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Internal And External Expectations In The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian

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In “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” internal and external expectations shaped Junior’s life by giving him the strength to grow and give him a reason to live. Growing up in a discriminated Indian reservation, external expectations told Junior to never leave the reservation for something better. “Reservations were supposed to move onto reservations and die. We were supposed to disappear” (216). Everyone around Junior created this picture that Indians were expected to never stray from the reservation. Another external expectation was the reservation expecting Junior to be horrible at basketball which affected Junior’s confidence. “I mean, I’d always been the lowest Indian on the reservation totem pole -- I wasn’t expected to be good so I wasn’t” (180). Since not many …show more content…

One internal expectation for Junior was him never giving up. Junior leaving for Rearden was a part of his internal expectation of fighting against the external expectations. “I had to add my hope to somebody else’s hope. I had to multiply hope by hope” (43). He left the reservation in order to help his outcome of never giving up. Another internal expectation for Junior was him trying his best to live up to everyone’s expectations. He wanted to make people proud. “And as they expected more of me, I expected more of myself,..” (180). Everyone pinned their expectations onto Junior and he wanted to show that he can become stronger. In “Sold,” internal and external expectations shaped Lakshmi’s life by helping her realize that many situations aren’t as they seem and helping her learn how to react to those situations.

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In the scene where Mr. P. is talking to junior we know that he places an influence for junior to leave the reservation otherwise he wouldn’t have done it. Mr. P mentions “The only thing kids are being taught is how to give up” (pg. 35), and then continues to say “You threw that book in face because somewhere inside you refuses to give up” (pg. 36). In other words, Mr. P

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610 Words | 3 Pages

In life you have many choices. One of which is deciding whether or not you are going to succeed or fail in life. In other words, choosing to stay hopeful or not. In the “Absolute True Diary of a Part- Time Indian” Junior goes through many situations where hope is needed. The author Sherman Alexie puts Junior as well as other characters in situations to make those hard decisions.

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1058 Words | 5 Pages

In the beginning of the book, Junior says that living on the reservation has generations of Indians losing hope. They accept their lives as their ancestors did.. His parents couldn't follow their dreams because they didn't have a support system. Junior is the example of how one can break the path of the traditional life on the reservation if one has the motivation and a good support system. Junior  had the love and emotional support of his parents and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to attend a prestigious  Prep school based on the suggestion of Mr. P, a teacher at the rez school.

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Over time, many Native Americans turned to alcohol to cope with the pain and difficulties they faced. Junior's father in the story is one example, as he battles alcoholism. This addiction not only hurts many people, but also tears families apart and makes it harder for communities to heal and move forward. Racism is something Junior deals with both on the reservation and when he goes to the arena. This isn't new: Native Americans have faced discrimination since the first settlers arrived.

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703 Words | 3 Pages

It may have been difficult at first, but Junior has finally seen something different, which proves to him that not everything is the same; there is something that is unique in everyone, no matter who they may be. As a result, Junior is more comfortable in his own skin and with others; he treats them with much more respect and is more gracious. At the beginning of the novel, he may have been throwing a geometry book at a teacher, but by the end, he is voicing his own opinions and sharing his thoughts. Even though Junior has made some startling advancements, he has not changed in some regards; he can still hold a grudge like no other, and has not truly forgiven some characters in the novel. He still considers many of his white classmates to have personally brought his problems on him.

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193 Words | 1 Pages

Junior’s weltanschauung, or worldview,was greatly influenced by his socioeconomic position. An example of his socioeconomic status that influenced his identity perception was shown when Junior stated, “Poverty=empty refrigerator + empty stomach. ”(8) In this particular time in Junior life, it's definitely devastating for him,this obviously explains the tragic of being a poor Indian in general. In addition, it reflects on his identity as a person.

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801 Words | 4 Pages

When Junior goes to this school people treat him differently he acts differently he even goes by a different name. He doesn’t want to forget about his heritage and the people he left behind but he feels like this school will get him on a better path for life. He also feels a little bit guilty about leaving his friends and family from the reservation behind and moving on in life. You can see this in a quote from the book "My name is Junior," I said. "And my name is Arnold.

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671 Words | 3 Pages

He realizes that his team has numerous economic and social advantages. Junior’s ability to address topics like poverty, racism and bullying with humor is a significant characteristic of his voice. For Junior, as well as his friends Rowdy and Penelope, part of growing up is recognizing that the world is more complicated than a strict division of opposites, it’s possible to be more than one thing—part of countless different “tribes”—is what enables him to unify his split identity and, as someone destined to travel beyond the reservation, navigate the world both figuratively and

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One afternoon, while Junior is sitting on his porch, a local teacher from Junior’s school visits him. He gives Junior hope and begins warning him to move somewhere where he can’t give up because everyone around him has already broken down. “...you have to take your hope and go somewhere where other people have hope.” (43) This lights the fire in Junior where he realizes he needs to change everything for his survival or he will crumble.

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1121 Words | 5 Pages

The decision to attend a white school is a tough one and Junior understands that for him to survive and to ensure that his background does not stop him from attaining his dreams; he must battle the stereotypes regardless of the consequences. In this light, race and stereotypes only makes junior stronger in the end as evident on how he struggles to override the race and stereotypical expectations from his time at the reservation to his time at Rearden. How race and stereotypes made

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634 Words | 3 Pages

Junior’s father’s drinking problems and the lack of funds to afford decent living conditions on the reservation are prevalent issues throughout the book that provide an insight into this theme. This proves that the author has written this novel to exhibit the hardships of those in poverty are detrimental to a child’s future. First, the novel shows the hardships of poverty by showing the discrimination made against Junior. On page 86, Junior states he “remembered when I [he] used to be a human being,” (Alexie 86).

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716 Words | 3 Pages

Junior’s life as a Native American on a reservation is different from a non-native American's life

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594 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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702 Words | 3 Pages

He knows that if his parents were not born into poverty, his mother would have gone to college, and his father would have become a musician. Additionally, on page eleven Junior says that his parents “dreamed about being something other than poor, but they never got the chance to be anything because nobody paid attention to their dreams.” Junior believes that he is trapped in this “circle” of poverty, and his dreams will be ignored just as his parents’ dreams had been. However, after Junior launches an old geometry book across a classroom, and it hits his teacher, Mr. P, in the face, Mr. P realizes something substantial about Junior: He has fought since his birth, beginning with the

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920 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the novel, Junior faces many cases of isolation. From the beginning of the novel, it is revealed that he was born with many different problems. These problems include Hydrocephalus, a disease that causes Junior to have water on the brain which resulted in him having seizures, a stutter, a lisp, and eye problems. Junior not only had head problems but he states that his head and feet were too big for his body making him look like some bad clown. Due to the fact, the Junior had so many problems starting from the moment he was born he never really fit in and was bullied constantly making him feel isolated and alone.

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