ipl-logo

The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian

428 Words2 Pages

At the beginning of "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie, we are introduced to Junior, a fourteen-year-old Native American boy living on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington state. During one of Junior's geometry classes, while Mr. P, his teacher was hanging out the geometry books, Junior became mad at the fact that the book he was given was older and in worse condition than the ones that the white students at the neighboring school received. In his anger, Junior threw the book at his teacher, hitting him in the face and breaking his nose. For obvious reasons, Junior got suspended from school for a week. During his suspension, Junior's well-meaning teacher, Mr. P, proposed that he transfer to a different …show more content…

P's suggestion, but as he thinks about it more, he realizes that attending a school in Reardan could offer him better opportunities to escape the cycle of poverty and alcoholism that has plagued his community. However, Junior's decision to leave the reservation school is not without consequences, and he must carefully weigh the pros and cons of his decision. When Junior shares Mr. P's proposal with his parents later in the evening, his father initially reacts with anger, accusing Junior of being a traitor to his tribe. However, after some thought, Junior's parents ultimately support his decision, recognizing the importance of education in his future. Although his parents are concerned about the challenges he will face being the only Native American student at a primarily white school, they ultimately put their trust in Junior to make the right decision. In contrast to Junior's parents, his best friend Rowdy takes the news of Junior's potential departure from the reservation school much harder. Rowdy feels betrayed by Junior's decision and sees it as a personal affront to their friendship. He is angry and hurt, and the news drives a wedge between the two friends that lasts for a significant portion of the

Show More
Related
804 Words | 4 Pages

Junior being born on the Reservation has always been poor and put down by others. He has had a horrible life with pain coming from a new direction each day but has coped with it that is why he is still alive today to write this book. Although he may or may not admit it, the ways he coped with his life were not great after all. When faced with a

Read More
1097 Words | 5 Pages

In addition, Junior's best friend began a douche after he switched schools also. No matter what Junior still tried to be there and get advice, and email Rowdy. No matter how rude Rowdy was, Junior was just happy to get a reply. Throughout Junior's experience, he always tries to find happiness and never gives up on what he loves most. Junior's parents may be drunks, but that doesn't change how much he loves them.

Read More
781 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
694 Words | 3 Pages

Junior's best friend Rowdy abandoned him, and called him a traitor for going off the reservation. Though Reardan was a nice school, Junior found inequality, and prejudice there. He talked about getting bullied before people in his school even knew him, simply because of where he came from, and what he looked like. He experienced racial slurs, toxic teachers who displayed attitudes of dissent and disfavor towards him, not having proper transportation options to get to school, and many more notable issues. This was a very interesting effect of the writing that made the story successful in showing the characters' problems.

Read More
570 Words | 3 Pages

Mr. P tells Junior that “You 're going to find more and more hope the farther and farther you walk away from this sad, sad, sad reservation.” (Alexie 63). Junior’s teacher knows that in order for Junior to find hope, he must isolate himself from his miserable reservation. He knows that Junior deserves better, and has fought too hard to lose hope, therefore he must take his hope and go somewhere where other people have hope. In order to do that, Junior must separate himself from all the horrors of the sad reservation by leaving.

Read More
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.

Read More
744 Words | 3 Pages

Ever since Junior’s sister Mary had run away from the reservation with her new boyfriend, Junior’s family had been struggling. Nobody expected her to do that. When Rowdy found out that she fled, he blamed it all on Junior for putting too much pressure on her ever since he decided to move schools to try and better his life. But this was the time for Junior to make everything better. Being an Indian and the weakling who always gets picked on, this was his time to shine.

Read More
998 Words | 4 Pages

He is a poor Indian going to a middle-class white kid school, but there is more to that. At the reservation there are these unspoken rules, if someone talks badly or insults you, you have to fight them, that is the first one on that list. Getting into fights is normal at Wellpinit but at Rearden, everyone is all talk. In the book, a kid named Roger and his friends were making fun of Junior so he punches Roger. Roger is taken aback because no one at Rearden actually gets into fistfights.

Read More
1121 Words | 5 Pages

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

Read More
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).

Read More
696 Words | 3 Pages

The new school gives Junior a bunch of new opportunities, he ends up making new friends and meets a girl. Junior deals with noticeable struggles throughout the book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, that includes depression, low self-esteem, and bullying; he builds resilience to these struggles through his drawings, words, and actions. Junior’s mental health started at a young age. He would get bullied by kids and adults on the reservation. Junior has Rowdy, his best friend who helps him through the bullying that he goes through.

Read More
735 Words | 3 Pages

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

Read More
708 Words | 3 Pages

“I want to transfer schools,” I said.”’ (45) Junior knows that white people have more hope, and after his teacher explains to him that he can do better than the reservation school, he decides to change schools. He changes from a nobody to the person who was hopeful enough to leave the reservation. “‘You’ve been fighting since you were born,” he said. “You fought off that brain surgery.

Read More
1001 Words | 5 Pages

It goes back to when Junior’s old teacher, mr. P has this to say “when i first started teaching here, that’s what we did to the rowdy ones, you know? We beat them. That’s how we were taught to teach you. We were supposed to kill the Indian to save the child.” This foreshadows how Junior has a big rip within himself and begins to drift away from Indian culture and adopts white culture.

Read More
920 Words | 4 Pages

He does this by not telling anyone he poor and about his struggles to get to and from school. Even though Junior begins being isolated from everyone when he starts Reardan he eventually is accepted and loved by his

Read More

More about The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian

Related Topics

Open Document