A look inside Junior

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian focuses on a character named Junior going through the struggles of living on an Indian Reservation. The book takes us inside his life as he faces challenges of everyday life on the "rez", a school switch, and death. Junior really has no problem expressing himself as he does it through drawings. It's his way of telling the world what is spinning around in his head. Junior looks at himself and doesn't see much as he doesn't have the highest self-esteem. In the book, Arnold(his real name) is told that he is very smart, a great basketball player, and has the ambition and dreams to leave the Indian Reservation. He proves all of this to be true.
Really to "break the norm" or not conform to society, a person must really stretch their comfort zone. Characteristics such as brave and courageous can be associated with these actions. Junior proves that he is these and much more. Going against your "own race" and transferring to an all-white school to chase your dreams is unheard of at the reservation. You can bet this made Junior feel uncomfortable at times but he did it to chase his dreams and ambitions, even losing his best friend for a time because of it. Junior proves many times that he is very sharp for his age at seeing things from outside the box and from different perspectives. He doesn't beat around the bush and tells things how they are. Sure, he still shares the same problems that most fourteen year old boys have in regards to friendship, girls, and problems at home. And although he is still confused about some of these topics, he doesn't do to bad in figuring them out.
Junior is a very selfish character, not saying that is a bad thing. To achieve dreams one must be very selfish. There are going to be people that aren't going to like what Junior and many others are doing to reach the top of the mountain. This happens to Junior quite often in this book. When he decides to leave the rez to attend a better school, the whole reservation despises him, even his best friend. When he gets to that school, he is not treated the way he should be. Some examples of this are the first basketball game when he is bood by the entire rez and when teachers take for granted that he is not smart. Junior puts all that behind him and is headed down the right road, even if he doesn't know exactly what that road is.
I think a lot of people can relate to chasing down dreams with selfish ties attached to it, myself included. Working and going to school to achieve my preferred career can be seen as very selfish when breaking it down. But I think humans are selfish for the greater good of people around them, not themselves individually. In my mind, Junior is achieving his dream to help his family and his reservation, not for his own personal self.
Junior has so much potential to achieve success in this world with the sky being the limit and is starting to realize it. With some good advice and help from an unknown hand, Junior is learning that he doesn't have to be a stereotype and can be his own self.  During the second basketball game on the first play when he blocks Rowdy, Junior himself cannot believe how high he got up. That scene is showing the reader that even after years and years of living, the human can still surprise itself when doing something.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

             Arnold, the main character in Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, is a hero.  Although he is totally oblivious to this fact, Arnold’s determination and perseverance help him transform into so much more than the stereotypical “lazy drunk Indian” that has trapped most of his tribe members including his parents.  

From birth Arnold has been different than most of his peers on the reservation, from his large head to his sensitivity to those even less fortunate than him, including his best friend Rowdy.  This isolation from his peers gives Arnold the opportunity to use his imagination and with the push of an old math teacher on the reservation he begins his journey.  This journey takes Arnold from the reservation where he faced belittlement and violent to a white school where there is racism and a fear of the unknown, which is Arnold himself.  Despite the backlash from his former classmates, Arnold continues his education in the white school.  After one conflict in school, with Roger, Arnold gains respect of his classmates, becomes a member of the varsity basketball team and finally feels as though he belongs.

Getting to school for Arnold was extremely difficult.  From his parents inability to pay for gas to drive him to his father getting too drunk to remember to take or pick him up, Arnold figured out a way to not miss school.  Hitchhiking and walking the twenty-two miles became part of Arnold’s routine until he finally let his classmates in.  By allowing his classmates into his personal life, not only did he receive rides home but he also found out that it was “pretty damn amazing” to have people care about him.

The biggest obstacle, however, that Arnold faced was the guilt for leaving the reservation and wanting more.  He was the first to attend school off the reservation and for that reason he became a traitor among his tribe.  Arnold also faced the challenges of attending a white school, where he was reminded by teachers that he didn’t belong there.  Feeling no sense of belonging plus the guilt for wanting to do and become more, it’s impressive that Arnold didn’t succumb to the pressure.  This further exemplifies his heroic qualities.

