Reading #7: Interpret/explain/explore the context and significance of the last line of the book (230). (Claudia)

At the end of the novel, Junior narrates "We didn't keep score". Most of Junior's friendships have been competitive in some way or another. With Rowdy, Junior felt like he was constantly trying to be accepted by him, while Rowdy made no effort to conserve their friendship. Their friendship was especially competitive during the basketball season, when all they wanted to do was beat each other. On page 190 Junior narrates, "Rowdy and I pretended that we weren't looking at each other. But, man, oh, man, we were sending some serious hate signals across the gym." The last quote represents Junior's friendship with Rowdy, coming to a more mature standpoint, where it isn't all competitions. This quote also represents Junior's new outlook on life. Junior now feels that he doesn't have to live his life keeping track of everything that is happening. He doesn't have to count the number of deaths, or good grades he gets all the time; sometimes he just has to live in the moment.

Reading #7 Why does Junior cry on pages 216 & 217? (Olivia)

            Junior cries on pages 216 and 217 because he is depressed and feels badly about all of the drama that has occurred within his tribe and his life in general.  Junior began crying when he thought about his dead sister, Mary. How she had attempted to make her dreams come true but ended her life with an unfortunate tragedy. She took the risk of moving to Alabama and getting married. Arnold realized that she didn’t deserve to die because of the chances she decided to take. She didn’t have to get drunk. Junior cried, not only for Mary but also for other Spokanes in the village who were dying suddenly from alcohol overdose. “I was crying because I knew five or ten or fifteen more Spokanes would die during the next year, and that most of them would die because of booze (Alexie 216).” He was crying for his fellow tribe members who were killing themselves. He was also crying for himself. For his bravery, strength, and courage to leave the Rez and receive a better education, to follow his dreams. “I wept and wept because I knew that I was never going to drink and because I was never going to kill myself and because I was going to have a better life out in the white world (Alexie 217).” He was tearing up for the Indians who were loosing their lives because of a stupid reason, alcohol. He was crying for his dead sister, Mary. He was crying for himself and his courage. He was crying for his whole tribe. 

Reading # 7: Why does Junior cry on pages 216 and 217 (Brendan)?

On pages 216 and 217, Junior cries because of all the horrible things that have happened and will happen to his tribe. On page 216, Junior says, " It all made me cry for my sister. It made me cry for myself. But I was crying for my tribe, too." (Alexie, 216). This quote shows that Junior cried for his family and his people. This quote happens when Junior and his mom and his dad go to the cemetary and they make a picnic out of their day with Eugene, Mary and Grandmother. Junior loves his tribe and his family, and so he cries for them. Junior cries because he loves his tribe, and he is upset with what has happened.

"Why does Rowdy tell Arnold "You killed her" (211) Is there truth to this statement?" Questions #7, Max E.

As Junior runs from the burial of his sister because of the sighing sound the coffin made, he crashes into Rowdy at full speed. In the middle of a tear-filled and emotional conversation between the two boys, Rowdy tells Junior that "Your sister is dead because you left us." (211). This makes Junior feel that "She (Mary) only got married so quickly and left the rez because I had left the rez first. She was only living in Montana in a cheap trailer house because I had gone to school in Reardan. She had burned to death because I had decided that I wanted to spend my life with white people" (211). Although Mary may have been inspired by Junior's move to Reardan, and embarked on a new life in Montana because of this inspiration, it is unfair to blame Junior for Mary's death. The alcoholic hangover and stove fire did not directly occur because of the move. They took place by chance. If Mary's death did not happen, they she most likely would have continued a happy life with her husband.

