Skip to main content

#5 Explore the irony of the discussion about Thanksgiving. (Simon B)


The irony of the discussion after Thanksgiving is that Junior’s family is celebrating Thanksgiving which celebrates the pilgrims who go on to kill the Native Americans, and Junior’s family are Native Americans. Junior’s family struggles to get by in life due to their poverty, and if you think about it they’re actually spending more money than normal for the Thanksgiving dinner. Irony is when something that happens that is the opposite of what you think is going to happen and ends up being amusing because of it. Junior’s family are Native American, and in so probably are descendants of someone who was alive at the the original Thanksgiving dinner. They also probably have ancestors who were around when the pilgrims decided to turn on the Native Americans and kill almost all of them. Then now here they are years later celebrating the very people who almost wiped out their race, and possibly their ancestors. On page 101 Junior is thinking to himself, “I always think it’s funny when Indians celebrate Thanksgiving. I mean, sure, the Indians and Pilgrims were best friends during that first Thanksgiving, but a few years later, the Pilgrims were shooting Indians” (Alexie 101). Junior’s family and their ancestors suffered from white people, and the pilgrims, and yet here they are celebrating them. It doesn’t make sense nor is it fair, Junior’s family and families like them shouldn’t have to celebrate the very people who have caused them, and their ancestors so many different problems. Nobody should really be celebrating the pilgrims at all. All the pilgrims did was kill thousands of Native Americans and claim land for themselves that already belonged to others. Junior’s family and other’s like them have every right to celebrate Thanksgiving if they want to, but they shouldn’t feel any need to do so. It’s ironic that Native Americans celebrate the very people who killed their ancestors

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

8. Why does Junior cry on pages 216 and 217- (Ben Surenian)

On Pages 216 and 217 Junior is crying because he is upset that Mary made tried to leave and search for her dreams. He then realized that he had made that attempt too. Mary left and Junior was upset but throughout the book he later realized he did the exact same thing as her. He explains “She went searching for her dreams, and she didn’t find them, but she made the attempt. And I was making the attempt, too. (Alexie 216). After he realized all this he started to cry, but the weeping was not only for himself and his sister, but he cried because in the next year more Spokane's would die as well, and from drinking, just like Mary. Junior explains “It all made me cry for my sister. It made me cry for myself. But I was crying because I knew five or ten or fifteen more Spokane’s would die during the next year, and that most of them would die because of booze. Junior cries because he realized he and his sister made the same attenpt of leaving the Rez and trying to find their dreams.
Post a Comment
Read more

#4. At the end of the novel what does Junior realize about his own identity, his life and Rowdy? (Andrew V)

At the end of the novel, Junior realizes a lot about himself and his life.  He realizes that he has so many happy memories with Rowdy and the rest of his friends. Junior says "When we were little, like ten years old, Rowdy and I climbed that sucker." In this quote he starts to remember the good times with Rowdy and how much fun they had together. He also figures out that he finds joy in lots of things, and isn't always depressed. And even though his family is broke and Indians are almost always drunk, when they aren't, they are the best people to be with in the world. Junior learns that Rowdy still cares for him, and even though they got in a fight, they will forever be friends. He still has things he look forward to in life.
Post a Comment
Read more

#2 Who is the first game against? How is he treated by the crowd at the first game? How does the team (and coach) react / support him? How does this impact him? (Xavier I)

     The first game is against Wellpinit, his old school, now his rival. Consequently, the crowd treats him poorly, intimidating him by chanting, "Arnold Sucks!" (Alexie 143) and throwing things at him. Seeing the look on Arnold's face, Coach tells him he doesn't have to play this game. But, Arnold knew he had to play. He needed to prove something to his fellow tribal members, especially Rowdy. When he looked at Rowdy, it looked like he was just about to kill Junior. "He didn't want to turn his back on me. He wanted to kill me, face-to face." (Alexie 144) Thinking and looking at Rowdy, he starts to laugh, the only sound in the entire gym. But then coach joins him, as well as his teammates. They laugh all the way to the locker room, which makes him feel better. But then he starts to cry, overwhelmed with what just happened. But coach tries to support him. "If you care about something enough, its going to make you cry. But you have to get used to it. ...
Post a Comment
Read more