Sherman Alexie 's Life Of A Teenage Native American

Native Americans have existed in the different regions-the plains, mountains, marshes- of the North American continent- long before the United States existed. Yet, most were not treated with the respect and dignity that the white American settlers were given. Viewed as outlandish and savage by white settlers, series of negotiations to “correct” the Indian way of life were implemented- through forced relocation, war, and assimilation into white culture. Those who stood up against the American government were viewed as beacons of hope by their fellow Native Americans. Many Native American traditions still exist today, but unfortunately most of them have been lost along with their people.

Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like you were the odd one out? In Sherman Alexie’s novel Indian Killer there are many references to the cultures and traditions of Indians and how they are different to others. Alexie also brings up some of the major points of being a true native American and how some are just “wannabes” as he calls them in the novel. He also goes in depth with some struggles of being an Indian and how life is different between Indians and whites. The culture of the Indians in this novel play a major role in the novel as it is how the Indian killer starts killing because of all the racism. Alexie uses many references to

Lives for Native Americans on reservations have never quite been easy. There are many struggles that most outsiders are completely oblivious about. In her book The Roundhouse, Louise Erdrich brings those problems to light. She gives her readers a feel of what it is like to be Native American by illustrating the struggles through the life of Joe, a 13-year-old Native American boy living on a North Dakota reservation. This book explores an avenue of advocacy against social injustices. The most observable plight Joe suffers is figuring out how to deal with the injustice acted against his mother, which has caused strife within his entire family and within

Native Americans on the reservations are at socially and economically disadvantage compared to persons who reside in metropolitan cities. Life advancement opportunities and individual accountability for better living standards are almost non-existence in many Native American communities. The environment that is around young adolescents are very

Alexie, in his essay, talks about how his life was growing up on a Native American reservation in Washington state. A lifestyle that most Americans never know. Life as a Spokane Indian surrounding by a growing American society had its hardships, as Alexie explains. According to Alexie, most Spokane families living on the reservation lived a life that we in modern American society would label poverty, but the Spokane call it “middle-class.” Growing up, most of the food brought to the table in Alexie’s home was that of government surplus, thanks to federal sanctions on Native reservations, but his family managed to scrape by like any other Spokane, usually through a minimum wage income.

In the wake of a gruesome history of displacement and mutilation of sacred customs and beliefs, native adolescents struggle with cultural and internal identity crises. When European nations discovered an already inhabited territory, capturing, raping, and murdering tribal members, the peace and tranquility of native tribes were dismantled and smothered in colonialism destruction. Native Americans enabled and guided the settlers to thrive, explore, and prosper on the flourishing land, while they were gifted in return forced relocation, stripped of their long indigenous hair, plagued with disease, and required to learn and practice European customs.

Sherman Alexie has made a name for himself as a prolific contemporary Native American writer, taking inspiration from his own past and experiences with modern Indian life. While there are many enduring themes throughout Alexie's writings: Native identity, modern reservation life, alcohol abuse etc. when it comes to his collection War Dances, the most apparent motif is fatherhood. Community and family are the heart of Native American cultures, with the father archetype holding great honor and expectation. However with alcohol abuse, poverty, and school drop rates running rampant through Native American reservations it is no surprise that more and more Native children are growing up in broken homes. In an alarming poll by the Kids Count Data

A Native American raised on the reserve will probably have a difficult time with different races because they are not immersed in a multi-cultural setting. All that person knows, who came from a reservation is family and the people they were raised around. They had very little contact with other races other than their own A Native American raised in a rural setting is exposed to some of the other races out there in the world. So it is not so hard for them to interact, they will

Today, education majorly challenges the minorities, like Native Americans, in our country. Most Native Americans live on these poor reservations that don’t offer quality education to the kids. On a poor reservation, like the one Junior grows up on, education lacks some of the qualities found at most schools. The residents, because of their poor education, end up being stuck on the reservation in their adulthood aswell, with little possibilities for a better life. In his young adult novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, Sherman Alexie gives his audience characters who react differently when given an education they feel is low quality. Alexie uses Junior, Junior’s parents, and Junior’s sister Mary to show the impact an

Many underprivileged groups such as, African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics, just to name a few, often struggle to flourish within society due to lack of resources and lose their identity in assumption of their “inadequacy”. Sherman Alexie, a Native American activist, reveals the effects of poverty through the life of Victor, a young Native American living in a reservation, in his short story, “This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona”. Victor, right after he lost job, was notified about his father’s passing. Unable to have the sufficient funds to retrieve his father’s remains from Arizona, he travels alongside his former childhood friend, Tomas Builds-the-Fire. Their journey initially begins with a broken identity, but it brings awareness of how they were able to redefine whom they were despite of their critical situation. “This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” depicts the harsh reality of the Native American’s poverty due to lack of resources, resulting in emotionally straining them and bringing social corrosion.

Before the drafting of the United State Constitution in 1782, which was primarily before the Peace of Paris was issued that untimely ended the Revolutionary War, J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur predicted the coming of a grand republic country emerging forward in the future. He made the statement, “What, then is the American, the new man? He is neither a European, or the descendant of a European… He is an American, who leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones form the new mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds… Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world.” His metaphor represents

Sherman Alexie’s childhood and education have had a profound effect on his writing and career. Being a Native American growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation, Alexie has had to fight stereotypes and certain negative influences such as alcoholism and poverty his entire life. The reader can gain a better understanding of Alexie’s struggles and negative influences in his life through one of his poems, “Influences”, where he discusses the negative influences he faced with alcohol from his own parents. Sherman Alexie has had notable success as praised by Daniel Grassian, “…the picture of Alexie that emerges is one of a writer who is fiercely talented, intelligent, witty, and committed to helping readers understand contemporary Native

Education has always occurred to me as a system of knowledge learning during which I master my language, form a logical mind, and gain insights about the world. I consider it as a necessity to personal success, since it has always been the case: throughout history only nobles received proper education, thus education is a representation of power; at the present time people with higher degrees are likely to acquire more achievements, as well as resources, so education means opportunity and wealth. Little do I know about the connection of education and identity until I read Sherman Alexie’s “Indian Education,” his personal account of his early school years, in which he articulates his experience of abuse, discrimination, and poverty on

Sherman Joseph Alexie, Jr., grew up in Wellpinit, Washington, on the Spokane Indian Reservation. “ His father, an alcoholic, spent little time at home, and his mother supported the family by selling hand-sewn quilts at the local trading post” (Sax). “His academic achievements there secured him a place at Spokane’s Jesuit Gonzaga University in 1985” (Sax). Sherman Alexie uses his personal experiences to show what his life was like on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpoint, Washington. Alexie and Junior, both have had similar medical experiences, family support, and cultural experiences.

In the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007) Sherman Alexie tells about the hopeful Arnold “Junior” Spirit, a Native American teenager in his first year of high school. This is a novel about hope, and how hard it can be when hope leaves,and how we can use it to persevere in the face of adversity.