The novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, is about a boy named Junior and his life on and off an Indian rez (reservation). To me, many young people today would be able to relate to Junior. He often finds himself just trying to fit in with his peers, but still feels like an outsider. I find that many young people these days sometimes have a tough time trying to fit in with the groups around them and often are left out. Junior would appeal to these kinds of people because he explains how he gets around being left out. Junior likes to play sports, which is a great way to get to know people that are your teammates. In the book, Junior moves to a new school and has to recreate new friendships with people. He does this by talking to people and learning things about them and finding a connection between himself and that person. I feel that young people that are struggling to fit in could learn from what Junior does and apply it to their own lives. There are also many other things that Junior does to appeal to young people.
Throughout the book Junior likes to talk about things like masturbation and girls. He is a young guy going through puberty and this is relatable to all young people that may be going through puberty as well. He talks about masturbation like it is an Olympic sport, which is very comical and enjoyable to read. This could appeal to a young person who might have some worries about experimenting with such things. Also, Junior likes to talk about girls and how he handles interacting with them. At his new school where he really doesn't fit in, he manages to find himself a girlfriend (Penelope). The way that he approaches Penelope and handles his interactions with her could give young people some idea on how to interact with someone of the opposite sex. There are many things throughout the book that Junior does that can be related to mostly by younger people which makes this book a good read for them.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Sample Papers Response
I read sample paper 1, and I felt that this paper was very interesting. I found it enjoyable to read because of how well the writer was able to relate a quote from the book back to the book itself. I felt that the writer was able to describe the story and used enough quotes so that the reader could get some context as to where the writer was coming from. This to me made this paper much more understandable and related, which made it much easier to read/follow. In my opinion, this paper was very convincing because the writer was able to relate the story about the "stupid horse" back to the book, and they were able to do so with a strong use of quality quotes. The writers use of quotes emphasized how the "stupid horse" related to the book and made their points much more understandable. Also, because of the writers well thought out and explained topic sentences, the paper was very easy to read and comprehend.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Native Americans Current State of Affairs in US
When English settlers first came the the US, in order to create a new life for themselves, they needed to find a place to live. In order to do that, they needed to push out some of the Native American tribes that were already occupying these places. This began a conflict between Native Americans and US citizens that still exists today, but is getting better. The US is constantly engaging in agreements with Native American tribes that will make their lives better. For example;
Native American tribal governments are an integral part of the political fabric of the United States. As the Supreme Court of the United States determined in its 1831 decision in Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, 30 U.S. (5 Peters) 1, tribal governments are not "states" in a constitutional sense, nor are they "foreign states," at least for purposes of Article III original jurisdiction. Instead, they are "domestic dependent nations," with many sovereign powers retained from the pre-contact period. As tribal governments have grown in political and economic power, the Supreme Court, the United States Congress, the federal executive, and the tribes have engaged in an increasingly important discussion to determine the scope of their powers. States, municipalities and individual citizens have all contributed to this conversation. The result is a legal regime of fascinating complexity. More than 500 tribal governments are recognized by the United States government. Some have large membership bases and control vast domains. The Navajo, for example, comprise a population of more than 225,000 and govern lands totaling in excess of 15 million acres spread over three Southwestern states. The largest tribe in terms of membership is the Cherokee Nation, which has more than 300,000 citizens. Most tribes, however, have fewer than 1000 members. Approximately 40% of all federally recognized tribes are village groups in Alaska. The smallest tribal reservation is smaller than 100 acres. The state with the largest Indian population is California, with Oklahoma a close second. Alaska is the state with the highest percentage of Native Americans residing within its borders.
Tribal economic, political and cultural development has also been encouraged by federal Indian education legislation. The most important of these statutes, the Indian Education Act of 1972, established the Office of Indian Education and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education and made federal funds available for Native American educational initiatives at all grade levels. (Lindsey G. Robertson, June 2001; http://thorpe.ou.edu/guide/robertson.html)
Native American tribal governments are an integral part of the political fabric of the United States. As the Supreme Court of the United States determined in its 1831 decision in Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, 30 U.S. (5 Peters) 1, tribal governments are not "states" in a constitutional sense, nor are they "foreign states," at least for purposes of Article III original jurisdiction. Instead, they are "domestic dependent nations," with many sovereign powers retained from the pre-contact period. As tribal governments have grown in political and economic power, the Supreme Court, the United States Congress, the federal executive, and the tribes have engaged in an increasingly important discussion to determine the scope of their powers. States, municipalities and individual citizens have all contributed to this conversation. The result is a legal regime of fascinating complexity. More than 500 tribal governments are recognized by the United States government. Some have large membership bases and control vast domains. The Navajo, for example, comprise a population of more than 225,000 and govern lands totaling in excess of 15 million acres spread over three Southwestern states. The largest tribe in terms of membership is the Cherokee Nation, which has more than 300,000 citizens. Most tribes, however, have fewer than 1000 members. Approximately 40% of all federally recognized tribes are village groups in Alaska. The smallest tribal reservation is smaller than 100 acres. The state with the largest Indian population is California, with Oklahoma a close second. Alaska is the state with the highest percentage of Native Americans residing within its borders.
Tribal economic, political and cultural development has also been encouraged by federal Indian education legislation. The most important of these statutes, the Indian Education Act of 1972, established the Office of Indian Education and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education and made federal funds available for Native American educational initiatives at all grade levels. (Lindsey G. Robertson, June 2001; http://thorpe.ou.edu/guide/robertson.html)
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