Somebody Had Paid Attention Summary

One of the main obstacles Junior overcomes is stereotypes. Junior is an Indian who lives on a reservation. Indians have many stereotypes that are towards them. For instance one stereotype is that they have no hope. Junior had a conversation with one of his teachers about his future, which involved him switching schools. Junior knew that if he stayed at the reservation high school he won’t be able to make a future for himself. So when his parents got home he asked them who has the most hope, “’White people, (Alexie45)’” his parents told him at the same time. Even

In a Bill Moyer’s interview “Sherman Alexie on Living Outside Borders”, Moyer’s interviews Native American author and poet Sherman Alexie. In the Moyer’s and Company interview, Alexie shares his story about the struggles that he endured during his time on a Native American reservation located at Wellpinit, Washington. During the interview, Alexie goes in-depth about his conflicts that plagued the reservation. In an award-winning book by Sherman Alexie called “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”, Alexie writes semi-autobiography that reveals his harsh life on the reservation through a fictional character named Arnold Spirit Junior. In Alexie’s semi-autobiography, Alexie shares his struggles of a poor and alcoholic family, the

Throughout our lives, we experience lots of conflict. These conflicts can contribute to decisions we make for ourselves and our future. Throught The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-time Indian, the main character, Junior, is faced with many difficulties. These conflicts opened Junior’s eyes so he could see he had to leave the reservation if he wanted to do something with his life. This meant Junior had to be brave by going against his community, seeing the flaws of his society, and taking care of himself.

This draws a connection to the erasure of Native American culture in history, they are seen as rare and different from the ordinary, and for some people their existence is completely forgotten or denied. His own comments of not belonging at a white school, because of his nationality and family history further show the division of race that he can see at Reardan. Junior’s cursing accentuates how frustrated and pathetic he feels, viewed as less than everyone at his school, and constantly rejected and isolated by his white peers. The negative, demeaning mindset of those white kids is that Native Americans do not deserve anything from white people, not their time, attention, care, or even a proficient education. According to Jens Manuel Krogstad at Pew Research Center, Native Americans have the second highest high school dropout rate- eleven percent. This is very high, especially when compared to the white or Asian dropout rates- five and three percent, respectively. Additionally, it says Native Americans have the second lowest percentage of bachelor’s degrees, only seventeen percent, compared to the two highest, white and Asian, at thirty three and fifty percent (Krogstad). Many Native Americans today are not allowed a chance at education because of poverty at reservations, and lousy, penniless schools. These issues are not thought about or spoken of often, because they are simply not

This lack of acceptance from others impacts his ability to accept himself, as he feels like he must define himself to fit expectations. This feeling persists until the end of the novel, when Junior comes to see that he can be a part of many communities without sacrificing parts of himself: “I realized that, sure, I was a Spokane Indian. I belonged to that tribe. But I also belonged to the tribe of American immigrants. And to the tribe of basketball players...

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is a book about a young boy just entering high school who leaves his best friend and family to go to school mostly occupied by white people. This whole book follows him through his first year in this school where he tries to get a better education than he can get on the Rez, in the hopes that he will one day get off that reservation and out of his soul crushing poverty. “The Absolutely True diary of a Part-Time Indian” ATD, Sherman Alexie uses unfortunate events, social class and conversations to show that not everyone gets the support they need to follow their dreams.

Gordy showed Junior that even the smallest parts of the world are huge and filled with mystery, and instead of giving him an option to escape it, Gordy gave Junior the means by which to make it bigger and more exciting. Furthermore, Gordy called to attention that “People care more about white girls than they do about everybody else on the planet” (Alexie 116). This made Junior realize how while his world of being an Indian is similar to the rest of the world in the sense of how they view white girls. This made Junior see how not only the Indian tribe behaves in some ways like the rest of the world, but how they belong to a much large group of people who all view white girls in the same high regard.

