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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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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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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
Encountering struggles in life defines one’s character and speaks volumes about their strength, ambition, and flexibility. Through struggles, sacrifice, and tragedy, Junior in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, adapts to survive difficult situations and faces his problems head-on. As he makes life changing decisions, adapts to an unfamiliar culture, and finds himself amongst misery and heartbreak, Junior demonstrates resilience to overcome adversity and struggles.
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.
“But we reservation Indians don’t get to realize our dreams. We don’t get those chances.” (p. 13) In The Absolutely True Diary of A Part Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, Junior, the narrator, is an Indian teenage boy living on a reservation, where no one's dreams or ideas are heard. The Indians on the reservation feel hopeless because they are isolated and disenfranchised. Junior learns how to cope with his hopelessness and breaks through the hopeless reservation life to find his dreams. Examining his journey provides important examples for the reader.
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.
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:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian showed all of the problems that arose in Junior’s journey. From poverty and alcoholism to bulimic semi-girlfriends, he had so many excuses to stop, but the passion of his dreams pushed him forward. Like a hero, Junior continued, determined to do well and build a greater future for himself. An example that showed Junior’s passion for education and desire to achieve his goals was when he threw an old geometry textbook at his teacher: “My school and my tribe are so poor and sad that we have to study from the same dang books our parents studied from. That is absolutely the saddest thing in the world…My hopes and dreams floated up in a mushroom cloud” (Alexie, 31). Junior clearly understood his disadvantaged education and he was very upset about it. He longed for a better education. Junior was passionate about education, because it would allow him to achieve his goals and break the depressing pattern he was trapped in. Bravery and determination are caused by passion, and heroes are very passionate about their actions. Passion clearly drove Junior when he walked to school, since he said, “Getting to school was always an adventure…Three times I had to walk all the way home. Twenty-two miles. I got blisters each time” (Alexie, 87). Putting all of this effort into simply going to school, Junior must have had
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.
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2007. Print.
Identity. Social Injustice. Coming of age. Those are three out of several other themes that are touched on in The Diary of a Part-Time Indian, written by Sherman Alexie.
After Junior’s sister Mary dies in a terrible fire, he feels sad and alone. At school, his fellow students and friends make him feel better by giving him hugs and small slaps on the back. “They were worried about me. They wanted to help me with my pain. I was important to them.
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.
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
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.
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.