Reading #6 Question 3 - Summarize the outcome of the game. Why does Junior cry at the end? What does he realize? (Rachel)

            Arnold wanted to get revenge on his best friend so badly, he did not realize that while doing so, he only made the situation worse.  Once Readan beat Wellpoint, Arnold looked into the crowd to find that his father was not happy but disappointed; "I was suddenly ashamed that I'd wanted so badly to take revenge on them."  (Alexie, 196)  Arnold finally understood that this game, and being good at basketball, was the only thing that the kids could control.  Everything else in their lives are out of their hands and mostly life threatening.  For the Reardan team, if they lost, they could go on, but the Wellpoint kids would have to live with that shame forever.  Immediately after Arnold says, "I was crying tears of shame."  (Alexie, 196)  Junior instantly wanted to take back what he had done to his best friend.  He realized that while he could go off to college and have a life, Rowdy and the other kids were stuck in the circle of poverty and depression, unable to change their paths.  His tears are for his friend, and what he can never give back to him.  

Reading #6: Question 1. What is Arnold's grieving ceremony? (Jack)

With all the bad things that are happening to Arnold he needed a way to get rid of some of his grief. "I kept trying to find the little pieces of joy in my life." Arnold has a grieving ceremony where he writes down things that give him joy and happiness. In his grieving ceremony he writes lists of his favorite things, draws cartoons and also think about the bad things that have happened. This connects to the cartoon on page 66. because Junior is letting out some of his grief and his brain is being renewed. Arnold's list renewed him enough to come back and win his basketball game and be a little bit happier.

Reading #5: question 2- summarize the cartoon on 182. What is the significance? What does it show about junior? What is his dilemma?

     On page 182 there is a cartoon of Junior playing basketball at the Wellpinit high gym and at the Reardan high gym. In the Wellpinit gym he is the devil and has a nervous expression, specifically not a sad expression. There is a quarter bouncing off his forehead, the crowd is yelling boo, and white-lover. On the Reardan high side Junior is an angel. He has an expression on his face that is still worry-some, his expression is confused, questioning. The crowd is yelling destroy them, Arnold! And yayyy!!!  On both sides he is wondering "who am I", with an extra question mark on the Reardan side.
    I think there is an extra question mark on the Reardan side because he is wondering why is he here, because he is the only person from Wellpinit to go to Reardan. The dilemma that Junior is facing is: Junior fells odd and out of place playing for Reardan, against the team he used to be on that is from his town. The angel and devil is how the spectators view Junior. Junior is the devil at Wellpinit because he left the rez and abandoned his tribe, but he is an angel at Reardan because he scores many points and helps support the team. The significance is Junior feels like a hero at Reardan, but when playing his old friends in Wellpinit he feels like a enemy, for leaving them all behind in the rez.

Pg. 168-198. Explain the humor/irony of the title of the chapter, “Rowdy and I Have a Long and Serious Discussion About Basketball.” (Jimin)

     The title of the chapter “Rowdy and I Have a Long and Serious Discussion About Basketball” is ironic and humorous in many ways. One reason the title is ironic for the chapter is because the chapter is only about half a page long (with a big title), and there were a total of three lines of dialogue in the conversation. Another reason this title is funny is because Rowdy and Junior’s conversation wasn't very serious either. Anytime a conversation is only three lines and has laughter, it is never a serious conversation. When Junior said that he was the person who beat Rowdy in basketball, Rowdy replied “Ha-ha.” (Alexie, 197). Rowdy’s laughing shows that he doesn’t take it too seriously that Junior beat him in basketball, and that it’s not a very big deal. As you can see, the title of this chapter is the opposite of what the content of the chapter really is, and the chapter is humorous and ironic for different reasons. 

      I wonder why the author would name the chapter that ridiculous name when the chapter content is actually the exact opposite of the chapter title.

“Quitting is contagious” (138) -Spencer

This quote has some significance. The speaker is Arnold. The interlocutor is the reader. During the basketball tryouts the kids had to run a "marathon" which is one hundred laps of the gym. About fifty laps through, one kid peeled away from the group and quit. Then, like it was contagious, other people quit after him. They didn't make the team. The significance of this is that, people don't want to do something if other people don't do it. They want to be "in the pack" and not an out liar.

