Sherman Alexie's novel Absolutely caught my interest

I am glad I am ending on a positive note as my blogging for this course is coming to an end. Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was one of, if not my favorite novel that I read for this class. I think this book brings so much value to a classroom. That being said, I also think this would be a difficult book to bring into the classroom. I feel that many parents would potentially want to censor this novel. I however feel that students can relate to this book, Native American or not, and I am talking about the uncensored version.

"You can do it," said Arnold Spirit's coach (Alexie 189). I think the power of those four words is unmatched by just about any phrase that I know. Before arriving at his new school, Arnold always felt like he couldn't do it; and he applied that mentality to everything in his life. I think showing young people, your students, that you have confidence in them can go a lot farther than you could ever imagine. Arnold also talks about, "The power of expectations" in this novel (Alexie 180). School should be a place where a student feels confident wherever he or she turns. Students need to know their parents, teachers and classmates/friends have confidence in their ability to succeed at school and in life. They have to know that we WANT them to succeed, NEED them to succeed and EXPECT them to succeed. When a young adult feels all of the latter from those around them, then they are more likely to succeed. If as a teacher, I expect nothing out of student A, then student A will have no motivation to succeed; they will think they are good at nothing because you have given up on them by watching them fail and accomplish nothing. The next time you are with a family, member, a friend or a student, just remember that telling someone that 'They can do it,' can help that person believe that they can accomplish their goals and dreams.

Another huge theme that cannot be dismissed in this novel is racism . I think Alexie stresses this by using the word, 'Indian' in the title as opposed to 'Native American.'  It takes Arnold a while to realize this, but we are all human and we should not judge each other based solely on the color of our skin. While we are all human, we are also each our own unique individual, regardless of race. We should not give up and let our skin color determine who we are as a person. "'I used to think the world was broken down by tribes,' I said. ' By black and white. By Indian and white. But I know that isn't true. The world is only broken into two tribes: The people who are assholes and the people who are not'" (Alexie 176). Now, do I think the language was a little vulgar (assholes)? Yes. But I think this was intentional. I am not sure if this quote would have struck me and stuck with me if it had been written any other way. Arnold realizes that there are going to be people who treat you well form any race and there will be those who will treat you like dirt from any race. You can't just lump everyone from one race together and throw them on a reservation. I think this quote and this novel do an excellent job of explaining the thoughts in Arnold's mind from his observations on and off of the reservation. I think when young adults make this same realization, they will discover that they are not trapped or confined to the life that was lived by their parents or grandparents. They will realize that they can travel to a new place and succeed among people like them and among those that are different. Additionally, in the classroom, I think reading a novel such as this one by Alexie would help develop a community of learners. The development of this community would ultimately enhance the learning environment for everyone in the classroom.

I would fight to get a stellar novel like The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian into my classroom. I think everyone in the classroom can learn from this novel, including myself as the teacher.