Characterism In The Indian Killer By Sherman Alexie

In the book Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie the readers may have a difficult time identifying who the Indian killer was. The book creates a sense of desperation and peculiar self accomplishment by the killer, although falling short of their ambition. In everyone’s impermanence the killer did not last long after the chaos and sporadic murders in Seattle. In the Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie, John and Marie are both responsible for the killings because of their shared desire to kill a white man.

John Smith, from book 3, chapter 2 of his book, The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles, wrote about his adventures in the new land of the Indians where he experienced new people, a new governance system and a new culture (Smith, The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England & the Summer Isles 43). Smith, who was an English soldier, explorer and author, ventured into a new and unfamiliar territory where he experienced many unknown and unusual conditions and his writings depict his initial experience with the natives of this new and hostile land. He referred to the indigenous people as “savages” based on their hostile nature and brutal behavior towards him and his men. Initially the native chief, Powhatan, wanted to torture and Kill Captain Smith but he

In his essay, “Pretty like a White Boy: The Adventure of a Blue-Eyed a Ojibway,” Drew Hayden Taylor discusses his negative life experiences, and decides that he will no longer classify himself as either a White, or Native person, though he is of dual ancestry. Though he aims his essay at the Everyman, he assumes that the reader has knowledge in Native history. Taylor, the comedian mentions that he never knew his White father, and it is likely that he was raised in First Nations household. This assumption supports the ethos of his essay as a whole. While examining the thesis, Taylor makes jumps in logic that are difficult for the reader to follow, on the path to his conclusion. Taylor’s style is consistently lighthearted, and his essay is structurally sound, however, due to errors in logic, his essay appeals to the heart alone.

Adjusting to another culture is a difficult concept, especially for children in their school classrooms. In Sherman Alexie’s, “Indian Education,” he discusses the different stages of a Native Americans childhood compared to his white counterparts. He is describing the schooling of a child, Victor, in an American Indian reservation, grade by grade. He uses a few different examples of satire and irony, in which could be viewed in completely different ways, expressing different feelings to the reader. Racism and bullying are both present throughout this essay between Indians and Americans. The Indian Americans have the stereotype of being unsuccessful and always being those that are left behind. Through Alexie’s negativity and humor in his

Authors write for many reasons; most often because they want to tell a story. This is definitely the case with Sherman Alexie, “a poet, fiction writer, and filmmaker known for witty and frank explorations of the lives of contemporary Native Americans.” He grew up on the Spokane and Coeur D’Alene Indian Reservations, and has devoted much of his adult life to telling stories of his life there. Alexie expertly uses language and rhetorical devices to convey the intensity and value of his experiences.

ANSWER: John Smith’s attitude towards Indians was highly respectful. In paragraph #9, John Smith says “In all your passages you must have great care not to offend the naturals, if you can eschew it.” This example gives me the impression that he didn’t have a positive outlook

Not looking like the rest of the Indians on the reservation hampered John's ability to fit in with the Savage society. John wanted more than anything to be a part of the Indian culture, to be part of the ritual, to give his life. "Why wouldn't they let me be the sacrifice? I'd have gone round ten times–– twelve, fifteen." John asked why, but he knew the answer. "But they

Soon after, Victor becomes irritated with Thomas telling more of his stories and asks him if he even knows how to be a real Indian. An unsure “I guess not,” is Thomas’ response, to which Victor states that he will just have to teach Thomas how to be one. Victor then explains that an Indian must remain stoic and mean like a warrior to receive any respect from others. Victor’s beliefs on what an Indian should act like probably originate from the knowledge and stories of Indians from the nineteenth century passed down over the years through both written and oral records. Victor sternly deciding to actively follow the example of the tribe’s ancestors was probably made in response to his treatment from and the behavior of his father. Choosing to abide by the beliefs and traditions of his tribes allows Victor to cope with or simply avoid his past by both renewing and strengthening his identity as a member of his tribe’s society. However, soon after telling Thomas of his beliefs, Victor’s “warrior act” fails to elicit any respect from two rude gentlemen who take the two Indians’ bus seats during a

