The last line of the book was "we didn't keep score." Rowdy and Junior were playing a game of basketball on the last page of the book and the last line was we didn't keep score. In the pages before junior and Rowdy made up with each other and started to become friends again. Junior once again asked Rowdy to join him in Reardan and once again Rowdy denied. Also he accepted a challenge to play one on one with Rowdy. This shows his personality. Back to the part right before the game of basketball Rowdy tells Junior that he is the nomadic one, the one person on the rez that actually does something. He realizes Junior's dreams and believes he can accomplish them. Then Junior started to cry and Rowdy told him to stop and play some ball.
The last line means that even though the friends had two intense games of basketball, even though there were crushing defeats, even though Rowdy gave Junior a concussion in one of the games, it is only a game. At the end they realize that now matter how important a basketball game, no matter if it is the championship, there will always be more important things. The sentence means that the score of a game doesn't matter in perspective to things like family and friends. It means no matter how important you might think a game is, it is a pin drop compared to other things in someone's life.
Question: Why do you think that after all the games they played, they suddenly decided that they don't care who wins?
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
What does Junior realize about his own identity, his life and Rowdy (these are all different)?
Identity: Throughout the novel, Arnold was facing the dilemma of choosing between rez Junior & Reardan Arnold. In the final chapter Arnold realizes that he doesn't have to only be rez Junior or Reardan Arnold and he realizes that he doesn't have to choose what group(s) of people he belongs to. This is evidenced on page 217 when he talk about he realized that he was both a Spokane Indian but he also belonged to a "tribe"of American immigrants.
Life: In the final chapter, Arnold finally decides that his decision to leave was the right one for him to make for his life. On page 217, Arnold says that he is going to have a better life in the white world and he realizes that he was not the only one who left their homes to pursue their dreams. This shows that Arnold thinks it was the right choice because he says he is going to have a better life.
Rowdy: Arnold also realizes that Rowdy supports his decision to leave the rez for the outside world. That is shown on page 229-230 when Rowdy talk about how the Indians were originally nomads and Rowdy says that he is happy for Arnold. That clearly shows that Rowdy supports Arnold, but the one on one ball game that they played also shows that Rowdy supported Arnold because they didn't keep score, showing that they weren't playing to beat each other.
Do you think that Rowdy and Arnold will remain friends in the future (after the book)?
Life: In the final chapter, Arnold finally decides that his decision to leave was the right one for him to make for his life. On page 217, Arnold says that he is going to have a better life in the white world and he realizes that he was not the only one who left their homes to pursue their dreams. This shows that Arnold thinks it was the right choice because he says he is going to have a better life.
Rowdy: Arnold also realizes that Rowdy supports his decision to leave the rez for the outside world. That is shown on page 229-230 when Rowdy talk about how the Indians were originally nomads and Rowdy says that he is happy for Arnold. That clearly shows that Rowdy supports Arnold, but the one on one ball game that they played also shows that Rowdy supported Arnold because they didn't keep score, showing that they weren't playing to beat each other.
Do you think that Rowdy and Arnold will remain friends in the future (after the book)?
Ho does Arnold eventually find out who he is?
Arnold has always been a bit of a outcast who nobody ever really cared for too well "a nomad" as Rowdy put it. Arnold however finished his year strong and regained his friendship with Rowdy. His identity is truly discovered in the last few pages of the book. At the point where he learns or figures out that he has or fits into alot of groupings. With so much loss Arnold has begun to focus on the important things in life, including his family and his friends. With each loss his appreciation for each thing he still had became exponentially more intense, as shown when he is so happy to find his dad alive.
Sherman Alexie has been putting Arnold through alot of very tough situations with his family and social life. He put Arnold through all of there things to show how resilient Arnold really is, he pulled through from the very beginning. Through all of his happy moments that pushed him forward and the sad ones that held him back. Arnold grew up, and found that his fitting in depended completely on how he took on his problems. Rowdy returns at the end of the book as a closing scene for Arnold, his friend was back. It presents a very nice scene of basketball where they don't keep score. Arnold finds his identity through his bumpy life, where he ended up being stronger than he ever imagined.
What would you give Arnold as Advice? Who was the most important character? What do you think brought Rowdy back?
Sherman Alexie has been putting Arnold through alot of very tough situations with his family and social life. He put Arnold through all of there things to show how resilient Arnold really is, he pulled through from the very beginning. Through all of his happy moments that pushed him forward and the sad ones that held him back. Arnold grew up, and found that his fitting in depended completely on how he took on his problems. Rowdy returns at the end of the book as a closing scene for Arnold, his friend was back. It presents a very nice scene of basketball where they don't keep score. Arnold finds his identity through his bumpy life, where he ended up being stronger than he ever imagined.
