Paul Fleischman’s Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices was a surprising and refreshing take on the age old poetry game. Fleischman was able to find a piece of middle ground between poems that are either too abstract for young adults and poems that don’t offer enough dimension to create a text that is enjoyable for all, teachers too. By incorporating the two different voices, Fleischman reminds his audience that poetry is often meant to be read out loud and with this book it is essential to the text and meaning.
Fleischman’s use of parallel lines of poetry that are meant to be read in tandem illustrate the oral tradition of all literature and revisits the lyrical history of poetry. The combination of two voices reading the lines together heightens the reader’s experience by adding to the rhythm and flow of the poem from beginning to end. I had to have my roommates read some of the poems with me in order to get the right effect, and although we struggled a bit at first, in the end the sound was excellent. At one point I had them reading the text while I sat and listened with my eyes closed. It was almost as if I was sitting in a movie theater or listening to headphones; the combination of two voices reaching my ears at different points and then simultaneously was a new way to hear a poem and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
One of my favorite poems was “Mayflies.” Not only does the poem provide the reader with facts about the mayfly’s short lifespan, it also takes the reader inside the mind of a mayfly to hear their thoughts as they live their lives for one day. It was hard for me not to feel some sympathy for the mayfly even though I know—or at least think I know—that they do not have thoughts the same way that humans do. Who knew that a pesky summer bug could make me ponder the relatively insignificant existence of insects and humans alike.
My other favorite poem was “Honeybees,” which told the bees tale from two different perspectives, that of the queen and that of a low-level worker bee. I enjoyed reading about the daily lives and feelings of these two different members of bee society; again, I found myself sympathizing with the poor worker bee who literally works all day while the queen is mostly pampered. In this poem as well, Fleischman is able to make the insects come to life and create emotions in his reader.
Both of these poems relate the struggles of insects in our world, but they also reflect the struggles of humans. In the grand scheme of things, humans and mayflies share a short lifespan in which the goal is to live life to the fullest. The honeybees live in a society in which one person controls the group, in the human world this is often also the case. If one looks at it through a socio-economic lens, the Queen bee represents the small percentage of people who control the world’s money and power. Fleischman does an amazing job in creating texts that provide information about insects as much as they mirror and give insight into the human condition.
I should also mention the illustrations in the text—by Eric Beddows— that accentuate the text. My favorite illustration is the drawing of the moth in “The Moth’s Serenade.” In the picture the accurate yet comic looking moth is clearly singing, eyes closed, and his first set of legs clasped together. He is clearly performing the very serenade that Fleischman has written as if it were his own. The combination of lyrical poems with beautiful—and sometimes amusing—illustrations makes this text worth the added effort in reading aloud.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Sunday, September 27, 2009
CI 5442: Realistic Fiction Response #3
John Green’s novel Looking for Alaska was more than I expected it to be. Right away I was intrigued by Miles as he fidgeted restlessly during his empty going away party. It was amusing to see his view of the high school experience shift as his choice of friends changed from who he sat with out of “social necessity” to those few he couldn’t bear to lose (Green 3). The moment that captured me was in the first few pages when Miles tells his parents why he has decided to attend boarding school; “So this guy, François Rebelais. He was this poet. And his last words were ‘I go to seek a Great Perhaps.’ That’s why I’m going. So I don’t have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps” (Green 5). Already, I knew as a reader that Miles was about to enter into an adventure that would change both his life and the way he sees the world.
