Cultural Identity - Essay #2

The reason I chose this essay is for a few reasons. I enjoyed Sherman Alexie's novel and found myself researching further into Indian American history. It was something I wasn't too familiar with and I wanted to become more aware. Another reason was because of the controversy that surrounded this novel. It grasped my interest even further and I felt that I had a lot to say when it came down to writing the essay. I also made good use of the templates from class, which I'm proud of, but also learned what I need to do moving forward as a writer:

       “I think the challenge is to take...difficult and painful times and turn them into something beneficial, something that makes you grow“ (Michelle Akers). Life is full of some of the best of times, however it’s also full of some of the hardest times. Ever since the renaissance, in a humanistic perspective, we have sought the value of our existence in the pursuit of purpose. While in modern times we may attempt to plan our days accordingly, alternatively we are reminded day in and day out that life has other plans for us. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie, the main character Arnold searches for his own identity torn between two different worlds. Living as a Native-American on a reservation, Arnold and his family face adversity and remain stagnant as a result of no outlets or resources disallowing them to obtain any dreams of becoming successful. As Arnold strives for a better life in a white world he is determined to beat the odds against him, allowing his downfalls to fuel success. More prominently, he doesn’t give up. The novel seeks its own value, much like Arnold, since it remains a huge controversy amongst scholars and many alike moreover seeking to ban the book from the educational system for its inappropriate references amongst young adult readers. In the novel, the theme of the vanishing Indian reflects grief and reveals revelation about Arnold’s cultural identity. When concerning the notion that the novel should be banned, many hold concerns against its publication and on the other hand support its relevance in society today.
       While the arguments concerning the outlaw of this book are fascinating, the concept is one that I have no belief in. At this point I would like to raise some objections that many skeptics would deliberate for the banning of this book. Parents, of course, want to question whether the novel is too harsh and inappropriate for their young teens. Yet some readers, including myself, may challenge that view by insisting the novel has in fact changed their lives because they were positively impacted provided that they learned valuable life lessons and found the literature relatable as teenagers. In this instance, many parents would probably object that teens need books like Sherman Alexie’s novel and nevertheless require censorship. By allowing such literature to remain on the shelves or as best put in a corresponding article, “Entertainment does not merely gratify taste, after all, but creates it” (Gurdon, “Darkness Too Visible” 173). But is this proposal realistic? What are the chances of these notions actually being adopted? Although I grant that the book has its improper moments, I still maintain that it raises important issues. On the one hand, I agree with skeptics that the books use of profanity and sexual references seem over exaggerated. But on the other hand, I still insist that The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian offers purpose. As a professor of the For Belknap Indian Reservation at the college of Aaniiih Nakoda accurately points out, “After all, in liberal arts we don’t just want students to read novels; we want to expose them to multiple perspectives and situations that inspire and encourage critical thinking” (Miller, “Honoring Identity with Young Adult Novels” 185). While both views share major points, I stand with the perspective that the novel shouldn’t be banned and should remain on the shelves for all to bear witness to. In consistency with allowing the novel to stay applicable, the author sheds light onto the lives of Native-Americans living on a reservation camp hence hindering their abilities to be successful as a result of hiding their true identities.
       To illustrate, the disappearing Indian stands against oppression and demoralization of their cultural values by a society of over-privileged Americans thus shaping a grim outlook on their lives. The land that Native Americans once laid their principles on was taken away and similarly escaped their pride and object for living. The outcome of reservation camps not only marginalized their identities but disallowed them to obtain any personal growth. Sherman Alexie makes light of this dissertation by exemplifying the lack of motivation and hardships of his Native people, “You start believing that you’re poor because you’re stupid and ugly. And then you start believing that you’re stupid and ugly because your Indian” (Alexie, “Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” 13). While bestowed no other option of residency in a vast society, Native Americans are given the bare minimums of cultivation by restricting them to these small utopic reservation camps. In a place where everyone knows everyone, they are sheltered from the world around them prohibiting individual growth. “If the government wants to hide somebody, there is probably no place more isolated than my reservation which is located approximately one million miles north of important and two million miles west of happy” (Alexie,” Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” 30). Our minds are extremely powerful tools that require inspiration and ambition to utilize their full potential, yet these camps render Natives helpless impressionably stuck under a dark cloud. Arnold on one hand is compassionate towards his people, yet on the other hand he ventures away from his home granting him an enhanced perspective on opportunities in search of his true Identity. In the quest for a thriving future, Arnold’s character strikes young readers with a diligent urge to succeed demonstrating the will to overcome hardships and troubling events.
       While in pursuit of a gratifying existence, Arnold endures the anguish of discovering his place in two different domains. He searches for a better understanding of his future by leaving his high school on the reservation and enrolling himself into an over privileged white school on the borders of his camp. After already facing havoc from his neighbors and peers back home, Arnold, despite the resentment, willingly accepts the challenge striving for a change paramount to his survival. Yet, Arnold finds himself stuck between a hard place and a rock when he realizes that the adventure he has embarked on leaves little reward in defining the person he strives to become, “I felt like two different people inside of one body. No, I felt like a magician slicing myself in half, with Junior living on the north side of the Spokane River and Arnold living on the south” (Alexie, “Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” 61). Being a part of two different communities dispersed countless questions Arnold struggled to define while examining his true identity. Torn apart from the entity he is expected to be and the individual he conceives to be, ultimately his struggles fueled the fire necessary towards the acceptance of his place in the world, “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. And to the tribe of bookworms” (Alexie, “Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian” 217). This is a defining moment for Arnold because a resolution finally occurs. Arnold, who realizes that he is not just part of an Indian tribe, concludes there is no need to limit or label himself to a single group. With clarity, rather, a conclusion is met instead of conforming to one group he is able to distinguish his self-worth and his connection to the world around him in an immense way. This is exceptionally important to a young and vulnerable adult audience because it is a perfect representation of prevailing obstacles. It teaches a valuable lesson that although life may not be perfect and no matter how hard life may seem, we can absolutely conquer our inner most fears. By standing up against any dispute holding us back from our dreams in becoming something spectacular.         Sherman Alexie’s novel can potentially have a huge impact on its readers, making his stories valid and essential as a part of a beneficial product in a defaced American culture. The importance of the positive influence his messages bring to our young adult readers present a promising outlook on their lives. The teenagers may keep in mind that regardless of how horrible or unbearable life may seem, we are all a part of a bigger picture grouped by similar tribes that bring us together as one. So what hope can sexual references and inappropriate language possibly convey to a young teens dreams of feat? “I don’t write to protect them. It’s far too late for that. I write to give them weapons-in the form of words and ideas-that will help them fight their monster. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed” (Alexie, “Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood” 179). Perhaps we can find that answer mirrored in ourselves. After all, as adults, we too once lived our floundered years of adolescence in confusion of who we were going to be in society. We must contribute to our youths suffering because when they suffer, the future suffers.