More handpicked essays just for you.
Topics of the absolutely true diary of a part time indian
Essays about the true diary of a part time indian
Topics of the absolutely true diary of a part time indian
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Opening Paragraph
“We know who we are, but not who we may be.” This William Shakespeare quote perfectly suits the prevalent theme in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Written by Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a novel about a First Nations teenage boy whose life changes when he chooses to attend a school outside of the reservation he lives on with his family. He is determined to receive a better education than the school on the reservation can offer so he transfers to Reardan, a ¨white¨ school twenty two miles away. In this novel, Sherman Alexie uses the character Arnold Spirit to show that the true identity of a person emerges once they step outside of their
…show more content…
Near the end of the novel, Arnold has a huge realization. He has spent the last year confused about his identity, about who he truly is. He says that “I realized that, sure, I was a Spokane Indian. I belonged to that tribe. But I also belonged to the tribe of American immigrants. And to the tribe of basketball players. And to the tribe of bookworms.(...)And the tribe of tortilla chips-and-salsa lovers. And the tribe of poverty. And the tribe of funeral-goers. And the tribe of beloved sons. And the tribe of boys who really missed their best friends. It was a huge realization. And that's when I knew that I was going to be okay. (217)” Arnold finds it so comforting, so empowering, to be a part of all these different communities. Every little part of his personality, every little part of who he is, equates to a “tribe” he belongs to. This is a powerful epiphany because Arnold finally feels at peace with who he is. Though his life has two different “sides” his life is still whole. Pushing himself to leave the reservation school was the best thing he could have done for himself because by doing so, he found out lots about himself and a lot about others as
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 represent a way he overcomes obstacles in basketball is when Arnold says, “I don’t know what happened. But for once, and for the only time in my life, I jumped higher than Rowdy. I rose above him as he tried to dunk it. I TOOK THE BALL RIGHT OUT OF HIS HANDS!” (192) This represents overcoming obstacles because Arnold had to work hard to be more exceptional than Rowdy. He also had to overcome being the underdog on the basketball team and an underdog in the all white school. Arnold was able to overcome being the underdog in both situations. He even overcame being one of the underdogs on the reservation who would get bullied. At the very ending of the book Arnold gets his best friend back, even though Rowdy may be angry and want Arnold to go to school with him Rowdy lets it go.
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.
Picture yourself in a town where you are underprivileged and sometimes miss a meal. In the novel, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” Sherman Alexie wrote the book to show hardships that Native Americans face today. Alexie shows us hardships such as poverty, alcoholism and education. In the novel, Junior goes against the odds to go to an all white school to get a better education to have a better life
It is said by Jeb Bush that, “Our children can achieve great things when we set high expectations for them”. Well, Arnold (Junior) Spirit in the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, doesn’t have high expectations, if anything he is expected to fail, in life and in school. But Junior has ambition like none other, that is why he decides to break away from his reservation and attend the racist school Reardan. During his time in Reardan and on the Reservation, Junior rises above the life he was expected to live; he demonstrates ambition through perseverance and finds his identity, which proves humans ability to rise above expectations.
Establishing an identity has been called one of the most important milestones of adolescent development (Ruffin, 2009). Additionally, a central part of identity development includes ethnic identity (ACT for Youth, 2002). While some teens search for cultural identity within a smaller community, others are trying to find their place in the majority culture. (Bucher and Hinton, 2010)The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian chronicles Junior’s journey to discovery of self. As with many developing teens, he finds himself spanning multiple identities and trying to figure out where he belongs. “Traveling between Reardan and Wellpinit, between the little white town and the reservation, I always felt like a stranger. I was half Indian in one place and half white in the other” (p.118). On the reservation, he was shunned for leaving to go to a white school. At Reardon, the only other Indian was the school mascot, leaving Junior to question his decision to attend school he felt he didn’t deserve. Teens grappling with bicultural identities can relate to Junior’s questions of belonging. Not only is Junior dealing with the struggle between white vs. Indian identities, but with smaller peer group identities as well. In Wellpinit, Junior is th...