When Miles arrives at his Culver Creek Preparatory School, it is clear by the imaginary conversation that he plays through his head that he is ready to change his image and reputation. He learns right away that there are certain rules that you must follow in order to successfully navigate life at Culver Creek; the main rules being, toughen up, don’t get caught, and don’t rat anyone out. Throughout the text, these rules play an important part in driving the characters and presents reader’s with an insider’s look into the workings of an adolescent society. In this society Green presents his readers with four central characters that change Pudge’s life: the Colonel, the strategic and honor-bound leader; Alaska, the moody, beautiful, and fearless prankster; and Takumi, the rapping, fox-loving tag-along; and Lara, the quiet, Romanian cutie. Each character has a distinct personality and position among the “gang.” By providing readers with such dynamic characters, Green is able to draw readers into the microcosm that is Culver Creek. I felt myself sitting alongside the Colonel, Pudge, and Alaska as they sat in the Smoking Hole puffing away on cigarette’s, I was there running alongside Pudge and Takumi as they lit firecrackers and ran through the dark woods surrounding the school, and I was there when Pudge walked away from the Sunny Konvenience Kiosk feeling selfish, hateful, sad, and confused. Green’s use of detail captures the audience in this adolescent world by giving using the reader’s senses and feelings to draw them in. He describes Alaska’s lingering scent in such a way that I could close my eyes and conjure the smell myself.
Another key feature of Green’s text is his development and reoccurring questions of human pain and existence. Mr. Hyde acts as a voice of reason and motivating force on their personal journeys of discovery. By first forcing them to question “What is the most important question human beings must answer?” he is setting up and providing scaffolding for one of the major themes of the book: the twisted labyrinth of life—what is it and what is the point? In consideration of Alaska’s essay and her tragic death, this becomes the second question of his course, “How will you—you personally—ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?” (Green 215). He tells them, “I am interested in how you are able to understand the fact of suffering into your own understanding of the world, and how you hope to navigate through life in spite of it” (Green 215). This question—coming after the unknown accidental or suicidal death of Alaska—is a heavy question that is difficult for the Colonel and Pudge to answer. The question is probing and as a reader I too stepped back in order to try and analyze my own reactions to such a question. How do I define the labyrinth and how can I continue living within its confusion and complexity.
The characters in the book come up with their own answers to that question based on their personal experience with Alaska—and I must say that I shared that experience with them in my own answer to Mr. Hyde’s proposition. Alaska’s answer had been “Straight &Fast,” an answer that led her to leave the world goodbye far too early (Green 155). While at first this answer appeals to both the Colonel and Pudge, they eventually come up with their own ideologies concerning the labyrinth in opposition to Alaska’s. The Colonel says, “After all this time, it still seems to me like the straight and fast is the only way out—but I choose the labyrinth. The labyrinth blows, but I choose it” (Green 217). For all the regret, pain, and guilt that he has suffered, the Colonel has chosen life and all its pain over the escape found by Alaska. Pudge also comes to terms with living in the labyrinth realizing that, “we had to forgive to survive the labyrinth” (Green 218).
In his final paper, Pudge makes some of my favorite remarks from the text. He gives readers an immense amount of hope by presenting to them the awesome strength of a human being; faith. Pudge is able to accept his failings as a friend and yet he knows that he could let his grief draw him into “paralysis” as it did for Alaska, but he saw what this did for her and he decides to face his failures instead. He reminds the audience that while there are horrible and painful events in a person’s life, “Those awful things are survivable, because we are as indestructible as we believe ourselves to be….We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken” (Green 220). While he might be speaking specifically to other teenagers—Green’s audience—these words also resonated with me. During the text I experienced a few rough days of my own and when I read these words it reminded me of the power of the human mind and its ability to overcome great adversity. Pudge still believes in the Great Perhaps, “I spite of having lost her” (Green 219).
Overall, Green does a remarkable job in creating characters, emotions, sensations, and events that are relatable to readers. He frames his story around a boy who finds enjoyment in endings but ultimately understands that it is the middle that really counts. Pudge’s own discovery and the questions and challenges he must face force the reader to look within themselves. I loved this book because it had a little bit of everything and yet still managed to tackle difficult human ponderings in a meaningful way; “that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail” (Green 221).
