What does Rowdy say to Junior? Why does he say this? Do you think there is truth in this?

            Rowdy and Junior go way back and have been friends for a very long time. Rowdy has always been there for Arnold for a long time. They were insuperable until Arnold decided that he wants a better education, and "deserts" Rowdy and the Tribe. Rowdy takes it personally and now deeply dislikes him. This hatred has only built up and he is at his breaking point. Rowdy did not have a very stable family situation, so when Arnold left him it impacted him badly and caused him to finally say "I hate you"(211). This is his breaking point and the time that he really admits to himself and Arnold the disdain that he feels.
            I think that Rowdy truly feels that he hates Arnold. The tribe and especially Rowdy has always felt that if something bad happens to you, like someone punches you, that you have to fight back and throw the next punch. When Rowdy decides that life is throwing him a punch for the first time he doesn't punch back, and instead "Rowdy ran"(211), and he had "never run away from anything or anyone"(211). Normally when provoked Rowdy just punches the guy/girl, but him not doing that shows him giving up on Arnold.

How would you react if you were Arnold?
How would you react if you were Rowdy?
Who is more hurt/conflicted at the moment?
How to they feel when Rowdy says that he hates Arnold?

Interpret/explain/explore the context and significance of the last line of the book (230).

At the end of the book, Arnold says, “We didn’t keep score” (230). He had just finished his extremely long game of one on one basketball with his old friend Rowdy. Rowdy says, “You’ve never beaten me one-on-one” (229). After the game the boys realized that they had not kept score. This becomes an unspoken rule because they both realize that previously keeping score has not turned out well. They realize that the game can be more enjoyable if they dont keep score. The book ends here because all is restored except for one thing. On the top of page 230 Arnold asks Rowdy if he wants to go to Readren with him. This question is never answered. The significance of this quote is that Rowdy and Arnold have restored their friendship. Arnold says that he will beat Rowdy but they end up not keeping score. This seems to be an unspoken rule that they will both follow from now and on.

1. If there were to be a PTI two what do you think Rowdy would do? Go to Readren or stay at the rez?
2. Why do you think that laughing works as a coping mechanism for Arnold? If you think that this doesn’t work, why?

Interpret/explain/explore the context and significance of the last line of the book (230).

At the end of the book, Arnold says, “We didn’t keep score” (230). He had just finished his extremely long game of one on one basketball with his old friend Rowdy. Rowdy says, “You’ve never beaten me one-on-one” (229). After the game the boys realized that they had not kept score. This becomes an unspoken rule because they both realize that previously keeping score has not turned out well. They realize that the game can be more enjoyable if they dont keep score. The book ends here because all is restored except for one thing. On the top of page 230 Arnold asks Rowdy if he wants to go to Readren with him. This question is never answered. The significance of this quote is that Rowdy and Arnold have restored their friendship. Arnold says that he will beat Rowdy but they end up not keeping score. This seems to be an unspoken rule that they will both follow from now and on.

1. If there were to be a PTI two what do you think Rowdy would do? Go to Readren or stay at the rez?
2. Why do you think that laughing works as a coping mechanism for Arnold? If you think that this doesn’t work, why?

Interpret/explain/explore the context and significance of the last line of the book (230).

At the end of the book, Arnold says, “We didn’t keep score” (230). He had just finished his extremely long game of one on one basketball with his old friend Rowdy. Rowdy says, “You’ve never beaten me one-on-one” (229). After the game the boys realized that they had not kept score. This becomes an unspoken rule because they both realize that previously keeping score has not turned out well. They realize that the game can be more enjoyable if they dont keep score. The book ends here because all is restored except for one thing. On the top of page 230 Arnold asks Rowdy if he wants to go to Readren with him. This question is never answered. The significance of this quote is that Rowdy and Arnold have restored their friendship. Arnold says that he will beat Rowdy but they end up not keeping score. This seems to be an unspoken rule that they will both follow from now and on.