Junior begins to realize that he’s not inviable and that he belongs to a lot of things near the end of the story. Along with that, he also is emotionally affected when he talks about his love for drawing cartoons. As Junior starts to reflect upon his life he thinks, “I realized that, sure, I was a Spokane Indian. I belonged to that tribe. But I also belonged to the tribe of American immigrants. And to the tribe of basketball players” (Alexie 217). At this moment in the book, Junior's improved analyzing skills come into play and he himself proves that he isn’t nothing. Junior tells himself that he matters, which improves his emotional being for the better. Secondly, right at the beginning of the book when Junior talks about how he likes to draw cartoons, he states, “So I draw because I feel like it might be my only real chance to escape the reservation” (Alexie 6). As Junior speaks about himself he states that cartoons are a way for him to avoid all the emotional stress put on him by others, but also when he says this, it resembles a self-fulfilling prophecy. As he thinks like this, he starts to believe that cartoons are his only real escape, which shows once again how emotionally affected he is by his own actions. Therefore, it’s shown that Junior puts his own toll on himself emotionally through self-fulling prophecy when he talks about drawing cartoons,

This book, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie, is about a boy called Arnold Spirit aka Junior. He is a Native American that lives in an Indian Reservation. He isn't really satisfied with his life, since he's pretty poor, but he gets along. He doesn't really accept himself, since he has multiple medical problems, and he has been beaten up since he was little. When he starts to gain more friends in this new (American) school, he starts to like and accept himself more than before. In this book, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian" (by Sherman Alexie), the main theme is about Arnold trying to accept himself.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is an amazingly well written work of fiction. It is a novel that tells a tale of great tragedy, heartbreak, but also one of joy and sadness. The book speaks about the experiences of racism, prejudices towards other people, and living in poverty. The characters feel like people that could exist in real life. We are able to sympathize with the main character Arnold Spirit Junior because of the emotions that the story draws out of the reader. Finally, Sherman Alexie is able to add emotions to the novel by using with, humor, satire, and mocking the style of how Arnold would write in a diary. This is accompanied by powerful drawings and sketches that reflect the feelings and mind

Growing up during a time when the Spokanes were forced to assimilate into white culture, Alexie witnessed significant culture change. He describes his home-life on the reservation as “typical, with both an alcoholic mother and father” (Alexie, Interview at KCTS:9). He struggled with the absence of having his mother and father for the majority of his life. His father never cared to raise Alexie and his siblings, as he continued regular binge-drinking journeys, leaving for days or weeks at a time. Although his father did not reciprocate the affection Alexie had for him, he notes that, “My father loved books, and since I loved my father with an aching devotion, I decided to love books as well” (Alexie, “Superman and Me” 1421).

" Page 63. Many of his classmates at his new school thought that he was a violent savage because he was Native Americans. This helped Junior understand. what life would be like from then on because he would have to fight many stereotypes but he would eventually overcome them and earn people’s

In Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian the protagonist, Junior, experiences an internal struggle between his loyalty to his tribe and his desire to leave and pursue his future. Junior’s internal conflict enhances the theme of identity by demonstrating how even after leaving the reservation, he remained true to his roots while developing his sense of self.

To expand on the intricacy of the speaker’s life, symbolism is applied to showcase the oppression her ancestors etched on her quilt were facing for their “burnt umber pride” and “ochre gentleness” (39-40). Once again, the theme of absence is introduced as there is a sense of separation among the Native American culture as their innocent souls are forced onto reservations and taken away from their families. This prolonged cruelty and unjust treatment can be advocated when the speaker explains how her Meema “must have dreamed about Mama when the dancing was over: a lanky girl trailing after her father through his Oklahoma

In the Absolutely True Diary Junior expresses great growth in his view of himself and who he is, because he sees that he is not just someone who belongs to one group, but someone of many groups. This is conveyed, because Junior states, "I that, sure, I was a Spokane Indian. I belonged to that tribe. But I also belonged to the tribe of American immigrants. And to the tribe of basketball players. And to the tribe of bookworms. And the tribe of cartoonists. And the tribe of chronic masturbators. And the tribe of teenage boys.