Arnold Spirit Girl

The second obstacle that Junior overcame was poverty. Being an Indian and living on the reservation he grew up with little to no money, and any money they did have his dad drank away. One common thing that Junior heard when he asked his dad for a ride to school in Reardan was, “’Don’t have enough gas,’ (Alexie70).” Junior never let the fact that his parents didn’t have any money stop him from going to school. He would either walk or hitchhike his way there even if he would be late. Junior was very determined to get to school to create that future he was dreaming of. He didn’t want the kids at Reardan to think of him as any different as they were. One way he did this was by pretending he had money, “My parents gave me just enough money so that I could pretend to have more money than I did, (Alexie119).” He knew he was poor, but he didn’t want his friends to know he was too. Junior wanted to be like everyone else and just fit in. He didn’t want the kids to think just because he was poor he couldn’t hang out with them. Eventually his friends discover that he has little money. They didn’t even think about not hanging out with him. They actually offer to help him and give him rides. If anything the fact that they knew more about him made him more popular with them. Junior would walk to school when there was no gas, he would hang out and go places with friends even when they knew he was poor. When Junior lets loose, he becomes a better person an overcomes his poverty with

Franklin Roosevelt had said, “Only thing we had to fear is fear itself.” Then, what if teen’s fear is being alone forever? What if taunting and abuse to a teen’s mental and physical state are what sparks fear of isolation? Generally speaking, bullying is commonly used to stereotype individuals based on their physical or mental appearance. Therefore, teen’s would rely on their friends to be comfortable at school, but what if you have no one? Also, teen’s are shown negative images that reflect towards their self-esteem at home as well as in public. The deeming fear of isolation is caused by teen’s lack of self-esteem in society. Due to bullying, negativity towards themselves, and peer pressure a teen’s life is under constant fear of isolation.

This lack of acceptance from others impacts his ability to accept himself, as he feels like he must define himself to fit expectations. This feeling persists until the end of the novel, when Junior comes to see that he can be a part of many communities without sacrificing parts of himself: “I realized that, sure, I was a Spokane Indian. I belonged to that tribe. But I also belonged to the tribe of American immigrants. And to the tribe of basketball players...

Lynda Barry is a writer, teacher, and cartoonist who is best known for her comic strips about troubled family life. “The Sanctuary of School” portrays school as the haven that Barry found it to be during her childhood. School, Barry explains, was the place she felt safe and where she had the opportunity to utilize art as a coping mechanism for her home life. Through this narration of her childhood, Barry also addresses the importance of funding our nation’s education system and providing students with opportunities they do not receive at home. I believe that the message of the author is crucial as students in underprivileged neighborhoods may not have the creative outlets they need in school. The essay allows me to reflect on my own fortunate

Life will often beat you down, but you just have to push through and keep getting up. When Junior is born hydrocephalic with constant seizures, his parents and doctor weren’t sure if he would survive, but he did. Junior was a fighter since the day he was born, and life tried to beat him down but Junior got back up over and over throughout the story. Because Junior was born with the condition, he was naturally weird and different. In the reservation in which he resided, he was bullied for being different.

Both essays focus on children's ability to blend visual drawings and writing and how they interact with one another. In some classrooms young children are being urged to see drawing and writing separately rather than as a unified system of meaning making. Thomas Newkirk makes us think about how pictures relate to language in written texts, and Alexie Sherman explains how he had the help from comic books (graphic novels) and watching his dad's passion for reading help (sponsor) him want to learn how to read. They both believe that visual images communicate meaning. Its not just about the design and creativity but also about how culture and meaning are reflected, communicated and altered by images. This is visual literacy, it involves all the

I’m sitting at my computer, ignoring pages of economics homework and mugs of cold tea now strewn about my desk, as I search for a direction to go with my life. Such was was my predicament several months ago. It’s undeniable that I’m an artist, hard and true, for a pencil found its way into my hand as a child, and no desire of mine nor of the universe ever tempted it to pry away. Throughout my earliest years and memories, I maneuvered with graphite, paint, and crayon every adventure that I ever dreamt of pursuing. Oh, I was a resilient child, as well, who refused to take part in any art class at school or as an extracurricular for an abundance of years, as I was invariably convinced that I could learn all I wished on my own accord! Consequently,