1. If there were to be a PTI two what do you think Rowdy would do? Go to Readren or stay at the rez?
2. Why do you think that laughing works as a coping mechanism for Arnold? If you think that this doesn’t work, why?

Interpret/explain/explore the context and significance of the last line of the book (230).

At the end of the book, Arnold says, “We didn’t keep score” (230). He had just finished his extremely long game of one on one basketball with his old friend Rowdy. Rowdy says, “You’ve never beaten me one-on-one” (229). After the game the boys realized that they had not kept score. This becomes an unspoken rule because they both realize that previously keeping score has not turned out well. They realize that the game can be more enjoyable if they dont keep score. The book ends here because all is restored except for one thing. On the top of page 230 Arnold asks Rowdy if he wants to go to Readren with him. This question is never answered. The significance of this quote is that Rowdy and Arnold have restored their friendship. Arnold says that he will beat Rowdy but they end up not keeping score. This seems to be an unspoken rule that they will both follow from now and on.

1. If there were to be a PTI two what do you think Rowdy would do? Go to Readren or stay at the rez?
2. Why do you think that laughing works as a coping mechanism for Arnold? If you think that this doesn’t work, why?

What does Junior realize about his own identity, his life and Rowdy (these are all different)?

The last chapters of the book has shown Arnold's growth and new understanding of his identity, but also they have shown how he has learned to never give up. The last few pages of the novel portray Arnold and Rowdy becoming good friends again, but Rowdy actually encourages Arnold to leave making it clear to him that their friendship is repaired and stronger then ever. “We didn’t keep score.” (230) Now that they are friends again Arnold has a stronger connection in the Rez, and a bigger source of hope. This makes him realize that he will always have a connection with his hometown, but his future will be in Reardan. As we have noticed in the last few chapters people at Reardan have really started to connect with Arnold, and when he went to school after his sister’s death “All sorts of boys and girls, and teachers, came up and hugged me and slapped my shoulder and gave me little punches in the belly.” (212) Arnold realizes that his life will most likely be in the direction of hope and good education while Rowdy will be stuck on the Rez for the rest of his life. On the last page of the novel rowdy says “Just make sure you send me postcards.” (230) This proves that Rowdy will never be able to leave the Rez, and maybe accepting his poverty while Arnold will reject any idea of poverty.

Arnold's double lives have taught him the importance of hope, and never giving up, because on the Rez he would never accept his poverty, and in Reardan he would always meet challenges with courage. These lessons have shown Arnold that he has hope, and that his life has a very good chance of taking a turn for the better, but that he will always have a piece of the Rez in his heart.

It seems evident that Arnold will most likely graduate high school and maybe even move on to college, but either way he has shown us the power of hope and ignoring stereotypes.

Questions:

Has anyone in your life shown great amounts of courage and hope? If so how is it similar or different from Arnold's situation?

Do you think Arnold will have a good future and even move on to college? Why or why not?

Who do you think are the most influential people in Arnold's life?

In this time of grief, why do you think Junior laughs so much? What are the specific moments he laughs the hardest? (299-end)

Arnold laughed so much during this time so that he can hide his emotion, and cover tears with laughter. When he learned the worst things, that’s when he laughed the hardest. “Yep, even weird boys are afraid of their emotions(132).” This quote sums up how he is reacting. Arnold is afraid to express his emotions, and wants to make it seem like it’s no big deal, and make it seem funny, instead of the common sad, tearful reaction. Although he reacts this way, he is very, very sad and heartbroken, because Mary and Arnold were very close.

            Arnold laughs the hardest when he is with his dad after he picks him up. When his dad arrives at school, and he thought he had possibly died in a car wreck, he hysterically laughs. All of this is very ironic. It is especially ironic when Arnold says, “‘I know, I know,’ I said. ‘She’s dead. But you’re alive. You’re still alive.’” You would expect Arnold to be so sad and depressed when his dad pulls up. You would especially not expect him to say that Mary died with such ease. He also laughs a ton when his dad tells him how Mary died.


