What You Pawn I Will Redeem by Sherman Alexie

In Jackson’s mind, he expected the Indians to thrive as they did in their current home, except there would be no white men. Three chiefs, each one from the Chippewa, Potawatomi, and Ottawa tribes, came forward to the White House and told about their suffering. They said they were promised land as fertile as Illinois, but received land that a snake couldn’t live on. They could not live in the prairie when they were from the woods. Thousands of Indian people suffered because Jackson heard what they said

At the end of the story, although Jackson has no money he has clearly learned a great deal, based upon his struggles, and has found a sense of something worthwhile to fight for in life. Eventually, the pawn shop owner decides to give Jackson his grandmother's regalia. This illustrates the fact that Jackson is not invisible as he once feared. He can win the respect

'Keeper N Me ' by Richard Wagamese, is a novel based on the necessary balance between life and the culture in which one belongs to. This is a necessary aspect in order to maintain a steady relationship with one 's self. In this novel passing on traditions or a certain way of life from generation to generation is one of the most important aspects of guiding someone of the Ojibway culture, as the Ojibway people have very strong beliefs and take their culture very seriously. The people of the Ojibway culture believe that through storytelling and dreams one can realize the importance of tradition and its influence on their identity. Wagamese throughout his novel tries to teach the readers the power of one 's community and traditions as he

The environment that they are in causes many of the Native Americans in this area to be troubled and live poor lives. He moved to Seattle for college but failed out. After that he worked blue-collar jobs. It seems that all the Indians in the story he mentions are always working these rough blue-collar jobs. They go to the bars after long hard work days or they come in from other areas on fishing boats with some money, but nothing after that (13). They wait for the boats to come back , but never do and after that there is no other opportunity for them. It is either they have jobs like that or none like Jackson. Jackson has been on both sides, but never has had the chance to better himself, partly because of his alcoholism, but also because of where he has come

Andrew Jackson was born on March 15, 1767, in the Carolina’s. His parents, Andrew and Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson, were Irish immigrants that had immigrated right before Jackson was born. Just weeks before Jackson was born his father died suddenly with an unknown cause of death. Jackson had a very troubling childhood, as a teenager Jackson’s older brother was killed in battle and at the age of 13 him and his brother were captured by the British where there, Jackson would have received his permanent scar on his hand and face from not following orders from the Redcoats. While being captured both him and his brother had received smallpox but his brother would not recover and at the death of

In this article the author, Howard Rheingold, describes his experience when he decided to visit the amish communities. There he discussed why they put self-imposed rules upon themselves. He realized it was not because they resented technology, the Amish love fancy barbeques and electric saws, but they saw that in the “english” world, people are being separated from their community. The amish decided they would try their hardest to avoid this separation caused by technological advances, “Look Who's Talking” by Howard Rheingold, convinces the reader to analyze the pros and cons of technology; to decide whether or not certain devices are beneficial towards people and their community.

Thomas Jonathan Jackson (1824-1863) was born in Clarksburg, Virginia, which is now West Virginia. Jackson had a very rough childhood after his dad, Jonathan Jackson (1790-1826), and sister, Elizabeth Jackson (1819-1826), died of typhoid fever, with

Joe Jackson had a difficult life before baseball. His family was moved by his father to the Brandon area outside of Greenville, South Carolina. He was the oldest of 8 kids but by the young ages of 6 to 7 Joe Jackson was uneducated and

Sherman J. Alexie, is a short story written in the first person focusing on two Native American Men who grew up together on a Reservation for Native Americans but have been estranged from each other since they were teenagers. Victor who is the narrator of this story is a young man who lost faith in his culture and its traditions, while Thomas our second main character is a deeply rooted traditional storyteller. In the beginning of the story Victor, our Native American narrator learns the death of his father. Jobless and penniless, his only wish is to go to Phoenix, Arizona and bring back his father’s ashes and belongings to the reservation in Spokane. The death of Victor’s father leads him and Thomas to a journey filled with childhood

The main character in the story is Jackson Jackson, a homeless Salish Indian. Jackson lives in Spokane, Washington. His character is described as having working numerous blue collared jobs, having been married multiple times and fathering multiple children. In the story, Jackson eludes to himself having a mental disorder. His character is extremely resourceful with both food and personal care. In the story, Jackson reveals a bit about himself through his introduction of other characters. Jackson states that Indians “Indians are great storytellers and liars and mythmakers” ("ENGL200: Composition and Literature" 87).

Jackson grew up in a proud southern household and his family were natives of Virginia. His father was an attorney and they were relatively well off financially. In 1826, Jackson lost both a younger sister Elizabeth and his father to Typhoid Fever.(Robertson 7) Money became more scarce and Julia Jackson, his mother, began to sell the family 's possessions just to get by. They moved out of their previous home into a much smaller

Sherman Alexie’s novel, Reservation Blues, successfully captures the essence of pain and struggle that was so evident in both the slavery of Africans and the eradication of Native Americans, and integrates the power of blues music in order to bring the reader a breathtaking story. Alexie develops a strong, interconnected web of characters sharing common misfortune. Whether it is in Coyote Spring’s inability to succeed, Robert Johnson’s painstaking attempt to leave his guitar over the years, alcoholism within the character’s families, discrimination, or any other aspect of Native American life, Sherman Alexie is able to combine the characteristics of Blues music with the oppressed Native American culture present in his novel Reservation Blues.

Another positive is that Mr. Jackson realizes there are problems within his family. The first step to solving the problem is admitting there is a

We make a living by what we get, and a life by what we give. “What You Pawn I Will Redeem” is a short story written by Sherman Alexie that seeks light in the darkest of places. This story is about a middle-aged, homeless, American Indian living an undesirable lifestyle. The main character, Jackson Jackson, explores the world through generosity. Despite his dreadful lifestyle, the man just keeps on giving. But is generosity the best way of life for Jackson Jackson? He has a strong philosophy, a great view of the world, and very strong morals. Sherman Alexie uses his strong writing skills, and personal background to create “What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” in which can be seen through a philosophical lens.

In the introduction of the story, Jackson bluntly describes himself as a homeless Indian who “...married two or three times,