When comparing my life to Arnold’s, there are many differences between the two including gender, ethnicity and motivations.  Arnold’s wanting to escape was caused by his dislike of his environment; ultimately he wanted a better quality of life which is completely understandable.  When I was younger, my reason for wanting to leave was simply out of rebellion.  I can relate to Arnold’s initial feeling when he realized that he was the only non-white person at school, regardless of age one is always aware of their ethnicity when surrounded by a group of Caucasians.  That being said, Arnold discovered that in the bigger picture one’s skin color ultimately doesn’t matter but rather a person’s actions.  For me, Arnold is a big headed, skinny hero to which every person can to relate to in some way or another.    

The main character Arnold, or Junior whichever you prefer, is quite a character that many students can connect with.  He jokes about his flaws, shoots for his dreams, and works the hardest that he can.  I feel that Arnold has a different experience with his flaws than I have, but he also had a harder life than I did.  The theme I feel fits the text the most is a theme of self preservation.

Arnold has a good sense of humor when it comes to his disabilities. They way he describes himself from the beginning: hydro head, 10 extra teeth, black thick rimmed glasses; the reader immediately can picture what it is the character looks like. He makes fun of himself in such a descriptive way that the reader knows exactly what he's talking about and can picture that image in their minds.  I feel this is part of the purpose for such jokes about his appearance, or persona.  He constantly tells about his "homo" behaviors that tend to be crying and touching.  You know he isn't but the way he describes the moment he touches Rowdy on the shoulder after telling him he's going to school at Reardan. The reader themselves feels "uncomfortable" or that maybe this is too sentimental. But I feel the reason I felt this way is because the author portrays Rowdy as such an impersonal person that they know immediately that he is going to take that touch out of context. I think a student or reader connects with the jokes that Arnold says about himself is because it lets the reader know it's okay to joke about it. It is actually better to joke about it than mope over the flaws one has.

Arnold, despite the pressures of staying on the rez, shoots for  his dreams.  He leaves the rez school to attend Reardan in hopes of some day leaving the rez and having a life of his own.  Arnold plays basketball, he shoots for his dreams by beating the rez team and going on to be a great player.  He shoots for his dreams when he approaches Penelope and wins her affection.  This book constantly shows the how you never know what you can accomplish unless you aim for it and go.  I think this gives students a great role model in a book.

I don't recall any spot to which Arnold gave any less than his best.  He's always trying hard to accomplish tasks that are set before him and does not slack around.  I think this shows determinant qualities that many students need.  I need to show more determination in the things I do.

Arnold has a very different life than what I have, and yet I feel connected to him.  I have gone through bullying, I have joked about my flaws, and I have tried hard at many tasks. But I have not suffered the wrath of an alcoholic for a father, had many people close to me die, nor have I have I been so physically abused by bullies.  I can say that my life has been "better" than him in those points, but I have never had people show me such acceptance and friendship the way the kids at Reardan do when they finally accept him into their lives. I think that he has a very rich relationship with many people.  For that I am jealous.

Lastly, the theme I recognize the most is self preservation.  Arnold constantly it fighting for how he can become himself and not fall into the norm of the rez.  He joins friends with Gordy because they are similar, I think that shows that he doesn't want a relationship that will force him to compromise his personality, he can be himself.  Throughout this book it is all about him trying to stay alive and change the course to which society expects him to follow.  To me that is self preservation.

Diary characters

The book "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" has had an affect on me similar to "Unwind," where I wake up during the night worrying about the characters.  I woke up last night wondering if any Winnebago tribe students had enough food to be able to think in school.  And if the teachers bring in apples, bananas and oranges as a friend of mine did when she taught at a poor inner city school in Washington DC.  I told my boyfriend we will have to get married, move in together, and adopt two Native American brothers.  We have been blessed and need to play it forward by giving two children a chance they would not have had if they stayed on the reservation.  He told me, "It is only a book!"  But to me it is not just a book it is insight to how an underprivileged high school student thinks.  I'm similar to "Ted," I just want to help by being a part of the solution not part of the cause.

Social Transgressions- Annie on My Mind

In Annie on My Mind, it is not difficult to see what the main social transgression is in the novel: Same-sex relationships. This novel is just plastered with this transgression, and is one of the major themes also. Throughout the novel, I feel that the characters whom are affected by the social transgressions associated with same-sex relationships are both punished and affirmed for their choices.

This novel's strength, for me, was how relevant same-sex relationships are today. The way they are viewed is still very similar today as it was in the 70's simply because some people are completely open to the idea of them, or just completely intolerant to the lifestyle. An example of intolerance in the novel is when Mrs. Poindexter is made aware of Liza and Annie's relationship while they are housesitting. She puts Liza up to the Foster school board for expulsion. Mrs. Poindexter does turns with the reputation of Foster's "on her mind." Even though Liza is persecuted, she is never expelled so I would say she is affirmed for her sexual orientation.

