is right and doing what is right are not the same”, James’s mother Carolyn would often say. After she died James adopted this as his motto. Growing up in a poverty-stricken neighborhood where there is constant shooting and increasinga number of drug dealers. It’s hard growing up around temptation. Brownsville has been named one of the worst neighborhood to live in New York.
“I was always falling down; my Indian name was Junior Falls down. Sometimes It was Bloody Nose or Steal His Lunch (Sherman Alexie)”. He had the worst childhood memory and describes his life on the reservation as hopeless. He learned an important lesson that his customs won't
In Brown’s Book Boys In The Boat Joe Rantz is a young man who symbolizes success and continues to grow through out his life into a fine man. Although, Joe has been brought up in a very difficult childhood by many tragedies he continues to find the best of the situations and carry on with a positive attitude. Later throughout Joe’s life he starts to thrive in school and he gets multiple jobs that pay well. With the money earned Joe again decided to take advantage of his naturally good attributes he attained which lead to the successful life to come. The reason why Joe becomes the successful man is by his good qualities that help him take advantage of luck.
In the midst of all of this he finds a balance by focusing on what really matters. At the same time this keeps him focused on his main goal which is education. Education will be his family's way out of poverty. Through seeing his younger brother that is unemployed and will be having a child soon he looks beyond this and is genuinely proud of where he comes from. He realizes how strong his family is when he seems them fighting through poverty and making things.
From this point on we see the novel narrated through Junior and we see how he doesn’t have much success or really any opportunity to be successful as he is cramped in a small Native reservation. The accessibility of success as we see in the reservation is scarce for all and especially Junior, he was a shy and small kid that didn’t have much confidence or belief in himself. From their background, many people are hindered at birth because of their upbringing and what kind of upbringing. Junior is raised in a poverty-stricken household with a heavily addicted to alcohol father and both parents depressed that don’t strive to do much in their lives. This is the same for many on the reservation, it is really a trap that hinders everyone and their offspring for generations to come.
Isabella Haddad Mr. Rodriguez Academic Lit. 21 April 2023 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Analytical Essay There are many different instances when one wants to give up, but they keep pushing for the benefit of themselves. The YA novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, written by Sherman Alexie and illustrated by Ellen Forney, takes place on the Spokane Indian Reservation.
Faced with many obstacles from poverty to racial stereotypes, Junior must override them if he is to make his life better than that of fellow Indians. Interestingly, rather than letting the obstacles hold him back Junior understands that his destiny is in his own hands and he must celebrate who he is even if it means fighting. In the end, we see a boy who have managed to overcome all hardships to get to the top, even if it means making tough choices such as changing schools, therefore is could be seen that race and stereotypes only made Junior
Johnny Cade is 16 years old, a greaser, and lives in the East Side of the town which is where the poor class lives. He was not very good in school, but was a quiet boy trying his best to not get in a “mess”. He would be very nervous when talking to people/strangers he didn’t know about, especially the Socs. He died being a hero to all young and old saving lives although his life was taken away. Johnny Cade was born in March 1,1949 and died in the year of 1965.
The novel Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings is about a 13-year-old boy named Brady who lives by the Chesapeake Bay. One day a four-year-old boy named Ben was out in the water when his kayak overturned Brady tried to rescue him but failed. Brady later discovered that it was his two friends who drilled holes in the kayak making the turnover. This accident causes Brady and his friends J.T. and Digger to grow up.
It all comes down to discovering how we can win, even when the odds are against us. A major theme in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian is never giving up. Junior starts life with serious brain damage and physical abnormalities. His family is poor. He is Indian, he doesn’t have access to the same level of schools, and health care as the white kids.
Argument for Banning “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” Book in Middle Schools Published in 2007, “The Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie says about the moving story of a Native American teenager named Arnold Spirit who made the bold decision to attend an all-white high school from Spokane reservation to find hope for the future in the Reardan. This volume won the National Book Award in 2007 and won several other awards. Even though this novel can be power of education, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” paperback should be banned because this is not appropriate for middle schools.
After everyone compliments his suit, he realizes it is okay to be different. Another example of this lesson is when Junior goes to Reardon, knowing he is going to be the only Indian there. Junior knows he will be the only non-white student at reardon, yet he goes anyway. Even though he has to deal with being picked on, and standing out, he learns to cope with it. In conclusion, Junior is not afraid to be different, since he has had a lot of experience as always being different in his life.