When Miles arrives at his Culver Creek Preparatory School, it is clear by the imaginary conversation that he plays through his head that he is ready to change his image and reputation. He learns right away that there are certain rules that you must follow in order to successfully navigate life at Culver Creek; the main rules being, toughen up, don’t get caught, and don’t rat anyone out. Throughout the text, these rules play an important part in driving the characters and presents reader’s with an insider’s look into the workings of an adolescent society. In this society Green presents his readers with four central characters that change Pudge’s life: the Colonel, the strategic and honor-bound leader; Alaska, the moody, beautiful, and fearless prankster; and Takumi, the rapping, fox-loving tag-along; and Lara, the quiet, Romanian cutie. Each character has a distinct personality and position among the “gang.” By providing readers with such dynamic characters, Green is able to draw readers into the microcosm that is Culver Creek. I felt myself sitting alongside the Colonel, Pudge, and Alaska as they sat in the Smoking Hole puffing away on cigarette’s, I was there running alongside Pudge and Takumi as they lit firecrackers and ran through the dark woods surrounding the school, and I was there when Pudge walked away from the Sunny Konvenience Kiosk feeling selfish, hateful, sad, and confused. Green’s use of detail captures the audience in this adolescent world by giving using the reader’s senses and feelings to draw them in. He describes Alaska’s lingering scent in such a way that I could close my eyes and conjure the smell myself.
Another key feature of Green’s text is his development and reoccurring questions of human pain and existence. Mr. Hyde acts as a voice of reason and motivating force on their personal journeys of discovery. By first forcing them to question “What is the most important question human beings must answer?” he is setting up and providing scaffolding for one of the major themes of the book: the twisted labyrinth of life—what is it and what is the point? In consideration of Alaska’s essay and her tragic death, this becomes the second question of his course, “How will you—you personally—ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?” (Green 215). He tells them, “I am interested in how you are able to understand the fact of suffering into your own understanding of the world, and how you hope to navigate through life in spite of it” (Green 215). This question—coming after the unknown accidental or suicidal death of Alaska—is a heavy question that is difficult for the Colonel and Pudge to answer. The question is probing and as a reader I too stepped back in order to try and analyze my own reactions to such a question. How do I define the labyrinth and how can I continue living within its confusion and complexity.
The characters in the book come up with their own answers to that question based on their personal experience with Alaska—and I must say that I shared that experience with them in my own answer to Mr. Hyde’s proposition. Alaska’s answer had been “Straight &Fast,” an answer that led her to leave the world goodbye far too early (Green 155). While at first this answer appeals to both the Colonel and Pudge, they eventually come up with their own ideologies concerning the labyrinth in opposition to Alaska’s. The Colonel says, “After all this time, it still seems to me like the straight and fast is the only way out—but I choose the labyrinth. The labyrinth blows, but I choose it” (Green 217). For all the regret, pain, and guilt that he has suffered, the Colonel has chosen life and all its pain over the escape found by Alaska. Pudge also comes to terms with living in the labyrinth realizing that, “we had to forgive to survive the labyrinth” (Green 218).
In his final paper, Pudge makes some of my favorite remarks from the text. He gives readers an immense amount of hope by presenting to them the awesome strength of a human being; faith. Pudge is able to accept his failings as a friend and yet he knows that he could let his grief draw him into “paralysis” as it did for Alaska, but he saw what this did for her and he decides to face his failures instead. He reminds the audience that while there are horrible and painful events in a person’s life, “Those awful things are survivable, because we are as indestructible as we believe ourselves to be….We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken” (Green 220). While he might be speaking specifically to other teenagers—Green’s audience—these words also resonated with me. During the text I experienced a few rough days of my own and when I read these words it reminded me of the power of the human mind and its ability to overcome great adversity. Pudge still believes in the Great Perhaps, “I spite of having lost her” (Green 219).
Overall, Green does a remarkable job in creating characters, emotions, sensations, and events that are relatable to readers. He frames his story around a boy who finds enjoyment in endings but ultimately understands that it is the middle that really counts. Pudge’s own discovery and the questions and challenges he must face force the reader to look within themselves. I loved this book because it had a little bit of everything and yet still managed to tackle difficult human ponderings in a meaningful way; “that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail” (Green 221).
