In this chapter a lot of people in Arnold's life die. First his grandmother dies then Eugene dies. These deaths cause him to miss school for around 20 days. During this his tribe stops giving him grief about going to rerdan. The tribe mourns his grandmother with him and attends her funeral without giving him trouble. When Ted the billionaire shows up with the powwow costume that doesn't belong to that tribe the whole tribe laughs with him and the whole tribe buries her together. He gets confirmation that the tribe doesn't hate him but they are nice.
This reveals that Arnold has proved his point. He has proved that even through struggle and injury you can still achieve your dreams. It also shows that the struggles have all been part of the learning process. He figures out that all of his struggles are all for his learning and that all of his problems will help him further in life. This can be seen because when he is in a situation where he is being hated on he starts to laugh and realize that he is doing something good. It shows that he has gained self confidence and is willing to try something and stand up for himself.
How do you think that Ted helped bring the tribe closer?
Ted brought the rez together unintentionally,but he still helped the people to cope. Everyone was extremely sad when Ted started to tell his story,but after he started it gave them something else to think about. When he finished telling his story he became very embarrassed that he was mistaken. He left without saying a word. This helped the tribe because it gave them something to laugh at. It broke the tension. Instead of every grieving about Grandma Spirit, they laughed to cope with it. Why did people stop teasing Arnold after his grandmother died?
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ReplyDeleteI think Ted is an excellent example of how a sub character should be used to get a point across (kind of like a one-liner joke). Ted is the stereotypical eccentric rich person, so he gives the people on the rez a chance to see that they're not the only ones who are stereotyped, especially since Ted's character is so comical.. Also, the whole story of why he is there is so ridiculous that everyone, angry and drunk or not, has a chance to step back and laugh. What point do you think Sherman Alexie is trying to get across with Ted (outside of the plot)?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Trevor that Ted brought the crowd together because they were laughing at his own mistake. People started to stop teasing Arnold because the past few days had been extremely tough for him and his family. Grandma and Eugene both really meant a lot to him and they were two significant people in his move from Wellpinit High School to Reardan. They gave him motivation on the days he just wanted quit. His dad has already quit on life and Arnold doesn't want to end up like him. Arnold's dad is sometimes the reason that he can't even get to school. Clearly his dad is being a very bad example for Arnold and he tries to push past his dad. People at the rez understand the family's grief and realize that Grandma is nothing they can tease him about. Do you think that Arnold is over Penelope? Were you surprised by the way he reacted to his peers supporting him in history class?
ReplyDeleteI think he was surprised that his classmates supported him. Arnold has never really had support in his life. The kids at Wellpinit did not support Arnold nor did his parents. Also this proves that Arnold has been accepted into the social structure in Rearden. When Gordy, who is an outcast that no one likes, stands up and supports Arnold, Penelope, Roger, and the rest of the class do too. Do you think that the rest off the class would have supported Arnold if Gordy had not started the movement?
ReplyDeleteWhen Arnold came back to school after the 20th day, i think what was interesting is he wasn't scared to face everyone, the book never described his anxious which i found was much different from what Arnold used to act. I think the grieving and the death of his close family some how made him stronger instead of teared him down. I don't think Ted brought the tribe together. I think that the grandmother brought the tribe together through her ceremony. Ted caused the tribe to change in a better way, causing them to always look on the bright side and laugh at life's obstacles.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think made Arnold stronger, his piers standing up for him or the rez laughing and the lose of two close family members?
I think that the lose of two family members made Arnold mentally and physically stronger. Even though he got more confidence when his piers stood up for him, the lose off family made him tougher and stronger. If you lose someone in your family you are sad and crushed. Then you are still crushed. But, even though you are crushed, you are stronger. Mentally after a lose you feel like you can take any obstacle that comes in your way. And Arnold had two deaths. This will make him unstoppable. I think that the lose of his family members will spark and new Arnold who is tougher.
ReplyDeleteDo you think that after these deaths, we will be seeing a more strong and confident Arnold?