Week 1 (pp 1-53) blog topics

5/9/2014

Select one of the following blog topics and write a 5-7 sentence response to it. You should strive for a proper paragraph structure (topic sentence, body sentences, conclusion) and should try to incorporate either a direct quotation (properly cited - Alexie 34) or a specific, detailed example.

In addition, you should respond to at least one other classmate once other comments have been posted.

Your original Blog Comments due by Wednesday, May 14th (comments on others' postings can be posted after that).

Week 1 Topics:

1. Why do you suppose Arnold’s sister Mary “froze” after high school? Look at the picture of her – how does she cope with life?

2. Why do you imagine Junior described the reservation as “approximately one million miles north of Important and two billion miles west of Happy”? 3. Do you think that Mr. P was justified in telling Junior that, “You’re going to find more and more hope the farther and farther you walk away from this sad, sad, sad reservation”? Explain.

4. Were you surprised that Junior decided to go to Reardon? Explain.

Click Add Comment, and then post your blog post in the comments section. Please indicate the topic number you're addressing. Identify yourself with first name and last initial only please!

samantha Hollander

5/13/2014 15:53:56

Arnold’s older sister Mary “froze” after high school because the same disease infected her as most of the other on the reservation. The disease of depression, lack of hope and being sick and tired of hitting dead ends in her life. The only reason she was not able to follow her dreams was because of her skin colour. Early on in the story Arnold thinks, “It sucks to be poor, and it sucks to feel that somehow you deserve to be poor. You start believing that you are poor because you are stupid and ugly. And you start believing that you are stupid and ugly because you are Indian. And because you’re Indian you start believing you are destined to be poor. It’s an ugly circle and there is nothing you can do about it.” (Alexie 13) Mary thought the same thing and was infected with lack of hope. Mary copes with her life by trying to find an escape, to run away from it all. Arnold thinks, “My sister is running to get lost.” (Alexie 46) she is running from the discrimination and the criticism she would get if she followed her dream to become an author. Instead of breaking out of her shell she chooses to spend 23 hours of her daily life looked in a basement, in a desperate attempt to cure herself from the infection of depression and loss of hope. I used the analogy of depression as a disease this is due to what Mr. P tells Arnold saying that everyone at the reserve has lost hope and that they pass on that lack of hope to others making a never ending cycle. A disease will act in a similar way spreading from person to person. Therefore, the reason why Mary “froze” after high school is because she lost all hope.

Kaylen V.

5/14/2014 10:16:47

Topic 4
I was not surprised when Junior decided to go to Reardon. He was a bit different, and he knew that, he had a tough time because of this. Junior was smart, smart in school and when thinking about his future. He knew if he didn't want to be caught in the viscous cycle he had to go to a better school, get better grades and develop a strong foundation to a bright future. Junior has hope and it states that a few times in the book and if he has hope he is going to try his best to do whatever he cannot be caught in the cycle that all his family members had been caught in. He wanted to break the cycle and took one step closer to doing that.

Tayler R

5/14/2014 12:21:11

I agree. But, I was a little surprised when he said he was going to Reardon. I didn't think Arnold was that brave. He needed to do it, because if he didn't, he would end up like his sister or his parents. Good job!

Sahara K.

5/30/2014 12:33:19

Your proof was very accurate. Also, your explainations clearly discuss the relevance of the proof. Nice job :)

Nihal.G

5/14/2014 10:26:35

Topic #4

I was not surprised at all that Arnold had decided to leave the rez for Rearden. He knew that he could be that one Indian that could change everything by showing the world how smart he is. He knows that there is conflict at the rez between the Whites and the Indians, he also knows there will be more at Rearden. He realizes that he will have to put th conflict aside to overcome the negativity towards Indians. I think that he also wants to get away from the rez and the people in the rez, even his parents. I think Arnold wants to make new and better friends because nobody really cares about Arnold at the rez except Rowdy." I am zero on the rez."(Alexie 16). Here is when Arnold realizes that nobody would even notice if he was gone because he didnt really matter to anyone.In closing, Arnold left the rez because he wanted to start a new life/career.