CI 5442: Realistic Fiction Response #2
I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I started reading Meg Rosoff’s novel How I Live Now, and while I enjoyed the book, I am still trying to come to terms with everything within its pages. One of the first things I had to get used to was the lack of punctuation with quotations. This confused me at first, but after a while it was something that I was able to become comfortable with. It wasn’t until later in the book that I realized the purpose of this technique—the retrospection of Daisy’s experience in England compared to later sections of the novel that are set in the present and thus can make use of direct quotes contained by conventional use of punctuation. This clever shift compliments Daisy’s story and allows readers to sense an amount of authenticity in the creation of the tale. By framing the novel in this retrospective way, Rosoff leads the audience through pages and pages of set-up before she is able to answer the title’s question and give the reader Daisy’s life now.
One of the things I struggled with in the text was its classification in our class as realistic fiction. Although Rosoff is able to create characters and setting that are set in the present and could be real, there is enough fantastical evidence to deny its entrance into the genre of realistic fiction. The first of which is the “magical” characteristics of Daisy’s cousins and sometimes even Daisy herself. Somehow, Edmond is able to hear Daisy’s thoughts. Right after meeting Daisy at the airport, driving her home with a cigarette in hand—at the age of fourteen—“he looked at me in his funny dog way, and he said You’ll get used to it. Which was strange too because I hadn’t said anything out loud” (Rosoff 4). Later we meet Isaac—Edmond’s twin—who is extremely apathetic, except when it comes to his own family or animals, and is able to “communicate” with animals. Then there is Piper who is constantly described as being part fairy and also possesses some sort of empathetic or communicative powers herself. Later, when the girls are separated from the boys, Daisy and Edmond are able to “communicate” across great distances. The only explanation that I can make is to remember that this section of the story was supposedly written during Daisy’s time spent in a hospital, recovering after her traumatic experience in England. Perhaps, her view of things is slightly more dramatic and magical because of a lingering wistfulness to return “home” that drives her every thought, but, that is only one interpretation.
The next issue I had was the non-platonic love relationship between Daisy and her cousin Edmond. Now, my hang-up with this is most likely a construct of my society which has forever claimed that relationships with cousins should be strictly platonic. While Daisy’s relationship with Edmond was something that did grow on me due to its genuine and sweet portrayals, I did keep waiting to find out that they weren’t really cousins and thus there love wasn’t “forbidden.”
The next issue concerned the war. This one was the easiest to internalize and accept. Rosoff is clearly making a political statement against the stupidity and yet, perhaps, impending war that will cross countries and divide nations. Throughout the novel it is made clear that no one knows anything about the war’s cause. This observation is set against the absurd behavior of most adults in the story who are unable to see the pointlessness of the war and only serve to fall victim to gossip and anarchy. I think it is interesting to note that only the children—who spend almost the entire novel successfully surviving without adults—are able to clearly the war for what it is. They see how ridiculous the behavior of the adults around them is and even when they try to assist adults, they fail because they are not taken seriously, leading to dire consequences. Jonathon tells Daisy how Edmond tried to get the people at Gateshead to listen to him; “The small community was too settled and too frightened to run and hide in the woods because of something in the air and the premonition of a couple of kids. It wasn’t enough to make them leave” (Rosoff 187-188).
Overall, the text seemed to resemble the framework of a dark fairy tale. The daughter is sent away by her father and stepmother, a stepmother who doesn’t love the daughter and controls the father. The daughter goes to live with a group of magical beings in the country. They begin to care for each other and as things are just beginning to go well, something monumental occurs and they are separated. After years of struggling to stay alive and return home, eventually our heroes are back together again, trying to mend their broken relationships with love. While I love this, and Rosoff creates this new type of fairy tale beautifully, it is still difficult for me to categorize as realistic fiction without providing provisions for Daisy’s mental state of mind.