There are so many different definitions of the word racism, but how does each peron define it? One individual, Richard Henry Pratt, clearly knew how to thoroughly define the word, “Segregating any class or race of people apart from the rest of the people kills the progress of the segregated people or makes their growth very slow” (Howard 2016). Unfortunately, we are still living in the repercussion of Pratt’s word. The United States’ history is full of examples that have led to the ethnocentric development of the country. One of the most remote examples of this ethnocentric belief is displayed with the construction of off-reservation boarding schools for Native Americans first started in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, by former general, Richard Henry Pratt. The purpose of the schools was to strip Native Americans of their cultural traditions and teach them the skills necessary to function in American Society. Pratt keyed this belief with the saying “Kill the Indian, save the man,” in order to justify his reasons to assimilate the Indians to the white culture. However, were the American Indians really forced to assimilate because society wanted to help them, or because they wanted America to be solely made of true Americans with American culture? How was the assimilation of the Indians satisfactory when it created cultural genocide? Having assimilated the Indian man did not save him, it merely replaced him.

“God and the Indian” by Drew Hayden Taylor presents the characters in a detailed way which can easily be imagined. Drew Taylor was able to describe both characters in the play by using characterization, style, and tone.

In the novel, Montana 1948, written by Larry Watson, a story of a young boy named David and the events of a cataclysmic summer holidays are recounted. Set in the heart of North America in the 19th century, when Native Americans were considered B class citizens and persecution was inevitable ever since the Europeans first arrived on the continent. David matures in a short span throughout the text from naivety to maturity as a result of the series of horrendous events he experiences. The murder and sexual assault of Marie Little Soldier evokes a case in which Wes, David’s father and sheriff of the county must re-moralise his choices as his brother Frank is to

This rhetorical analysis will bring you through the "How to Fight Monsters" chapter of Sherman Alexie 's story : An Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. This book is a semi-autobiography that won the 2007 U.S. National Book Award For Young People 's Literature. This story is about an Indian boy from a poor reservation with an alcoholic father, who wishes for a better life. In order to achieve this better life, Junior decides to move to another school in order to have " hope" for his future. During this transition into his new school Junior is marked as a traiter and looses the one close friend he had on the reservation. At the opening scene of the story Junior is asking his parents "who has the most hope?" In his desperate

In Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie, gruesome events hint towards each main character being a possible suspect. John Smith is the main character of the story that the readers know most about. Sherman Alexie gives John a mental disability in order to give the readers a suspect of being the killer. Reggie, Marie, Dr. Mather, and Jack Wilson are also main characters that can arguably be the killer. Reggie and Marie are the Indian killers because of the various death threats they make towards white men.

It is an inherent part of human nature to develop opinions or judgements about certain people, places, and events that occur in everyday life. The process of observing, analyzing, and drawing conclusions seems to be almost instinctual for human beings. However, while forming opinions about others can frequently be beneficial to one’s decision making, there is a fine line between harmless judgements and potentially dangerous stereotypes. In the novel Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie, the characters are existing during a period of great tension invoked by a serial killer. Due to the scalpless state of these murdered white males, citizens are quick to assume that the serial killer must be an Indian. On the other hand, the novel Gone Girl by

Thomas King’s The Inconvenient Indian tells the story of Indigenous people in Canada and the United States, it challenges the narrative on how Indigenous history is taught and explains why Indigenous people continue to feel frustrated. King’s seeks to educate the reader as he provides a detailed accounts of the horrific massacres Indigenous people endured, yet he simultaneously inserts humorous moments which balances out the depressing content and enhances his story. The books highlights the neglect and assimilation that Indigenous were subjected to and how their survival was seen as an inconvenience to western culture. King directs his message at a Euro-centric audience to offer an accurate explanation of Indigenous culture and