Do you think Mary would blame Arnold for her death? why or why not?
If you were Arnold, how would you react to this sad news?
What do you think his dad was thinking while he was laughing?

(179-198) Summarize the outcome of the game. Why does Junior cry at the end? What does he realize?

Posting for Hillary again:

In the basketball game, against Wellpinit, Reardan crushed Wellpinit by about forty points. Junior cries at the end of the game because of how guilty he feels about winning. The Wellpinit kids have nothing, while the Reardan kids have everything. Junior cries because he realizes who he used to be. He remembered he used to be one of them. In fact, he is indeed one of them. He lives on the same reservation as all of those players. He was mad about losing to them before he remembered their perspective. "I was suddenly ashamed of my anger, my rage, and my pain"(196).

Arnold cries because he knows how little they have. How much their lives suck. Arnold has taken from them one of the few things in their lives, their pride. The players on the other team were happy with themselves when they beat "the mighty Reardan." They were proud of themselves and felt good about themselves. Living on a poor reservation with a bad schooling system, it's fairly hard to feel good about yourself. As a rare event in some of these players lives, they were the best at something, basketball. They were the only team that defeated Reardan. However, when Junior scored that first three points out of rage and hatred, he felt great, but after the game, he felt differently. He felt awful because he had ruined one of the good things in those players' lives. He feels selfish for being angry about losing to them, and he feels like a total jerk for beating them. That is why Arnold cried after the basketball game against Wellpinit.

Why does Arnold cry after the game against Wellpinit?

Arnold cries after the game against Wellpinit because he realizes that even though a lot of terrible events had occurred recently between them, they still are his tribe and he loves them. He realizes that no matter what they will always be his family, and he knew his feeling were wrong towards them. Junior feels guilty. At first in the game Junior is a slight bit ignorant towards the other team, and only feels hate. He mentions that "man, oh, man, we were sending some serious hate signals across the gym," (191). He also says that " you have to love somebody that much to hate them that much, too," (192). What Arnold means by this is that you can only truly hate one if you have had a past with them. It takes time, pain, and past to feel that kind of hate. This specifically applies to Rowdy. During the beginning of the game Arnold wants to prove himself to Rowdy, and show him he is more than what he thinks. He wants to almost be better than him. Junior feels that revenge is the solution to the problem. Though near the end of the game Junior realizes that this may not be the case.

Towards the end of the game Arnold realizes that his fellow Rez Indians are his family and that the way he treated them was wrong. he acted as if for sometime he was a superior to them even though the are equal. This make them feel bad as they are one family and they have always battled hardships together and now they have been stripped of many things, just like Arnold. Even Junior's father sees this, Arnold says "I thought he'd be cheering. But he wasn't. He wasn't even looking at me," (195). Then Arnold realizes his mistake and feels terrible because it wasn't just him who was facing problems the whole time. So he feels guilty for not realizing it and being misunderstanding as well.  "I suddenly wanted to apologize to Rowdy, to all of the other Spokanes," (195). Overall Arnold feels guilty for not realizing and feels bad. He wants to make it up and be a better community together.

If you were in this situation, what would you do? Would you cry too?
Why do think its such a big deal when Coach says "you can do it"," (189) to Arnold?
Do you think Arnold and Rowdy will become friends again? Why?
Does Arnold not need Rowdy? Why?

Summarize the cartoon on 182. What is the significance? What does it show about Junior? What is his dilemma?

    The cartoon on page 182 is a drawing of Junior playing basketball through two different perspectives: Wellpinit and Reardon's point of view. In Wellpinit's gym, Junior is seen as a traitor and a "white lover" (182), and the Wellpinit students are shouting discouraging things at him like "boo" (182). He is also dressed as the devil, wings, horns, and all, meaning that the Wellpinit students don't view him highly- they hate his guts. During all of this, Junior is still wondering who he is. In Reardan's gym, the cartoon is almost entirely different. First of all, Junior is dressed as an angel, with clean shoes and hair. Not only that, but he is receiving positive and encouraging feedback. But he still questions who he is- his identity is still unknown.