Rajan P

5/15/2014 09:06:48

You make a great point Nihal by stating the not so obvious with not mentioning the fact that there is hope at Rearden. I do like the idea of him trying to start a new life/career, except for the fact that he still returns to the rez after school. Though, he does manage to change his life at Rearden, by making some crucial decisions. To conclude, well thought out points Nihal, good job!

Andrei S.

5/30/2014 12:23:55

You are right, and you showed an aspect that I did not think of, the conflict. Arnold did realize that there would be more conflict at Reardon, but he still went for the sake of his education. Great Post!

Kevin Y.

5/14/2014 12:04:24

I believe Arnold's sister Mary "froze" after high school because she was discriminated in some way that made her lose hope that she would become a successful writer. This is the case because Mr. P told Peter his sister was really into reading Romance novels, and was actually writing one of her own. But then she just stopped. I believe someone who didn't have much knowledge of Romance Novels told her that her book was bad, therefore taking away her dream of becoming a writer. This made her "freeze" after high school because she was unsure of what to do since she had no idea of a job she wanted. I believe Mary coped with her poverty life with stealing clothes to make herself stand out more. This is because on her diagram it can be seen that almost all of her clothes were shoplifted from stores or other people.

5/14/2014 12:35:27

I agree with your arguement. You included enough specific examples from the text to support your idea. Another reason she may have "froze" is that she may have had a devestating expierience at school, as she was not very talkative or she may be stressed out by her father's alcoholic addiction. Nice job!

Maryann Hoyos

5/19/2014 19:28:17

I agree with you because you executed your points very well. Mary has lost hope but I think it was because everyone around her also lost hope, like Mary and Arnold's mom & dad.

5/14/2014 12:18:26

Topic 1
I believe Arnolds sister froze after high school because she gave up like most of the Indians on their reserve. White people have more hope and more power. Most Indians cannot chase their dream just because they're Indian. Mary wanted to become a Romance novel writer, but she give it up because she believed she wasn't good enough or wasn't going to achieve her goal because of her race. So, her decision was to just freeze and live in the basement, she stayed there because she gave up on her dream.

Muna O

5/15/2014 13:09:56

I agree with you Tayler Mary did give up like most Indians, you said some good points and explained them well. Although the only Indian we know about that has not given up was Arnold but other then that I found your argument was well explained.

5/14/2014 12:18:39

I did not think it was surprising that Arnold chose to go to Reardon. Throughout life, it is clear that Arnold has suffered, from his mental disorders to the death of his beloved companion, Oscar. Arnold lets the audience know that he has lost hope for a better life. But when he realizes that Mr. P regrets causing harm to so many Indian children and he tells Arnold their is hope in another place, Arnold realizes a better life is not entirely hopeless. He wants to change not only his own life, but all the other Indians who are discrimintated from other human beings. He trusts Mr. P because he is forgiving and Mr. P wants to change Arnold's life.

Samantha Hollandner

5/14/2014 12:31:55

I agree, also did not find it suprising when Arnold chose to go to Reardon. You mentioned many good contributing factors that Arnold thought about before desiding to swich schools to Reardon. Another reason he may have chosen to leave is, he does not want to endup at a dead end in life, like his sister. He desperatly wanted to get of the reserve in the first place and Reardon was just that reason of escape. he mentions his desire to leave when he says that his cartoons are "tiny lifeboats" to take him away from the troubbles of "the Rez" P.S. you did a really good job on your blog. :)

katie L.

5/14/2014 12:28:29

I wasn't surprised when Junior decided to go to Reardon. He has hope and a dream. He shows passion for what he wants. His teacher told him about Mary and how she wanted to be a writer but she froze after high school. He knew she was a smart girl and he didn't want to fall into a bad place like his sister. He is smart and passionate. He said that all kids at Reardon have hope. He lives poor and in poverty and the kids at Reardon or rich and spoiled. He knows that if he stays he will "die" just like everyone else. He will lose hope and passion, he will loose he good future. I was surprised though that he left Rowdy. Rowdy was his only friend at the rez. Overall i wasn't that surprised.