So in the Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian Arnold, also known as Junior, likes drawing different comics unacknowledged by his friends and peers. He draws the comics because they’re based on how people act around him (6). Then he says, “So I draw because I want to talk to the world. And I want the world to pay attention to me.” In that quote he talks about what his comics mean to him and why he draws all the comics that he does. He also says, “After school, I’d ride the bus to the end of the line and wait for my folks, if they didn’t come I’d start walking” (87-88) There, he is talking about how to goes to a new school and how it’s really far from where he lives. He also draws a schedule of his week and how some days he would have

[...] If you do this, you’ll be safe because it looks like you’re just doodling shapes. I was in the third grade when I realized I could draw princesses without anyone knowing, and for the past three years, I’ve been sketching the same thing in the margins of my notebooks at school” (3). Grayson has to (very discreetly) draw (in his notebook) on how he would like to be, how he thinks, and how he feels on the inside and reflecting on the outside what feels right to him. This relates to my thesis

In the beginning of the novel, he discusses his brain and the problems that health arose because of it. This leads to a childhood of being called a retard and getting beat up at least once a month, giving him membership in the Black-Eye-of-the-Month Club (Alexie 40). Drawing cartoons is his way of coping with the pain. Throughout the entire novel, he shares these cartoons with

Junior uses drawing or his artistic talent to cope with his social problems, and to overcome his problems with poverty. When Junior and his best friend Rowdy are reading Casper the friendly ghost, Rowdy hates when Junior draws him. This is not a social problem or a problem but in this case Junior is enjoying drawing Rowdy. Junior drawing makes him feel better about life and his friend Rowdy, “I like the sound of Rowdy’s laughter” Junior, Pg. 23. Junior missed Rowdy so he Drew a picture of him and Rowdy fistbumping together. “For the last ten years, he’d always come over to the house to have a pumpkin-pie eating contest with me. I missed him” Pg. 102.

Billy’s academic failure continually leads him to be ostracized by peers as he is generally the oldest in his class and his disruptive behavior is maintained as he attempts to get attention from his peers. It can be said that Billy’s academic failure could be a maintaining factor for his disruptive behavior as Billy’s vindictiveness has been in response towards comments made on his intelligence and academic performance and some of Billy’s physical cruelty (i.e. hitting the child with the textbook repeatedly) were all caused by his poor academic standing. His truancy from school leads to his interactions with deviant peers, shifting his need for attention in class to the deviant peers, hanging out with them more often. From there, it is obvious that Billy’s truancy from school reinforces his deviant peer interactions and maintain his conduct

As an individual who’s been drawing and painting since before she could even hold a pen – apparently, I used to spill my grandma’s tea and make shapes with it – art has always been my favorite pastime. It’s tranquil and relaxing, and mixing paints is the most satisfying experience. Thus, it’s no wonder that the activity that I’m most invested in is art.

Karen White, an American novelist once said, “Hope, sometimes that’s all you have. When you have nothing else. If you have it. You have everything.” In Sherman Alexie’s novel, “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” he gave us a glimpse of what his life was like on the reservation and his life struggles. In the novel, he went through many milestones to get where he is today. It was hard find hope for Junior. the protagonist in the story, with the fact that he life on the reservation didn’t give much opportunity. After he left he was able to achieve dreams, compared to being in poverty on the reservation. He then came to a realization the world is full of endless opportunity and doesn’t always have to be sad. Junior started to be

As the only child, of my mother, I often faced the problem of not having someone to play with forcing more creativity. I often did various arts and crafts projects, but I found that I enjoyed drawing the most. With each drawing I become completely engrossed partially because it is a self-taught skill that requires focus, but also because I must be patient with myself as I work towards what I envision and learn new techniques. The Art of Drawing is a skill that I can continuously develop and perfect. The patience that my artwork teaches goes beyond the work itself. It demonstrates the importance of accepting my weaknesses and working towards bettering them. I am able to properly release the struggles I encounter and not be consumed because of my artwork. Creating my drawings is more than expression, but also self-discovery because I can be more honest with myself, embracing who I am and what I feel. However, from time to time I do encounter “artist block” and the exhibitions held at the museum of fine arts at Florida State University could provide inspiration much like my environment here at Spelman