He was abandoned by his father at the age of two and by his mother by the time he was ten. He was then raised by his factory worker “abuelos”, grandmother, Benita Gutierrez, and, Refugio Gutierrez, his step grandfather a construction worker. He was showed very little attention or affection as a child and his difficult childhood would become the center of his comedy. George Lopez never knew his father, never had a birthday party and has never seen a baby picture of him. He was bullied as a child due to the fact he had a large head and was the darkest kid in his class.
A Drug Called Tradition Analysis Throughout the short story “A Drug Called Tradition,” Sherman Alexie uses the drug-induced visions of young Native Americans to symbolize the difficulties that many young indians face in finding their place in a modern world. By first using humor to describe the “second-largest party in reservation history” (Alexie 1), Alexie seems to be lightly mocking the current state of affairs amongst Native Americans by suggesting the alcohol is the strongest bond that Indians share on the reservation. After Victor, Junior, and Thomas Builds-the-Fire slip away to consume a “new drug” (Alexie 1), Alexie uses their visions of themselves and each other to portray what each of them feels constitutes a “real” Indian. Alexie seems to be pointing out how unrealistic or irrelevant Native American’s perceptions of themselves may be in a modern world, later suggesting a different and much simpler measure of a “real” indian. After the boys take the drug and their hallucinations begin, Thomas tells the story of his first vision, in which Victor is attempting to steal a horse.
The school setting lacks teachers who are unable to command the interest and commitment of their students. In turn, the students lack attention and respect for their teachers. This is the perfect recipe for “complacent soup” that produces about as much fervor for learning in students as boiled potato water produces flavor. It is not until an unlikely English teacher grabs Rose’s attention that things begin to turn around for young Mike. Enter: Jack MacFarland, who Rose describes as “a beatnik who was born too late.
Billy Mills: An American Hero In the movie Running Brave there are many references from the old/new ways. There are many similarities between When The Legends Die and Running Brave with the old/new ways on and off the reservation. Billy struggles with being an Indian at school; they call him the Indian boy and that’s all he is nothing else and that even he loses because he’s Indian when they don’t know that he is half white. To make things worse his family or what’s left of it back on the reservation think he fell into the white world when they pull up to the beautiful house of Billy’s girlfriends house. This was kind of what tom thought when he had to go to the reservation with Blue Elk.
A large portion of Holden’s depression comes from failing multiple times. He has flunked almost every class he has taken except English. When he fails, his classes, he does not care about it and goes on with his life. Holden is kicked out of Pence Prep because of his low grades and his inability to take school seriously. This quote shows that he does not care about his future in education.
“I don't care what you call me so long as it's not what they used to call me in school. They used to call me Piggy!” (pg. 11) Right off the bat piggy was looked upon as one of the weaker boys, both mentally and physically. Piggy had it rough to begin with, but in a situation like this, it was to either be the bold or be crushed. Out of everyone in the group, piggy was labeled as an outcast.
It started with Victor’s encounter with other Indian boys bullying him because of his too short hair and horn-rimmed, ugly glasses. Victor was constantly bullied until one day he fought back. Bullying wasn’t contained to his fellow classmates; one teacher, Betty Towle, was impartial to him because he was Indian. He was given a test designed for junior high students and was punished for answering everything right. In the fourth grade, Victor’s father started drinking.
What does it mean to be an Indian man? Lastly, what does it mena to live on an Indian Reservation?” • Protagonists in his work show a constant struggle with themselves and their own powerlessness among white American society. • Influences: evoke sadness, while using humor and pop culture • Film: Created the first all-Indian movie “Smoke Signals” and based the screen play off two of his short stories. This movie took top honors at the Sundance Film Festival • Awards: ’92 National Endowment of the Arts Poetry Fellowship • ’93 PEN/Hemingway award • ’94 Lila Wallace-Readers digest writers
“My school and my tribe are so poor and sad that we have to study from the same dang books our parents study from; that is absolutely the saddest thing in the world”. Junior then throws the book at the Mr. P, the teacher. In retrospect, he throws it to show just how poor his rez is and that he now has to use the same textbook his mother used. Junior, feeling even more hopeless, decides to leave the Spokane Reservation and its problems with poverty, domestic violence, and alcoholism; He then finds the school with the most hope, the rich, white school in Reardan, after talking to Mr. P. “You kill Indians?” Junior asks; “No, no, it’s just a saying” (4). Mr. P reveals to Junior that his teacher’s training at the Spokane Reservation was focused on striping the children of their culture; their songs, stories, language, and dancing.
Hope will keep whispering in my ear, telling me to get up and try one more time “. Stevie Kosgrov Stevie is a Bully , he is big and strong but not very smart and he is always punching Jamie and small kids in school . I don’t like him because I don’t like bullies . From the book I learned that we always have to try for the best .The feeling that left me was a mixed feeling as the story of his family dying was sad but also happy that he finaly made his dream and was