Frank L

5/14/2014 18:30:12

You have a nice argument, but can you explain how Arnold overcame that fear of a "white" school, especially when he knows that he is going to be picked on. Plus, nice job on referring to Arnold's sister's hope and conclusion of that hope.

Michelle Witt

5/14/2014 12:30:03

Topic 2
I believe Arnold Junior described the Rev as “approximately one million miles north of Important and two billion miles west of Happy” because he believes that no one in this reservation is valued or seen as happy. As the novel describes everyone living in this reservation is unhappy due to their lack of hope and not important due to their race or their limited amount of money. Arnold’s description of the Rev exaggerates the fact that no one is happy or following their dreams and that no one deserves better than what they get. Arnold implies this by saying the Rev is far from both happiness and importance. I believe this is just Arnold’s way of describing the people in this reservation as depressed and undervalued.

5/14/2014 18:20:45

I think Arnold's sister Mary "froze" after high school because she lost simply lost hope. While Mary was in high school, she kept her secret of her passion for reading and writing romance novels. So that states that she was either too scared to admit her passion to the public, and she did that for all of high school. When she graduated, I assume she finally came forward with her passion and hope; however, she was rejected and penalized for that hope, and "froze".

5/15/2014 08:59:04

Topic 1: I believe Arnold's sister Mary "froze" was simply for the fact that she had lost all hope that she had within her. Arnold does mention that everyone has lost hope on the Rez, including his sister. She had the dream of making of her own romance novel. Though, the way she copes with life seems terrible. All the clothes on her are stolen, so she obviously does not have enough cash to even fund her own book if she were to publish even one. I believe this is the main reason Mary "froze" after high school.

5/15/2014 13:05:34

Topic 4
I was not surprised that Arnold went to Reardon because to me it seemed that he wanted to learn in a better school with new books and a different teaching style. I think Arnold will go far with his education and he knew that he would learn more if he went to Reardon. Arnold also thought it would be his only chance as well, so he went and took that chance. I believe this is why Arnold chose to switch schools.

Nihal G

5/30/2014 12:26:10

I agree 100% Muna. You di a good job explaining your points, i think that Arnold knew that he deserved more than the rez and that he needed a better education for two things, one for himself, and two to represent the indians.

Natalia

5/16/2014 08:17:08

#4
Yes i was very surprised that Junior decided to go to Reardan because he looks the kind of person who is not confident enough to step out of his comfort zone. He looks like a stereo typical nerd but because he decided to go to Reardan we can see he wants to make something of himself and is showing that he wants to be surrounded by people who share the same goal. I was shocked that he chose a different path to follow, even though he knew there would be consequences.

Madison Sevcik

5/19/2014 19:55:49

I agree with your point Natalia. Arnold has a confidence level of 0 and him going to Reardon was a huge step for him. Considering he knew the consequences of going, you would think he would be too scared to go, but this shows how much hope he has for having a better future.

5/19/2014 18:56:56

I wasn't really surprised Arnold decided to go to Reardon because he was always made fun of and beaten up in the Rez school. He wanted a fresh start and a better future for himself. He didn't want to become like his sister and not do anything with his life because Mr.P believes he has hope and that could come a long way.

5/19/2014 20:31:46

I think that Arnold's ("Junior's") sister, Mary, "froze" after high-school because she was affected by the same mental sickness as most of the other Indians in the Reserve. They all had depression, lack of hope, and had basically given up. Mary had become like them and gave up on her dream of becoming an author. Like Arnold said, "you start believing that you're stupid and ugly because you're Indian. And because you're Indian you're destined to be poor." (Alexie 13) Mary probably felt that she didn't deserve for her dreams to come true, and that she would be discriminated for trying, because she is Indian. She copes with life living off anything she can find or steal, and tries to run from her worries. Mary thinks that just because she is Indian, she doesn't deserve her dreams and gave up, like most of the other Indians on the "Rez". That is why Mary "froze" after high-school.