What I absolutely loved about the text was the subtle-yet-not-subtle dialogue surrounding Daisy’s battle with an eating disorder. It is interesting to see into her mind and watch as she explains her behavior regarding food. I was impressed at Rosoff’s ability to sneak this into the text without it being obvious for quite some time. At first the reader learns of Daisy’s fear that her stepmother was trying to poison her—this was something I wrote off as a humorous “evil step-mom” kind of thing. Next, we observe her not eating after arriving in England; again, this can be explained by anxiety over being in a new place. Soon though, we hear the concern of the other characters and Daisy herself admits her relationship with food; “after a while I discovered how much I liked the feeling of being hungry and the fact that it drove everyone stark raving mad and cost my father a fortune in shrinks and also it was something I was good at” (Rosoff 44). After the war begins to take its toll, Daisy begins to change her mind about food. Suddenly, there isn’t enough and being hungry isn’t as enjoyable when forced upon her. Daisy sees how thin Piper became, “which once upon a time I would have thought was a good thing and now I thought was just what happened when you’re nine years old and don’t have enough food to grow properly” (Rosoff 130). Daisy has grown and understands the pointlessness of her previous relationship with food in the same way she learns to love others more than herself. This shift in Daisy’s character allows Rosoff to broach a very difficult topic. It is important that readers can identify with a character that is able to justify their behavior and is led into different thinking by their own realizations. Rosoff gives them a chance to see how Daisy’s eating disorder becomes ridiculous to her in her own time; it is a realization that is self-activated and not pushed upon her by an authority figure.
Rosoff was able to create a modern day tale that combines elements of reality and fae by drawing readers into a possible future for our world. I think I would need to read the book again and come to terms with the more unconventional aspects of the story before I could present it to a class—something I would like to be able to do in time.
One of the things I struggled with in the text was its classification in our class as realistic fiction. Although Rosoff is able to create characters and setting that are set in the present and could be real, there is enough fantastical evidence to deny its entrance into the genre of realistic fiction. The first of which is the “magical” characteristics of Daisy’s cousins and sometimes even Daisy herself. Somehow, Edmond is able to hear Daisy’s thoughts. Right after meeting Daisy at the airport, driving her home with a cigarette in hand—at the age of fourteen—“he looked at me in his funny dog way, and he said You’ll get used to it. Which was strange too because I hadn’t said anything out loud” (Rosoff 4). Later we meet Isaac—Edmond’s twin—who is extremely apathetic, except when it comes to his own family or animals, and is able to “communicate” with animals. Then there is Piper who is constantly described as being part fairy and also possesses some sort of empathetic or communicative powers herself. Later, when the girls are separated from the boys, Daisy and Edmond are able to “communicate” across great distances. The only explanation that I can make is to remember that this section of the story was supposedly written during Daisy’s time spent in a hospital, recovering after her traumatic experience in England. Perhaps, her view of things is slightly more dramatic and magical because of a lingering wistfulness to return “home” that drives her every thought, but, that is only one interpretation.
The next issue I had was the non-platonic love relationship between Daisy and her cousin Edmond. Now, my hang-up with this is most likely a construct of my society which has forever claimed that relationships with cousins should be strictly platonic. While Daisy’s relationship with Edmond was something that did grow on me due to its genuine and sweet portrayals, I did keep waiting to find out that they weren’t really cousins and thus there love wasn’t “forbidden.”
The next issue concerned the war. This one was the easiest to internalize and accept. Rosoff is clearly making a political statement against the stupidity and yet, perhaps, impending war that will cross countries and divide nations. Throughout the novel it is made clear that no one knows anything about the war’s cause. This observation is set against the absurd behavior of most adults in the story who are unable to see the pointlessness of the war and only serve to fall victim to gossip and anarchy. I think it is interesting to note that only the children—who spend almost the entire novel successfully surviving without adults—are able to clearly the war for what it is. They see how ridiculous the behavior of the adults around them is and even when they try to assist adults, they fail because they are not taken seriously, leading to dire consequences. Jonathon tells Daisy how Edmond tried to get the people at Gateshead to listen to him; “The small community was too settled and too frightened to run and hide in the woods because of something in the air and the premonition of a couple of kids. It wasn’t enough to make them leave” (Rosoff 187-188).