     This makes it significant: he may be in different social situations, but he still questions his identity. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about Arnold finding his identity, and this cartoon illustrates his struggles of him finding his identity in a couple different social situations- he literally asks himself the question, "who AM I???" (182). This cartoon also shows that Junior wants to be a part of Wellpinit and Reardon's community, but he is faced with many dilemmas. The word 'gym' is Arnold's way of saying 'community' (in this context). Junior could have illustrated many more gyms, or communities perspectives, but he didn't, meaning he wants to be with these 'gyms', or communities only. When Junior said "at Wellpinit's gym" (182), he meant that he wants to be a part of Wellpinit's community, but the cartoon on page 182 illustrates one main, complicated dilemma with this wish- If Arnold is friends with the white kids, the Indians will be angry and will hate him, but if Arnold is friends with the Indians, the white kids will ignore and judge him. Essentially, he wants to be in two communities, but he may only be able to choose one.

Questions:1. Read the paragraph(s) before and after the cartoon on page 182. Why do you think the author put this cartoon in between these paragraphs?2. How is this similar or different to the cartoon on page 57 (it's the half white and half Indian photo)?

In the last sentence on page 167, Junior says: "And all of us laughed as we walked and drove and rode our way back to our lonely, lonely houses." What is the irony in this? Why is this a powerful moment for Junior? What is he saying about his tribe?

In the last sentence on page 167, Junior says: "And all of us laughed as we walked and drove and rode our way back to our lonely, lonely houses." What is the irony in this? Why is this a powerful moment for Junior? What is he saying about his tribe?

On page 167 Junior states, "And all of us laughed as we walked and drove and rode our way back to our lonely, lonely houses." This quote is ironic because one of the most important members of the community died and everyone in the Rez is lonely. Having this aspect of irony shows the reader that life for people on the Rez is very difficult right now but laughing started to slowly heal the pain. This is such a powerful moment for Junior because everyone started to not make fun of him, because of the death of his Grandmother, and he is now starting to find his part in the community again. Junior implies that his tribe has always gone through a lot and having the ability to just laugh in hard times is keeping the community alive.

How will being not treated with disrespect affect Junior's relationships at school and home? How does the quote, "No matter what else happened between my tribe and me I would always love them" (160), relate in finding his identity? How will Grandmothers death affect him social and academic wise at school? Why was laughing at Grandmothers funeral so critical for the tribe?

Why does Junior say he would always love his tribe? What do you think this reveals about Junior?

 Why does Junior say he would always love his tribe? What do you think this reveals about Junior?

I think Junior says this because he wants to show that even though he has left Wellpinit, he still likes Wellpinit and their community. Even though the Rez does not like him, Arnold still shows that he has affection for them. The Rez is the place where he grew up. His family lives there,his relatives, and his friends are there. This is the place where he spent the first few years of his life. Even though he goes to a white school, he is part of the Rez. Some of the kids do not like him because he left them. However, deep inside they care for him and they treat him as one of them. They prove it by showing up to his grandmother's funeral and let him mourn in peace. "No matter what else happened between my tribe and me, I would always love them for giving me peace on the day of my grandmother's funeral"(160).

Junior really cares for his tribe and he still feels he is one of them. He is not ashamed of his heritage. All he wants to do is become something better to show everybody that if you have passion and will for something, you can accomplish a lot. I believe that when he becomes successful, he will make sure that he returns something to his community.

1) Why do you think people did not bother him after his grandmother died?

2) Why was Arnold so sad/upset when Eugene died?

3)Why do you think Arnold felt helpless and stupid after Eugene died and Bobby hanged himself?