What would you give Arnold as Advice? Who was the most important character? What do you think brought Rowdy back?
Monday, April 22, 2013
In this time of grief, why do you think Junior laughs so much? What are the specific moments where he laughs the hardest?
Junior seems to be one mixed up kid right now. His recent life of such decisive highs and lows has affected his emotions to the point where he does things like laugh for a long time at his sister's death (especially since it was rather gruesome). The grief-storm he has been living in has completely messed up his expectations of life. For example,on page 205, when his father arrives to pick him up, he is only thinking about the fact that his father could die any minute. At that moment, he sees his own mortality very vividly. When everything in the world around him collapses, he is like a twig in a stream. Eventually however, if he rides out this portion of his life he will take root and become like a root in that same stream, battered but immovable. I think this is Sherman Alexie's way of saying that we all have highs and lows in life, and no matter how bad the lows are, just remember that somewhere in the future is a high as high as the low was low. Furthermore, at Arnold's grandmother's funereal ceremony, Arnold realizes that laughter and tears are not so far away, and how quickly they can interchange.
Immediately after, when Arnold stops laughing, his father explains to him how his sister died, Arnold begins laughing again, and even harder this time, and then all of a sudden comes this, "Well, I laughed until about halfway home, and then I fell asleep. Snap, just like that. Things had gotten so intense. so painful, that my body had just checked out for a few repairs (206)." Sherman Alexie is using this as a transition to an in-and-out of consciousness scene, but more importantly to say that after a certain amount of time, that twig in the stream snaps. It is hard to empathize with what Arnold is going through because many of us have not experienced this type of family catastrophe. This is Alexie giving the reader something to empathize with a little more, and that is losing consciousness. Finally, on page 211, Arnold describes something he's never experienced before, which is Rowdy missing a punch. This is because he is crying at Arnold's sister's funereal, but refuses to admit it. And after all this, Arnold laughs like a mad man.
Do you think Arnold's life will settle down a little more in the oncoming weeks/months? Or do you think he will just roll on in this state until his emotions are mixed into unrecognizable blends?
Immediately after, when Arnold stops laughing, his father explains to him how his sister died, Arnold begins laughing again, and even harder this time, and then all of a sudden comes this, "Well, I laughed until about halfway home, and then I fell asleep. Snap, just like that. Things had gotten so intense. so painful, that my body had just checked out for a few repairs (206)." Sherman Alexie is using this as a transition to an in-and-out of consciousness scene, but more importantly to say that after a certain amount of time, that twig in the stream snaps. It is hard to empathize with what Arnold is going through because many of us have not experienced this type of family catastrophe. This is Alexie giving the reader something to empathize with a little more, and that is losing consciousness. Finally, on page 211, Arnold describes something he's never experienced before, which is Rowdy missing a punch. This is because he is crying at Arnold's sister's funereal, but refuses to admit it. And after all this, Arnold laughs like a mad man.
Do you think Arnold's life will settle down a little more in the oncoming weeks/months? Or do you think he will just roll on in this state until his emotions are mixed into unrecognizable blends?
What does Rowdy say to Junior? Why does he say this? Do you think there is truth in this? -Isaac
During Junior's sister's funeral he runs into Rowdy in the woods. Junior realizes that Rowdy is crying and he misses a punch. Rowdy says "It's your fault. It's all your fault." He says this because he thinks that Junior's leaving the rez gave his sister the courage to get married and move to Montana. I think he is right, Junior inspired his sister to leave the rez. She saw him pursuing his dream so she set out to pursue her own.
I think Sherman Alexie is trying to show that there is always love within death. This exists on many levels, when Junior runs into Rowdy, he sees that he really misses Rowdy and he wants to be friends like they used to be. On another level, when someone you love dies you will always love them and that is love in death.
When Rowdy blames Junior for his sister's death he isn't focused on Junior's sister. He is crying because of her death, but he is also crying for the loss of a friend. Rowdy is mad at Junior and he runs away because he can't face the one challenge he can't solve with a punch.
Questions: Will Arnold ever be able to fix his friendship with Rowdy? Will Arnold's personality start to fade because of all the death? Will Arnold be able to up hold his life on the Reardan side of things? Below are some quotes about love and death.
http://www.funeralhelper.org/funeral-quotes/love-and-death-quotes.html
I think Sherman Alexie is trying to show that there is always love within death. This exists on many levels, when Junior runs into Rowdy, he sees that he really misses Rowdy and he wants to be friends like they used to be. On another level, when someone you love dies you will always love them and that is love in death.