Overall, the text seemed to resemble the framework of a dark fairy tale. The daughter is sent away by her father and stepmother, a stepmother who doesn’t love the daughter and controls the father. The daughter goes to live with a group of magical beings in the country. They begin to care for each other and as things are just beginning to go well, something monumental occurs and they are separated. After years of struggling to stay alive and return home, eventually our heroes are back together again, trying to mend their broken relationships with love. While I love this, and Rosoff creates this new type of fairy tale beautifully, it is still difficult for me to categorize as realistic fiction without providing provisions for Daisy’s mental state of mind.
What I absolutely loved about the text was the subtle-yet-not-subtle dialogue surrounding Daisy’s battle with an eating disorder. It is interesting to see into her mind and watch as she explains her behavior regarding food. I was impressed at Rosoff’s ability to sneak this into the text without it being obvious for quite some time. At first the reader learns of Daisy’s fear that her stepmother was trying to poison her—this was something I wrote off as a humorous “evil step-mom” kind of thing. Next, we observe her not eating after arriving in England; again, this can be explained by anxiety over being in a new place. Soon though, we hear the concern of the other characters and Daisy herself admits her relationship with food; “after a while I discovered how much I liked the feeling of being hungry and the fact that it drove everyone stark raving mad and cost my father a fortune in shrinks and also it was something I was good at” (Rosoff 44). After the war begins to take its toll, Daisy begins to change her mind about food. Suddenly, there isn’t enough and being hungry isn’t as enjoyable when forced upon her. Daisy sees how thin Piper became, “which once upon a time I would have thought was a good thing and now I thought was just what happened when you’re nine years old and don’t have enough food to grow properly” (Rosoff 130). Daisy has grown and understands the pointlessness of her previous relationship with food in the same way she learns to love others more than herself. This shift in Daisy’s character allows Rosoff to broach a very difficult topic. It is important that readers can identify with a character that is able to justify their behavior and is led into different thinking by their own realizations. Rosoff gives them a chance to see how Daisy’s eating disorder becomes ridiculous to her in her own time; it is a realization that is self-activated and not pushed upon her by an authority figure.
Rosoff was able to create a modern day tale that combines elements of reality and fae by drawing readers into a possible future for our world. I think I would need to read the book again and come to terms with the more unconventional aspects of the story before I could present it to a class—something I would like to be able to do in time.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
CI 5441: Realistic Fiction Response #1
Before beginning Sherman Alexie’s novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, I had a few preconceived notions. I had seen the film Smoke Signals and I knew that Alexie had an ability to bring contemporary issues of Native Americans to life. The placement of the Cowboy and Indian toys combined with the title’s concept of a “part-time Indian” allowed me to infer a struggle between whites and Native Americans placed in a new and modern context—something rarely done with Native American culture. I was not disappointed and I applaud the way Alexie can make a character come to life in such a resonating way.
From the first page I knew who Junior was. “The Black-Eye-of-the-Month Club” chapter introduces us to Junior and we learn about his passion for drawing. Junior states, “I draw because words are too unpredictable. I draw because words are too limited….But when you draw a picture, everybody can understand it” (5). He goes on later to say that, “I draw because I want to talk to the world….I draw because I feel like it might be my only real chance to escape the reservation” (6). By connecting the limitless communication abilities of art we can gather that Junior feels disconnected from the world in which he lives, desires to communicate in a universal language that defies barriers, and dreams to escape the reservation that has become a prison—a metaphor continually expressed throughout the novel.