Kayla Romero

5/20/2014 20:40:47

I agree with your point Madison, you did a god job with explaining your point. She ''froze'' because she became like the others and believed her dreams are not worth it and gave up after high school. She thought because she was an Indian, she did not have an opportunity to become what she wanted to be, an author.

5/20/2014 20:30:04

Topic 4
I was surprised that Arnold decided to go to Reardon. First of all, he does not know how to protect himself, he gets bullied at the rez, and going to the school where only white people go to, will be tough. Since he lost his best friend, he will have to defend himself more and learn what kids do in Reardon. He is an emotional guy, he gets teased a lot because he stutters and lisp, also with the way he looks. He cries whenever he gets bullied. He will be the only Indian at Reardon. I understand why he went there, he wants to find hope and have a better future. But he does not look like the kind of person who would transfer schools, that is way I was surprised.

Hafsa F

5/21/2014 19:56:02

Topic 1
i think Arnold's sister Mary "froze" after high school because she was influenced by most of the people on the rez ,they all lack hope and gave up on their dreams after high school.Most of the people on the reservation think that just because they are Indian they don't have as much opportunities as others to live their dreams.i also believe its because she had lost the confidence to continue to fulfill her dreams.

Tyler B

5/22/2014 07:44:52

I wasn't surprised that Junior went to Reardon because he wanted better for himself where he can actually learn the information he needs and to get the better schooling to become a writer. After Junior had a talk with Mr. P, he knew that leaving the reservation would be best for him. Junior knew he had the potential to write but he didn't have any hope. Mr. P gave Junior the hope he needs to keep trying to achieve his goal of being a writer. After Junior found out that his sister Mary was a writer that had lost all hope, Junior had the hope to do what his sister didn't. That is why I wasn't surprised that Junior went to Reardon.

5/30/2014 12:20:01

I believe that Mr.P was completely justified in his advice to Arnold to leave the reservation. First of all, he of all people on the reservation knew that the education was very poor, with outdated books and poorly maintained school. He knew that outside of this reservation, Arnold would receive a much beter education, and that his chances of entering college would dramatically increase. Secondly, He saw that people on the reservation had lost all hope in their lives and they were all sad and sorry for themselves. However, he noticed that Arnold hadn't lost that spark, and he did not want Arnold to lose that spark as he would turn out sad and depressed like everyone else. Mr. P was being honest with Arnold, as he wanted him to succeed, and I believe that his advice was completely justified.

5/30/2014 12:30:47

Great job Andrei! I agree that Mr.P was justiied in his advice towards Arnold. He knew that it was to late for him to make a difference, but he noted that Arnold was capable of many things. So he inspired Arnold to go to Reardon and make change.

izzy P

6/10/2014 19:15:51

I was not surprised that Arnold chose to go to Reardon. Although Arnold did love his family very much he did not want to grow up and be like them at all. What made Arnold start realizing the rez was a place no one could succeed or get a good education, was when he had the same textbook as his mother did over thirty years ago. He said "My school and my tribe are so poor and sad that we have to study from the same dang books our parents studied from." (alexi 31). He also said that all of his hopes and dreams were gone after that… then he threw the textbook at Mr. P. For someone on the rez who takes school seriously enough and respects education as much to gets mad at an old textbook, I think would do something about it and leave the rez to go to Reardon. That is why I was not surprised that Arnold went to Reardon. I also think that everyone goes to some extreme for the thing they love and are passionate for and Arnold loves school, education and to learn.

Ms. Sockett

6/13/2014 08:36:59

Thanks for sharing your ideas while reading the novel. Your participation in the blog helps to build the class community. I have recorded the completion of the entries and evaluated them as well. This blog is now closed.

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