When Rowdy blames Junior for his sister's death he isn't focused on Junior's sister. He is crying because of her death, but he is also crying for the loss of a friend. Rowdy is mad at Junior and he runs away because he can't face the one challenge he can't solve with a punch.
Questions: Will Arnold ever be able to fix his friendship with Rowdy? Will Arnold's personality start to fade because of all the death? Will Arnold be able to up hold his life on the Reardan side of things? Below are some quotes about love and death.
http://www.funeralhelper.org/funeral-quotes/love-and-death-quotes.html
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Summarize the outcome of the game. Why does Junior cry at the end? What does he realize?
Arnold's victory in the game brought him mixed emotions. "Coach and my teammates thought I was crying tears of happiness. But I wasn't. I was crying tears of shame". In another quote, Arnold describes how all the white kids on his team were well off and how they had futures outside of Basketball, but for his tribe members, that was all they had to strive for in their lives. Unlike the white kids, they were confined to their depressing surroundings. And when they got home, they knew that some of the parents would beat them for not winning the game whereas if the Reardan kids lost, their family's would be far more accepting and supportive.
When Arnold realizes that he has taken away something that mattered dearly to his old friend, he had a fit of remorse. He ran off into the bathroom and started vomiting and crying. He teammates assumed that this was simply out of excitement and happiness, but it was truly out shame that he had rid the rez kids of hope from accelling in life. This goes to show that Arnold's inner dispute between moving on in life or staying at the rez even applies to Arnold's basketball games.
How do you think Arnold's Parents feel about the game?
In the end Arnold's dad was looking at the Wellpinit kids as though he had some sympathy for them but does this pose any further complication to the plot?
If Arnold could have changed the outcome of the game, do you think he would have?
Arnold's victory in the game brought him mixed emotions. "Coach and my teammates thought I was crying tears of happiness. But I wasn't. I was crying tears of shame". In another quote, Arnold describes how all the white kids on his team were well off and how they had futures outside of Basketball, but for his tribe members, that was all they had to strive for in their lives. Unlike the white kids, they were confined to their depressing surroundings. And when they got home, they knew that some of the parents would beat them for not winning the game whereas if the Reardan kids lost, their family's would be far more accepting and supportive.
When Arnold realizes that he has taken away something that mattered dearly to his old friend, he had a fit of remorse. He ran off into the bathroom and started vomiting and crying. He teammates assumed that this was simply out of excitement and happiness, but it was truly out shame that he had rid the rez kids of hope from accelling in life. This goes to show that Arnold's inner dispute between moving on in life or staying at the rez even applies to Arnold's basketball games.
How do you think Arnold's Parents feel about the game?
In the end Arnold's dad was looking at the Wellpinit kids as though he had some sympathy for them but does this pose any further complication to the plot?
If Arnold could have changed the outcome of the game, do you think he would have?
Summarize the outcome of the game. Why does Junior cry at the end? What does he realize?
After the disappointing loss at the beginning of the season, Reardan come back strong to beat Wellpinit. Not only do they beat Wellpinit, but they win by forty points. Arnold is overjoyed, thinking that Reardan, the underdog, was able to come out on top. Because of this, he is happily celebrating with his teammates. All of this stops when he realizes that "my team, the Reardan Indians, was Goliath.... Ok, so maybe my white teammates had problems, but none of their problems was life threatening (p.195)." This realization brings things back in to perspective for Arnold. He goes on to think about all of the life threatening situations the boys on the rez were in (hunger, fathers who were drunks or drug dealers). After this he starts to cry, ashamed of his reaction because he's been on the other side of that defeat before.
All of his Reardan teammates have lots of material possessions, are going off to college, and have stable situations at home. The Indian boys don't have any of that. Although Reardan felt like the underdog because of the loss early in the season, they were actually favored just because of the situations they live in. This simple fact makes Arnold regret his reaction to the win, and he even cries what his team thinks are tears of happiness, but are actually tears of shame. How should Arnold have handled the victory? Do you think his reaction was justified, or do you think he should have been more considerate because of the living situation on the rez?
All of his Reardan teammates have lots of material possessions, are going off to college, and have stable situations at home. The Indian boys don't have any of that. Although Reardan felt like the underdog because of the loss early in the season, they were actually favored just because of the situations they live in. This simple fact makes Arnold regret his reaction to the win, and he even cries what his team thinks are tears of happiness, but are actually tears of shame. How should Arnold have handled the victory? Do you think his reaction was justified, or do you think he should have been more considerate because of the living situation on the rez?
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