What Mr. P means by “ We were supposed to kill the Indian to save the child" is that at this school they did not want Indians and native Americans to come to this school so the teachers were told to hit the child but specifically the Indian children. He said the they wanted to “ kill the Indian culture”. This shows how they don’t accept other people except kids that identify as white. The advice that Mr. P gives junior is to never give up which he means that even if people won’t believe in you don’t give up just because people say you can’t do it. He gives him this advice because Mr. P says he has gave up and really hopes the best for junior and doesn't want him to be like him. Wha tMr. P by “Every white person on this res should get smashed in the face. But let me tell you this. All the Indians should get smashed in the face, too” is that all of the teachers at this school don’t want the Indians to succeed that is why they have no one to believe in them and that is why a lot of people for example his sister just give up on life because of this.
How do you think junior feels about this conversation with Mr. P ?
If you were junior how would you feel?
I think that Junior is confused after his conversation with Mr.P. I think this because at the very end of the chapter, Junior draws a cartoon that shows two arrows saying Rezervation and Home but, another two arrows saying hope and ???. This shows that Junior dosen't know which path to take and what the pros and cons of each path are. Another reason why I belive that Junior is confused after his conversation with Mr.P is that the conversation was very adult-like and hard for a kid to understand. Junior dosen't seem to get that Mr.P is not there to scold him, but to help him. I also think that Junior dosen't get how important it is that he leaves the Rezervation. He dosen't get that if he stays, he will be stuck there forever and he will never live the life he was ment to live and he will never reach his full potential. That is why I think that Junior is confused after his conversation with Mr.P.
ReplyDeleteAfter his conversation with Mr. P, I think Junior is quite confused and scared about what is ahead for him. The lack of clarity is because what can Junior do as a young kid to change the cycle of generations before him that have faced the same problems being an indian on the rez. In the reading, he does find a way to take Mr. P’s advice seriously by switching schools. I think that Junior’s confusion is based on the fact that Mr. P likes him despite the book incident and that he is being helped by a man with a past of racially biased corporal punishment. Overall, I think that the talk is quite important for Junior and that what Mr. P says should be acted on.
ReplyDeleteI think that Junior was thankful for his conversation with Mr. P. I think that it allowed him to understand that others are also on his side, see his real potential, and want him to flourish, and escape the reservation. I think that as you said Mr. P really does want the best for Junior. He doesn't want him to act like everyone else and give up. Mr. P was clearly very disappointed when Mary gave up on her hopes of writing romance novels, and in a way let go of her hopes of leaving the reservation, and he doesn’t want Junior to just let go of his future as well. Mr. P also knows that the environment of the reservation is one that doesn’t really allow people to grow and become successful (since it is full of addiction and violence). As he said on page 40, “‘Mary was a bright and shining star, too,’ Mr. P said. ‘And then she faded year by year until you could barely see her anymore.’” “‘And you’re a bright and shining star , too,’ he said. ‘ You’re the smartest kid in the school. And I don’t want you to fail. I don’t want you to fade away. You deserve better.’” The fact that Junior started crying after Mr. P said that shows that he was really touched by his teacher’s beliefs in his success. Junior clearly wants a better life for himself as well, and so do his parents. That is why a bit later in the book they allow him to go to Reardan even though it will be a struggle for them. They want Junior to be the end of their poverty. The end of their non-stop cycle. If I were Junior I would be so grateful for Mr. P. This is because if it weren’t for him then I may not have had the courage to actually put it into words that I wanted to leave and make a better life for myself. Do you think that when Mr. P said that everyone gives up on the reservation, it pushed Junior to work harder, and gave him a different perspective?
ReplyDeleteYes. Junior thought that if he worked hard enough he might be able to swim in the pond of sadness and lost hope that is the reservation. However, this isn't true. What Mr. P tells him makes him realize that the waters of this pond are so thick with depression that there's no swimming in it.
DeleteIf you were Junior How would you feel?
ReplyDeleteIf I were Junior I would be happy and confused at the same time. I say this because after the conversation with Mr. P Junior is really confused as to what he is going to do and how he is going to do it. He doesn't know first of all how he is going to get off the rez and if he succeeds how he is going to fit into the new school that he goes to if he transfers. There is also going to be controversy on how he is going to be treated at this school because in the text it talks about how Reardan is a school for white kids and Indians aren’t really respected there. But at the same time I feel that Junior is happy because he could be the first Indian to leave the rez and go to a better school and get a better education. As Mr. P states while talking with Junior he says that Junior has hope and he needs to take his hope and bring it somewhere he can pursue his hope and love for education.
If I were Junior I’d feel concerned and determined because before that talk with Mr.P there was nothing that really gave him something to work on as well as something to look towards. It’d be kind of sad because the passion and the care Mr.P has when talking makes you realize reality and what goes on in day to day life. Also,I felt shocked as well as curious about what was going on because the info given to Junior in these pages is a major game changer to the plot of the book. It gives you the sense that there will be a series of events that will really change Junior and will form him along the way.
ReplyDelete