Junior’s story continues and we learn about his family and their dismal lives within the Spokane Indian Reservation. One day Junior discovers his mother’s name in his textbook and, “that old, old, old, decrepit geometry book hit my heart with the force of a nuclear bomb. My hopes and dreams floated up in a mushroom cloud” (31). Junior’s disbelief becomes an epiphany and he realizes that he must escape, things must change for him. As he so clearly states it, “What do you do when the world has declared nuclear war on you?” (31). This moment forces Junior to make a decision that will change the course of his life for the better—he must transfer to a school off the reservation in order to escape the bleak future that is trapping him.
Once Junior has made his decision new problems arise concerning identity and loyalty. He must decide who he is both on and off of the “rez.” He is no longer tolerated by the members of his Spokane community, nor is he accepted by the new members of his white, school community. These contrasts are brilliantly depicted in the heartfelt drawings incorporated into the text. As Junior claimed, the drawings are able to communicate things which words alone cannot. The illustration on page 43 represents his misgivings and the elements of both fear and unknown within Junior’s future the one on page 57 helps us to understand how Junior compares himself to his new classmates. Junior deals with his changing identity and the assumed identities that others place upon him; he is simultaneously the “white lover” (53);“Red-skin”(63), symbol of hope, nerd, bad-boy, star athlete, and liar. The combinations of Junior’s—or Arnold’s, as he is known by his Reardan classmates—are limitless. In the end Junior comes to terms with these identities and views of himself in a way that continues to challenge and provide hope. His success at Reardan illustrates his ability to conquer a new world while his reconnection with Rowdy and his family illustrate his ability to remain true to his culture. As Rowdy claims, “I was reading this book about old-time Indians, about how we used to be nomadic….You’re the nomadic one….You’re going to keep moving all over the world….That’s pretty cool” (229-230).
Alexie gives us a character that is multi-faceted and encounters so many different aspects of adolescence that is it impossible for a reader not to find some way in which they can relate to Junior. For me, I was the new student in both middle and high school. I remember not knowing anyone and struggling to find ways to fit in. I experienced my own terror and concern over leaving the familiar and facing a new challenge. I could also relate to Junior’s athletic experience; after transferring to a different—and competing—high school, many former teammates and friends labeled me as a traitor and worked hard to ensure that I was ineligible to compete my freshman year. While I never experienced anything as volatile or blatant as Junior, I know the feelings of hurt and anger that can drive a need to succeed over those who turn hatred against you. Junior faces issues ranging from popularity, identity, conformity, and friendship to more serious issues like alcoholism, poverty, death, and the idea of no future. Alexie provides a safe and humorous context for these issues allowing readers to empathize with Junior.
The contemporary and realistic setting of the book serves to further strengthen the ability of readers to connect with the character and situations. Alexie uses great detail to illustrate the pure adolescent state of Junior’s life by providing illustrations, outbursts, and thoughts that coincide with issues faced by teenagers. Junior does not refrain from bringing up topics from kissing, masturbation, boners, and pimples. He is real. Everything he encounters is real. Nothing is being withheld and Alexie presents readers with a real teenage boy who can speak to the audience about real adolescent issues. This is important in creating meaningful realistic fiction and contributes to the successful ways in which readers can make connections with Junior. Alexie creates a poignant story by providing incredible and detailed insight into the mind of a teenage boy. This inside scoop is accentuated by both the everyday and exceptional issues faced by Junior and their presentation in a diary-esque form full of clever, meaningful illustrations. The combination of these things provides teachers with a tool that will be extremely effective and beneficial in presenting their students with a tale of triumph and understanding; a tale that resonates with all.
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian; illus. by Ellen Forney. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2009.
From the first page I knew who Junior was. “The Black-Eye-of-the-Month Club” chapter introduces us to Junior and we learn about his passion for drawing. Junior states, “I draw because words are too unpredictable. I draw because words are too limited….But when you draw a picture, everybody can understand it” (5). He goes on later to say that, “I draw because I want to talk to the world….I draw because I feel like it might be my only real chance to escape the reservation” (6). By connecting the limitless communication abilities of art we can gather that Junior feels disconnected from the world in which he lives, desires to communicate in a universal language that defies barriers, and dreams to escape the reservation that has become a prison—a metaphor continually expressed throughout the novel.