By identifying examples of the coexistence of interdependent and independent self-construals, the fluidity of identity, ingroup and outgroup interactions, and aggression within cultures of honor the reader can gain a greater understanding of Arnold’s story and his tribe. Arnold’s self-construal appeared much more independent and his collective identity, as perceived by himself and others, changed due to his choice to attend Reardan. Meanwhile, ingroup and outgroup relations can explain his tribe’s response to his actions. Lastly, the level of violence within the Spokane Indian culture reflects its emphasis on reputation and honor.
“I’m never going to act like my mother!” These words are increasingly common and yet unavoidable. Why is it that as children, we are able to point out every flaw in our parents, but as we grow up, we recognize that we are repeating the same mistakes we observed? The answer is generational curses: un-cleansed iniquities that increase in strength from one generation to the next, affecting the members of that family and all who come into relationship with that family (Hickey 13). Marilyn Hickey, a Christian author, explains how this biblically rooted cycle is never ending when she says, “Each generation adds to the overall iniquity, further weakening the resistance of the next generation to sin” (21, 22). In other words, if your parents mess up you are now susceptible to making the same mistakes, and are most likely going to pass those mistakes to your children. In The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie shows the beauty of hope in the presence of a generational curse. Even though the elders are the ones who produce the curses, they are also the ones who attempt to break Junior from their bond forming mistakes. The curses that Arnold’s elders imprint on him lead him to break out of his cultural bonds and improve himself as a developing young man.
Growing up on a reservation where failing was welcomed and even somewhat encouraged, Alexie was pressured to conform to the stereotype and be just another average Indian. Instead, he refused to listen to anyone telling him how to act, and pursued his own interests in reading and writing at a young age. He looks back on his childhood, explaining about himself, “If he'd been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called a prodigy. But he is an Indian boy living on the reservation and is simply an oddity” (17). Alexie compares the life and treatment of an Indian to life as a more privileged child. This side-by-side comparison furthers his point that
Ever wondered what gets readers hooked on a book? In “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie, the authors have many ways to grab the reader's attention by using many techniques from humor to emotional and traumatic suspense. In the book, the main character named Junior is an Indian boy growing up on a reservation. By growing up on the reservation junior makes a choice to leave the reservation and go to a white school which gives Junior obstacles in his life. There are many obstacles that happen even before Junior decided to go to another path with his life.
In Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, the main character Arnold, also known as Junior, has many health issues, and notably stands out in the crowd. It does not help that he is a poor Indian boy that lives on a reservation, and that he decides to go to an all-white high school. Many of his experiences at school, and on the Reservation, impact his identity. Experience is the most influential factor in shaping a person’s identity because it helps gain confidence, it teaches new things, and it changes one’s outlook on the world.
By the end of the book, Arnold experiences a lot of deaths of people who mean a lot to him but he still found hope. Arnold becomes a warrior for leaving the reservation and going to Reardan. Although there is hardly any hope on the reservation, Arnold knows that there is hope outside of the reservation. The reservation has a horrible education and on page 3 when Arnold was at school Arnold says, “My school and tribe are so poor that we have to study from the same dang books our parents studied from.”
Have you ever wanted something really badly, but couldn’t afford it? This is a common occurrence, but what about food? Have you ever went to be hungry because you couldn’t afford to eat? Unfortunately, Junior, the main character in the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, felt exactly this way for food. Even though Junior didn’t have as many resources as the other “white kids,” he still chose to look at the positives. This novel shows that even in times of great hardship, people can still choose to have hope and look at the good in their lives.
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.
In Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie the main character Junior is automatically judged as soon as he gets into school his first day at Reardan, the closest school off the rez. This teenage character is made fun of because of his skin color, background, abilities and culture. Arnold Spirit Junior has to overcome challenges with people assuming things about him because he is an Indian from the Spokane Reservation. This is partially because of the lack of knowledge Reardan has of the Indian population. They think the Indians are all just red colored, dangerous savages because of the single story that they were told growing up. They only knew about them from a cowboys and Indians standpoint, often told from the white cowboy’s perspective. He also struggles because his head looks a little big because he was born with water on the brain, causing slight delays in Arnold’s development. Arnold received many demeaning and belittling nicknames from the kids at school, all based on preconceived notions of his identity. Throughout the beginning of the book, and into the middle, Junior is trying to establish his intrinsic values to this new community of