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The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian Essay

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Nancy Yunganaula Mr.Rodriguez Academic Literacy 21 April 2023 Opportunities and Success Do opportunities come to you or do you have to search for them in order to be successful? The novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, takes place in the Spokane Indian reservation near Wellpinit, Washington, and the genre is young adult fiction. During the novel, we perceive how there are opportunities that can affect how successful someone is. More specifically, we see how a few characters take the risk to leave their reservation and find a better life for themselves. In order for you to be successful, you have to work for opportunities that will help you since they won’t come to you so easily if you are doing nothing …show more content…

This is unusual for both the reservation and Junior since this can be seen by many people as him being a traitor. But, this doesn’t stop him from missing the opportunity to get a better education in a white town. Junior wishes to have a better education, "I want to go to Reardan, I said" (Alexie, 45). The quote shows that he's learned that he can't get the best education while staying on the reservation. He wants to be different from everyone else but in a positive way. He's aware of his choices, "The Indians around here are going to be angry with you" (Alexie,47). This quote reveals how Junior knows that his action will have consequences, but he still follows through with his decision to leave the reservation and attend school in Reardan because he wants to be successful in his …show more content…

One example is how Junior left the reservation to go to attend school in Rearden to get a better education, even if the people on his reservation weren’t going to approve. However, he still did it because he knew that leaving would bring him opportunities to be successful. His decisions inspire Mary Spirt, who also leaves the reservation with a guy she suddenly marries and goes to Montana with to pursue her dream of becoming a romance writer. However, with Rowdy we see how he didn’t choose to take the opportunity to go to school in Rearden with Junior because he was

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Mr. p was one of the biggest inspirations to juniors actions. If it weren't for him Junior would be stuck at the rez forever and most likely become like all the other adults, drunk and angry. When junior began his journey to achieve his goals at Reardan it was very difficult. He was the only “different” kid there. Different meaning he was the only Indian in a school of white kids.

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Reardan High School is a much nicer school outside of the Spokane Reservation; Junior was amazed because it had a science lab and a gym. However, with great power comes great responsibility, as Junior was mercilessly bullied for a duration of time. He made friends, though, and realized an important fact: “...sure, I was a Spokane Indian. I belonged to that tribe. But I also belonged to the tribe of American immigrants.

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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.

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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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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

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Sherman Alexie's "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" presents a novel centered around Arnold Spirit Jr., a young Native American boy who must grapple with his dual identities as a member of the Spokane Indian Reservation and as a student at a predominantly white high school. Arnold refers to himself as a "part-time Indian," which serves as a critical commentary on the current condition of Indigenous peoples of the US, particularly those living on a reservation. This term emphasizes the way in which Indigenous peoples are often forced to straddle two worlds, leading to a sense of displacement and alienation. As I continue my essay, I will explore the idea of why Alexie believes he is a part-time Indian, and what this shows about

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