Michael: Question 3

Junior cries at the end of the game because he feels ashamed that Reardan beat Wellpinit Redskins badly. Now he knows that Rowdy's dad is going to beat him up. Junior has just broken Rowdy's heart. He never meant to do that. In the text it say's, "I was suddenly ashamed that I'd wanted so badly take revenge on them. I was suddenly ashamed of my anger, my rage, and my pain. I was crying because I broke my friends heart". This really means how sorry Junior for Rowdy. He just wanted to apologize to him and  realizes that he has broken his best friends heart. He runs to the bathroom and started to throw up. As the year goes by, Wellpinit Redskins only wins a few games and doesn't even make it to the finals. The book also say's, "Wellpinit never recovered from their loss to us". This is why Junior was crying.

Reading # 5: How did Junior make the basketball team? In what ways was this related to his conversation with his dad earlier?

        Junior and his Dad were talking earlier about Juniors confidence levels and that he needs to step out of his comfort zone. Junior was always a basketball star back at his old school and an amazing shooter. He assumes he will be on the C team, because he is a Freshman, Indian, and he doesn't think he is good enough. His dad starts telling the story of how he and Juniors mother met and fell in love. She was eight years older than him, and their first memory together was he helping him get a drink from the water fountain and never thinking they would fall in love, get married, and have two children. The lesson from this experience was "You have to dream big to get big," says Juniors dad. This motivation encouraged Junior to sign up for tryouts for the basketball team. At tryouts he is at first intimidated, and during one on ones he is taken down until he remembers what his dad told him "you have to dream big to get big," then he defeats his opponent and his confidence level rises, and this all lead him to make varsity. Junior's confidence vary's on the people around him and how motivated he is. His Dad rewards him with great advise that will help him in the many years to come. - Brooke Shachoy

Reading # 5 question 5: Examine the illustration on page 166 and the repetition of “laughter” on 166 and 167. What is the role of laughter in this chapter? (Jackie)

        In "Wake," there is a constant theme of laughter throughout the chapter. For the Indians, laughter is not only a sign of joy, but also an outlet for grief. Just as we try to release our feelings of sadness, despair, grief, or anger through tears, the Indians do it through laughter. For them, "laughter and tears are pretty much the same thing" (Alexie 166). In the picture drawn on page 166 of this chapter, a person is depicted with a cloud inside its head that is releasing rain. Still, the person is laughing, with water coming out of its mouth. This shows that everybody has a way of coping with their sadness over the loss of somebody else, and that contrary to most people in our community, it is not necessarily crying. For the Indians living on the Spokane reservation that Junior described, it is laughter. For Junior's sister, it is singing sad songs. This outlet varies from person to person. The thing that they all have in common, however, is that none of them keep their pain bottled up inside.

#5 Who is the first game against? How is he treated by the crowd at the first game? How does the team (and coach) react/support him? How does this impact him? (Kim)

After making the varsity basketball team as a freshman, Junior’s first game is against Wellpinit, his old school, and is affected by the negative shouts coming from the crowd from Wellpinit High School. During the first game, the crowd from Wellpinit throw negative comments onto the court such as, “Arnold sucks! Arnold sucks! Arnold Sucks!” (Alexie 143) The crowd clearly dislikes Junior and are throwing objects at Junior to potentially hurt him. Luckily, Juniors teammates and coach were there to support him by making him laugh and help him to lighten up. In the locker room, Junior’s coach comes in and motivates Junior to try his hardest and tells him, “If you care about something enough, it’s going to make you cry. But you have to use it. Use your tears. Use your pain. Use your fear. Get mad, Arnold, get mad.” (Alexie 144) Junior uses this motivation and in fact does get mad and ready to play. Junior uses his teammate’s and coach’s support to help him overcome his nerves and play the game of basketball no matter what others thought. At Junior’s first varsity game against Wellpinit High School, the crowds from Wellpinit are chanting negative comments against Junior but his teammate’s and Coach’s support help Junior get through his tears and play basketball regardless of the negative chants from the crowd.