Junior’s story continues and we learn about his family and their dismal lives within the Spokane Indian Reservation. One day Junior discovers his mother’s name in his textbook and, “that old, old, old, decrepit geometry book hit my heart with the force of a nuclear bomb. My hopes and dreams floated up in a mushroom cloud” (31). Junior’s disbelief becomes an epiphany and he realizes that he must escape, things must change for him. As he so clearly states it, “What do you do when the world has declared nuclear war on you?” (31). This moment forces Junior to make a decision that will change the course of his life for the better—he must transfer to a school off the reservation in order to escape the bleak future that is trapping him.
Once Junior has made his decision new problems arise concerning identity and loyalty. He must decide who he is both on and off of the “rez.” He is no longer tolerated by the members of his Spokane community, nor is he accepted by the new members of his white, school community. These contrasts are brilliantly depicted in the heartfelt drawings incorporated into the text. As Junior claimed, the drawings are able to communicate things which words alone cannot. The illustration on page 43 represents his misgivings and the elements of both fear and unknown within Junior’s future the one on page 57 helps us to understand how Junior compares himself to his new classmates. Junior deals with his changing identity and the assumed identities that others place upon him; he is simultaneously the “white lover” (53);“Red-skin”(63), symbol of hope, nerd, bad-boy, star athlete, and liar. The combinations of Junior’s—or Arnold’s, as he is known by his Reardan classmates—are limitless. In the end Junior comes to terms with these identities and views of himself in a way that continues to challenge and provide hope. His success at Reardan illustrates his ability to conquer a new world while his reconnection with Rowdy and his family illustrate his ability to remain true to his culture. As Rowdy claims, “I was reading this book about old-time Indians, about how we used to be nomadic….You’re the nomadic one….You’re going to keep moving all over the world….That’s pretty cool” (229-230).
Alexie gives us a character that is multi-faceted and encounters so many different aspects of adolescence that is it impossible for a reader not to find some way in which they can relate to Junior. For me, I was the new student in both middle and high school. I remember not knowing anyone and struggling to find ways to fit in. I experienced my own terror and concern over leaving the familiar and facing a new challenge. I could also relate to Junior’s athletic experience; after transferring to a different—and competing—high school, many former teammates and friends labeled me as a traitor and worked hard to ensure that I was ineligible to compete my freshman year. While I never experienced anything as volatile or blatant as Junior, I know the feelings of hurt and anger that can drive a need to succeed over those who turn hatred against you. Junior faces issues ranging from popularity, identity, conformity, and friendship to more serious issues like alcoholism, poverty, death, and the idea of no future. Alexie provides a safe and humorous context for these issues allowing readers to empathize with Junior.
The contemporary and realistic setting of the book serves to further strengthen the ability of readers to connect with the character and situations. Alexie uses great detail to illustrate the pure adolescent state of Junior’s life by providing illustrations, outbursts, and thoughts that coincide with issues faced by teenagers. Junior does not refrain from bringing up topics from kissing, masturbation, boners, and pimples. He is real. Everything he encounters is real. Nothing is being withheld and Alexie presents readers with a real teenage boy who can speak to the audience about real adolescent issues. This is important in creating meaningful realistic fiction and contributes to the successful ways in which readers can make connections with Junior. Alexie creates a poignant story by providing incredible and detailed insight into the mind of a teenage boy. This inside scoop is accentuated by both the everyday and exceptional issues faced by Junior and their presentation in a diary-esque form full of clever, meaningful illustrations. The combination of these things provides teachers with a tool that will be extremely effective and beneficial in presenting their students with a tale of triumph and understanding; a tale that resonates with all.
Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian; illus. by Ellen Forney. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2009.
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