Entry 10: Putting It All Together!

It has been a very interesting and eventful semester: full of innovative ideas, great books, interesting comments, and incredible dialogue. Yet, the semester is winding down and this will be the final blog for Education 320: Exploring Children and Adolescent Literature. Over the course of the semester we have read many books that have impacted my outlook on many different topics. I have learned from all of the books in some way, from my changing viewpoint on children’s book authors to my being exposed to a young adult novel that featured a gay female protagonist. Accordingly, I can certainly say that my thought process and opinion on certain categories of literature has certainly changed for the better. However, of all the books we have read this semester, the one that I can say has impacted me the most is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Alexie Sherman. Sherman’s novel was a very different and interesting novel to me on many different accords. To even read a novel for young adults that blatantly talked about masturbation and used sexual and foul language was quite shocking to me, and it was a first, in terms of its content. However, Sherman’s novel was realistic; this is what drew me to it the most. It sensibly portrayed the story of a Native American boy growing up on a reservation, having to practically choose between his culture and that of White America. Thus, in a sense, Junior, represented Native American culture and heritage as a whole and this portrayal was quite interesting and new to me. In fact, in a lot of ways, his character represented many other suppressed groups of people. I mean how many realistic accounts do we encounter concerning the lives and struggles of Native American people or other races of people? I think that this book helps pave the way and ‘open the door’ for authors who are afraid to step out there and tell stories about marginalized groups in society. I can certainly say that Alexie Sherman did an amazing job writing this book and getting his point across; he opened my eyes to the fact that such novels are not usually written, at least from what I have read and I am a pretty avid reader. Thus, I am convinced that his award winning novel will lead to many more exciting novels that will verbalize the struggles and adventures of the many cultures of our nation.

Entry 9: Symbolism in a Culturally Aware Novel

Like most young adult books that we have read this semester, I did not really take notice of the underlying messages, meanings or symbols within them, rather I simply took this opportunity to read a book, as my time for pleasure reading. In fact, it was not until class discussions, most times, that I began to notice these things in the books that were or were not always inherently obvious. This was no different in my reading of Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I really enjoyed this book and at this point in the semester, it was a good way for me to escape papers and read a good book, while also doing it for a class. After our class discussion, however, I realized and took more notice on the symbols and representations that are vaguely displayed throughout the story and I have given it a little bit more thought.

In Alexie’s book, one significant symbol that I noticed is in the character of Arnold “Junior” Spirit. Junior, to me, represents Native American people and their culture at large. I say this because I believe he shows that Native Americans in this country have essentially had to make tough decisions and endure cultural annihilation; they have had to choose between their own heritage and that of the ‘white world,’ often being ostracized, ridiculed and dismissed if they chose the former and did not conform to other cultural standards. This is represented by Arnold’s tough decision to make something of his life and leave his reservation, which was essentially killing off his heritage and the people of his tribe. Moreover, the struggle for respectability amongst Indians and Caucasians in their separate worlds is apparent in his character—he is a minority in this white town and school, trying to defy the odds and establish respect from both groups of people.

Another symbolic representation that I noticed in the book is that of poverty, which is shown through the struggling, dejected Spokane reservation on which Junior lives. To me, Alexie not only represents the struggle that Native Americans have endured through his imagery of the reservation, but he also makes this symbol a more worldly representation of the poverty situation in America. To me, the reservation he describes symbolizes the experiences of poverty-stricken families from all ethnic groups and its negative affect on them. Represented pretty blatantly, Alexie shows that poverty can lead to tragedies and unhappiness.

Entry 8: Wil You Remember This Too?

The Giver is a very intriguing, coming of age novel that seems, based on its history, to be very impactful for both adolescents and adults. Full of powerful scenes that seem to evoke deep emotions even when you see them coming, the detailed text and content of The Giver is still questioned based its powerful scences that seem to be disturbing, troubling, and that contain inappropriate practices. Thus, five years from now, these are the scences that will resonate the most in my mind. I will definitely remember the scene where Jonas’s father enthusiastically helps kill the unwanted child while Jonas watches and the scene where Rosemary, who was chosen as the Receiver of Memory, requests release and chooses to euthanize herself as opposed to living with her newfound knowledge—that she is The Giver’s daughter. Both scenes are appalling and unnerving; to think that in this society where the individuals of the community are never sad, hurting, or feeling pain, for something like this to occur is pretty chilling and hurtful. Other scenes from The Giver that I will remember years from now are the scenes where The Giver gives Jonas painful memories of poverty, pain, lonliness, and death in order to unload some of the pain that he, himself, is carrying. The scenes where he shares memories of excrutiating pain with Jonas are particualarly memorable. For example, the scene where The Giver transmits the painful memory of Jonas breaking his leg while riding on a sled is difficult to read about because, like all of the other memories given to Jonas, he has never before experienced pain, and this hurt is not just emotional—it is excrutiating physical pain. Lastly, I will also continue to think about one particular scene that is a little bit more optimistic and happy in a way. This scene is the one in which Gabriel is about to be released because of his sleeping difficulties. Yet, having grown attatched to Gabriel, Jonas risks his own life and takes Gabriel and runs away, searching for a place where there are colors, love, happiness, and even pain. These scenes are all affecting because, like Jonas, I want to be able to enter into this ‘utopian’ society and save Jonas and the others in the community from themselves and their desire to remain in this world of “sameness.” Moreover, the scenes are affecting because Lowry’s descriptions are very vivid and lyrical, eliciting strong instinctive reactions.