#4 Question 6 Attisani

There is definitely some truth to the statement, "Yep, even the weird boys are afraid of their emotions." Sometimes people feel something, but they are afraid of how someone else will take it, so they don't act upon it. Junior wants to act upon his feelings, but he thinks Gordy will think Junior is weird. When Junior says, "I had the sudden urge to hug Gordy," it shows what he wanted to do. Gordy would not have felt the same, and so that is why Junior didn't hug him.

Reading #4: Explore the irony of the discussion about Thanksgiving (Brendan)

When Junior talks about celebrating Thanksgiving, there is irony. The irony is that Indians celebrate Thanksgiving, but if you go back in time, the Pilgrims betrayed the Indians trust and killed many of them. On page 102, Junior says, " 'Hey, Dad,' I said. 'What do Indians have to be thankful for?'
'We should give thanks that they didn't kill all of us.' "(102). Junior says this on Thanksgiving to his dad, because he sees the irony that there is nothing for Indians to be thankful of. What Junior says here is a joke. A connection that I found in this part of the reading was between Junior and the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims betrayed the indians, and many Indians, Juniors age, think that Junior betrayed them. So, there is a connection between Junior and the Pilgrims. There is irony about Thanksgiving for Indians, because they celebrate it when there is no reason to.

Reading #4: On pages 107-109, Junior tells us more about Penelope, and he learns her secret. Explain this situation and why he says “…she’s scared all the time, but nobody will let her be scared…” (108). (Claudia)

When Junior learns that Penelope is bulimic, he act with extreme maturity. He doesn't allow this new secret to change the way he feels about her, and it's actually what brings them closer. Penelope feels that no one else would accept this about her, because they think she has no reason to be scared. This means that people assume that just because Penelope is "pretty and smart and popular" her life must be perfect, and she should never complain about anything. On page 108 Junior describes Penelope's words, "...everybody thinks her life is perfect, because she's pretty and smart and popular, but that she's scared all the time, but nobody will let her be scared because she's pretty and smart and popular." Penelope does not specifically describe why she is scared. Junior connects Penelope to his dad, because they both have ways to "make the pain go away". Juniors dad drinks, and Penelope binges then purges.

Reading #4 p.99-132- What does Arnold hide and ultimately reveal in "Dance Dance Dance"? What does he learn (Olivia)

In the chapter, “Dance, Dance, Dance” Arnold hides a very significant part of his life, being Poor, but later finds that revealing his poverty leads to a favorable outcome. He thought that the white kids at Reardan would make fun of him and avoid him simply for being poor.  Arnold had finally become friends with Roger and Gordy and had started dating Penelope. Arnold didn’t want to interfere with his strong relationships with any of them so he chose not to reveal his poverty. Soon after, Penelope and Roger found out what was going on. Penelope spoke with Arnold and didn’t get angry. She didn’t walk out like Arnold expected her to. “She started cry. FOR ME! (Alexie 129)” Penelope didn’t change how she acted around Arnold or how she treated him. Everything stayed put. Along with Penelope, Roger accepted the fact that Arnold was poor. “And Roger, being of kind heart and generous pocket, and a little bit racist, drove me home that night. And he drove me home plenty of other nights, too (Alexie 129).” Arnold’s friends reacted to this situation a different way that Arnold would have thought. He was used to his old school in Spokane where kids would constantly make fun of him because of how he looked. He expected the same from the Reardan kids by making fun of him for being a poor Indian. Instead they were kind and showed an immense amount of respect towards Arnold. At the end of the chapter Arnold left a remark, “If you let people into your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing (Alexie 129).” By revealing that he was poor to his friends, Arnold learned that sometimes if you tell the truth the situation could end with a positive resolution. He revealed the truth and received only the best. His honesty led to respect, kindness, and care from his friends. 

Blog Post Question #4, 1, (99-132) Max E.