 In the novel, the dialogue between Liza and Annie shows that they know society thinks something is wrong with them. When Annie says, "No one knows for sure that we're gay except you and Ms. Stevenson and Ms. Widmer,"(pg. 196) shows they are doing their best to hide their relationship because they will be socially "persecuted" by everyone around.

Ms. Stevenson and Ms. Widmer are also an example of social transgression because of their relationship together. When Foster's finds out they are "together" they are both fired, because they are like an "ear infection" (pg. 221) for the school. Liza was let off and they were not because the board thought "teachers had to much influence on students" (pg. 222). Because of their role in society and their sexual orientation, they were punished.

Annie on My Mind- FI

The novel Annie on My Mind has given me many mixed feelings while I read it. At one moment I'm really enjoying the reading, then at the next I just really don't care what is going on. I think its the writing. The execution of the Epistolary (Letter-form) novel is not executed very well. I applaud Nancy Grace for writing in this very creative style, but I feel that she could have told the story from a more colorful point of view than that of Liza's. Liza just does not seem to be a very likable character to me. She seems to be confused about her role as a young woman and is really quite awkward.

There are many instances in the novel where her confusion of gender seeps through, even though quite subtle, they are there. The first moment I see this is when her brother, Chad, is reciting the Powers of Congress, expecting that Liza is listening to him. She is actually not, and thinking about her own stuff(pg. 17). This shows that Liza does not possess the caring, nurturing nature of a woman who is always there to listen, and is more like a man who could really care less what the person next to them is saying but still replies, "uh-huh."

Another instance of Liza being "manly" is when she brings a flower to Annie, an "African Violot" (pg. 83). It is accustomed for a man to bring a woman flowers on date, but since Liza is only a young girl, it shows that she has accepted the role of the psuedo-male in the relationship.

The way that Annie on my Mind is written gives us a perspective strictly from the point of Liza. It gives us a clear cut sense of the image of Annie and how the writer wants the audience to view her, but Liza is in the haze.  It affected the way I read the story because I felt that my reading was one dimensional and it also affected the connection I had with the characters because I felt I was hearing what Liza told me not so much reading and actually feeling like I was there with the characters.  I think that while this strategy may have been used to get the reader to be on a more personal level with the writer, I did not feel that I had as big of a connection as I do when it is a more outside force telling the story of two people and feeling like you are right there.

Throughout the book we are told how Annie looks or how she reacts, we know that she is very playful and that she is constantly playing her life in the more "knight's tale" perspective with the sword fights and language she uses when she talks to Liza.  From the first chapter we get a sense of Annie, with her long hair, wearing a cape, her bright eyes, and her deep smile she gets when she senses Liza's attraction to her. We are always fed details about Annie, but when it comes to the looks and demeanor of Liza, we are left short.  I think that because the book is written in letter form it is more of telling the reader about Annie rather than Liza. But still as the reader I wanted to feel more of a what Liza looks like, so that when it came time for me to feel like I was in the book I could visualize everyone. I just didn't feel the connection.

A lot of this plays into the dimension I felt while reading. Everything was just surface level for me. There are so many books that I read and read and cannot put down because I feel so engulfed inside everything that is happening. For Annie on my Mind this was not the case.  Especially when it came down to everything that happened without Annie in the scene, such as all the events that took place in Liza's house, dinners, talks with her parents, talks with Chad, everything just felt like it had this foggy haze over and I just wasn't feeling the true description and perspective that I normally feel in books.

The connection with the characters was not very strong. Normally I'm on one side rooting for the hero or the weaker strength, but this time I just felt like I was reading the story.  That moment when Liza is going through her struggle with school and having to come out to her parents, I felt the lack of sympathy and support from Annie ruined this part of the book. Annie just seemed to think that Liza was supposed to come out to everyone and be fine with explaining things, but when it came down to what Annie had to do she was against all of it. Because it wasn't her school that was involved, I feel that the opinion that Annie had on the subject was not needed. That whole part of the book made me angry because this whole book was about "finding one's self" and I just felt that Liza never really did that, and at the end she did call Annie but I didn't feel that whole "good job!" or "you did it" type of mood. I just left at a mute dull ending for me.