Explore the irony of the discussion about Thanksgiving.
Junior and his parents traditionally celebrate Thanksgiving with a turkey dinner. On page 102, Junior asks his dad what Indians have to be thankful for. His dad responds by saying "We should give thanks that they (The Europeans) didn't kill all of us" (Page 102). While being thankful for the fact that the Europeans did not kill every single Indian in the New World is important, it is ironic and upsetting that there is only that for which to be thankful. The European landing in the New World occurred four hundred years before Junior's life, and does not directly affect him. Junior's dad's response represents their family's views on the poor living quality of them and their fellow Indians. The re-occurring theme of hopelessness for the future of the Indians arises in this conversation. One would hope that there is more to hope for than solely the absence of death.

Blog Post Question #1 (67-98) Jack M.

Arnold and his grandmother have a very strong and understanding relationship. "I love you grandma, you are crazy." When Arnold is looking for advice and his parents aren't home then his grandmother is the first person that he goes to. He knows that she will understand and respect him unlike most of the people in his life. Other than being family, grandma is like Arnold's go to person when he needs help and his parents can't be found. His parents can be unreliable with drinking and poverty so he and his grandma have an understanding of each other. His grandma is understanding and will always be there for Arnold.

On pages 82-84, Junior explains how alone he feels. Why does he feel this way? How does what happens in science class reinforce this feeling? (Jimin)

In PTI, Junior feels alone because he feels like nobody pays attention to him in his new school, Reardan. Junior’s science class reinforced his loneliness because he told Mr. Dodge that petrified wood wasn’t actually wood. When he told Mr. Dodge, Mr. Dodge said that it wasn’t true and mocked Junior of his thinking, but then Gordy (whose knowledge Mr. Dodge trusted) supported Junior’s theory and said Junior was right. After that Mr. Dodge thanked Gordy, even though Junior was the person who brought up the concept. After Mr. Dodge thanked Gordy, Junior said, “Yep, now even the teachers were treating me like an idiot. I shrank back into my chair and remembered when I used to be a human being.” (Alexie, 86). This quote shows that Junior doesn't even feel like he’s being treated like a human being by his peers, and also his teachers, too. As you can see, Junior is struggling to adjust to the new school environment and his peers are making Junior feel unwelcome to Reardan by not treating him fairly. Imagine how tough it would be to feel like you weren’t being treated like a human being by your teachers. What would you do or feel like if you were in Junior’s situation right now?

Reading #3: Question 4- Explain the significance/importance of the friendship with Gordy for Junior. (Danny)

Junior says: "And he certainly helped me through school. He not only tutored me and challenged me, but made me realize that hard work- that acts of finishing, of completing, of accomplishing a task-is joyous"(Alexie, 98). By being friends with Gordy, Gordy helps Junior realize things in school, and showed him that accomplishing a task is "joyous." Junior gets more out of this relationship that just help in school though. "I was lonely and sad and isolated and terrified. Just like Gordy"(Alexie, 94). This shows they both get a sense of having a friend, because right now neither of them seem to have one; Rowdy hasn't made contact with Junior for weeks, and Rowdy may have even stole candy and money from Junior on Halloween. The relationship between Junior and Gordy helps Junior in school, and helps him get back on his feet after "losing" his best friend for life, Rowdy.

Arnold’s relationship with his grandmother (Spencer)

Arnold has a questioning relationship with his grandmother. When Arnold's parents are not home he turns to his grandmother for advice. When he has questions about Roger seeking revenge, Arnold explained what he did, and his grandmother replies, "Then you should have kicked him in the balls (Alexie, 68)." Arnold's grandmother gave him a straight answer that Arnold wasn't expecting. She is very confident in speaking that abruptly to Arnold. Later in the conversation Arnold's grandmother still gave Arnold abrupt answers. In the end Arnold's grandmother has a great relationship with Arnold, but Arnold might not have the same respect for his grandfather.

Reading #3: Question # 4 - Explain the significance/importance of the friendship with Gordy for Junior. (Rachel)

As an outsider fromt he rez at Reardan, Junior faces a daily struggle to fit in, while Gordy, a white farm boy, stuggles with the same obstacle.  "I was lonely and sad and isolated and terrified.  Just like Gordy" (Alexie, 94)  After feeling alone, Arnold realizes that they are both in the same boat.  In this quote, Junior shows the similarity in how the two boys are both affected by this school.  Gordy and Junior help each other "fit it", and focus on learning and studying.  Together, they both excel in academics  and Junior has learned many new ideas from Gordy.  Their friendship help the  boys to feel accepted and appreciated.  While both being outsiders, Gordy and Arnold learn to become friends and help each other through school and life.

Blog Post Questions #2 Question 1: Interpret/explain/explore the context and significance of the quote “We were supposed to kill the Indian to save the child” (35).

        The saying that is brought up on page 35 Mr. P exclaims "We were supposed to kill the Indian to save the child." Back when Mr. P was being taught to be a teacher when Indians misbehaved they would basically try and knock the Indian culture out of them with a stick. This was basically killing the Indian children and their pride towards their heritage. The people who made up these sayings were probably white and were not supportive of the Indian culture and didn't try to kill the Indians physically, but they tried to kill the culture and the history of the Indian people. Mr. P is coming to Junior's house because he would like to apologize for everything he did in his early teaching years. On page 35 Mr. P says "I hurt a lot of Indian kids when I was a young teacher, I might have broken a few bones." Mr. P says that he hurt so many Indian children and when he says "I may have broken a few bones," he is saying that he might have hurt children so much they were broken and scared. He did this because he was so used to this saying "we are supposed to kill the Indian to save the child." He is so distressed that he will not be able to apologize to all of the other Indian children, but would like to take the chance to be forgiven by Junior and maybe someday will be forgiven by the other children, he hurt when he was abiding by this saying.
-Brooke Shachoy

Reading #2 Question 6: Interpret/explore/explain the context and the significance of the quote “Every white person on this rez should get smashed in the face. But let me tell you this. All the Indians should get smashed in the face, too.” (42) (Jackie)

          While Junior is on suspension for throwing his geometry book at mr. P, the old teacher comes to visit him at home. He tells Junior that  “Every white person on this rez should get smashed in the face. But let me tell you this. All the Indians should get smashed in the face, too.” (42). In this, mr. P is trying to convey to Junior that all of the white people controlling the reservation have done so unfairly without any real consideration for how it affects the Indians living there. Along with that meaning, however, comes the connotation that the Indians living on the rez haven't had any real consideration for themselves. It means that while the white people have treated the Indians very poorly, the Indians themselves have not done anything to change that. This is because time and time again, since Europeans first gained control of Native American land, the message told to Native Americans by white people is that they are of an inferior race. When a group of people is constantly told through generation upon generation that they are not good enough, they start to believe it. They think that "Indians don't deserve shit," and that they shouldn't even have the respect of white people (Alexie 56). In this quote, a strong theme of racism can be found, as well as self-loathing and a lack of self-respect. But this chapter shows us that before others can respect you, you have to respect yourself. 

Reading #2 Why is Junior Hesitant to tell Rowdy? Why does he tell him? How does Rowdy react? Why does he react this way? (Kim)

Junior is transfering schools and is nervous to tell Rowdy because of Rowdy's reaction of punching Junior and giving him a bloody nose after feeling jealous.

Junior was hesitant to tell Rowdy that he was transferring schools to Reardon because Rowdy is known to be a tough kid who beats up and gets in fights with everyone. Junior predicts that Rowdy will somehow hurt him in anger when he finds out the news and will be mad at Junior for leaving him. Regardless of what will happen, Junior has a strong desire to tell Rowdy because he is his friend who he can trust and Junior doesn’t want to just leave him hanging without a friend and someone who accepts him for who he is. Instead of a pleasant goodbye, Rowdy reacts in a way that wasn’t surprising to Junior, but still a harsh way to say bye. When hearing the news, Rowdy’s first reaction was “You always thought you were better than me.” (Alexie, 52)

Rowdy ends up punching Junior making him lie on the ground with a bloody nose while Rowdy walks away like nothing happened. Rowdy reacts this way because he feels that Junior thinks he is better and smarter than him. Also, Rowdy may feel jealous that Junior gets to go to a “smart white kids school” while he is stuck at the Rez high school with no true, trustworthy friends. After Junior informs Rowdy that he is transferring schools, Rowdy is mad because he feels that he is losing one of his only friend who he can trust and feel comfortable around. Feeling nervous to tell Rowdy that he is transferring schools, the conversations resulted in a punch to Junior’s face and Rowdy walking away and Junior left feeling like, “my best friend had become my worst enemy.” (Alexie, 52)

#1 Why does Arnold draw? Attisani

                 Arnold draws because he feels that it is the best way to express himself. It is used as a stress reliever  and also just a hobby. Arnold thinks that if you write, only the people who speak your language will understand. If you are drawing, then anyone can see what you are trying to show from your work. Arnold believes that words are too unpredictable, and that they are limited. He wants to speak to the world, and be noticed.

Reading #1: What is “absolutely the saddest thing in the world” (31)? Explain why Junior says this and the implication. (Brendan)

The saddest thing in the world, to Junior, is that his tribe, and his school are so poor that he has to study out of the same books that his mom did. Junior says this because he was really looking forward to geometry class, on the first day of class, when he saw his mothers name written in his "new" text book. This is really upsetting to Junior because, this shows how much poverty affects his life, but he just wants to forget about that. Also, this means that his text books aren't going to be as accurate as they should, because they are thirty years old. Finally, the saddest thing in the world, to Junior, is that his life is stricken with poverty and that he is not getting a good education.

Page 1-31 What us "absolutely the saddest thing in the world" (Alexie 31) (OLIVIA)

Arnold lives in an unfortunately poor neighborhood with a poor lifestyle and family. He has just begun high school with his friend Rowdy. On Arnold’s first day, they received geometry books. Arnold’s teacher, Mr.P passed them out to all of the students. Arnold received it and he wanted to smell it. “I wanted to smell it (Alexie 30).” “Heck, I wanted to kiss it. Yes, kiss it. That’s right, I am a book kisser (Alexie 30).” He was so excited to have been presented with his first book in high school. It was until he opened the book to the front page, that he disliked it. Right inside the front cover, written in big letters was “Agnes Adams.” She was Arnolds mother. This book had been passed down from his mother to him. It discouraged Arnold to learn. He thought that the school deserved better and that they shouldn’t be so poor. His hopes and dreams were shattered. His first day of high school was ruined from this unpleasant surprise. Arnold already thought of his family as poor and going through poverty. He wanted to be enlightened by his high school experience but when he saw his mothers name on the inside of the front cover, he realized that the poverty had been lasting for a while. He realized that nothing has changed over the years. He noted that his school wasn’t fortunate enough to buy one new geometry book for one student. He explained it as, “absolutely the saddest thing in the world (Alexie 31).” Arnold thought of it as wretched and discouraging. 

Reading #1 Examine pages 5-6. Why does Arnold draw? What is the power of creative expression? (Claudia)

Arnold draws, because everyone can understand drawings, no matter what language they speak. Arnold finds words limited and unpredictable. He draws because he wants to make himself famous through art. When he relates himself to famous colored people, he sees all of them as artists. Arnold believes that the only way he can make something of himself is through cartoons and drawing. He connects the lack of a language to his goal of fame, because his products will be more knowledgable to people who don't speak the same language as him. This concept can be connected to the world, because if you go to any museum anywhere, there is artwork from all over the world.

PTI #1 Examine the cartoon on page 12. What is the relationship between poverty and dreams?

Escaping poverty is a major theme in "The absolutely true diary of a part time Indian". Junior, the main character, expresses his ideas about this concept on page twelve in his comic titled "My Parents". The comic depicts his mother as a collage professor, and father as a jazz saxophonist. "My Parents" is described by Junior as "who my parents would have been if somebody had paid attention to their dreams" (Page 12).  Like his parents, Junior hopes that he will be able to live up to his dreams. Also similar to his parents, these dreams are burdened by poverty. Poverty prevents the Indians from excelling towards their aspirations. They are then thrown back into a multigenerational loop of despair, like Junior's parents and grandparents.

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