Why does Junior say he would always love his tribe? What do you think this reveals about Junior?

When Junior says “No matter what else happened between my tribe and me I would always love them” (160). He is adding to the theme of community and the meaning of it, in this case Juniors community is a tight knit “family” who all are in the same situation of poverty and suffering. Yes there are some nasty people like the Andruss brothers, but all in all when worse comes to worse they all are respectful, they are all understanding.

This love of his tribe reveals how much Junior relies on them, without them he would be even more miserable. He would be a living breathing lump of pure misery. His tribe is one of the very few ways Junior gets his joy. He feels that without his tribe he would curl up into a ball and never get up again. Junior would be striped of everything if he lost them. The tribe may disapprove of Junior transferring to Reardan but nonetheless he feels that he is still a part of them.

Questions:

If you were to put yourself into Arnold's shoes how would you feel if your grandmother had just died

What would you do to comfort Arnold in his grieving process?

How would you react to being rejected from your family, that is how Arnold feels when his tribe pushes him away?

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?

The first game is against Wellpinit High School his home town. When Arnold enters the stadium you might think nothing would happen or he would get greeted with a few hey Arnold's or something. But no They start yelling "Ar-nold sucks" P.(143) Arnold is clearly shooken by this turn of events and when the coach asks him if he is ok he responds "no" P.(143) the coach responds to him by saying he can sit this one out but Arnold says he wants to play. I think what is happening here is that Arnold isn't happy about what happened to him and how he was greeted but he needs to go out there and play the game , not playing will just screw him over even more. 

      During the game Arnold gets hit in the head with a penny and needs stitches demanding to return to the game only to get knocked out by his former best friend Rowdy. Arnold is then taken to the hospital where he is greeted by his coach who asks him how he's doing.  The coach comforts him and tells him that he shouldn't have played Rowdy and should've canceled the game for Arnolds safety. The coach tells Arnold " The quality of a mans life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence, regardless  of his chosen field of endeavor" P.(148). He then tells Arnold he's never met anyone as committed as him. I think this effects Arnold in a good way in that he is getting praise from a coach on a team he didnt even think hed make and It is a huge confidence booster. 

How do you think Arnold will perform in upcoming games? Why? What do you think well happen the next time these two schools meet? Do you think that Arnold will continue this strong relationship with his coach? Why?

How did Junior make the basketball team? In what ways was this related to his conversation with his dad earlier?

Coach saw that he had skills just being put against the wrong person. However, that is not the main reason,

“You want to take him on again? Or do you need a break? Ninety percent of me wanted to take the break. But I knew if I took a break I would never make the team.

I'll take him on again, I said. Coach Smiled"(140).

Coach saw Junior's spirit and how much he wanted to be on this team. Coach then placed Junior on Varsity as a freshman. Junior was debating not even trying out and he turned out to get onto Varsity.

Juniors dad told him "You have to dream big to get big,"(136). Junior followed that advice and it got him onto Varsity. Even if all the odds are against you, Junior still believed that he could get on the team because of his dad inspiring him. Part of the reason that Junior got onto the team is Coach. He saw that Junior is actually good at basketball and more importantly has a fighting spirit. Coach saw that he never gave up when running laps or playing against Roger. He respects Junior and that is rare in this school because of all the racism.

Questions:

Why is the one-on-one so important? How do you think this relates do Junior and Roger becoming friends?

Does Coach remind you of any characters in the book? Why?

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?

          Arnold's first basketball game playing for Reardan was at Wellpinit High School. When the team arrived at the reservation, all the Indians were chanting "Ar-nold Sucks!" (143). As soon as they walked into the gym, everyone went silent. When they saw Arnold, they all turned around. "If these dang Indians had been this organized when I went to school here, maybe I would have had more reasons to stay." (144). Arnold thought this because he wanted to calm himself, and prove to himself that he had a legitimate reason to leave, and that he still had courage, so he laughed. His laugh was the only sound in the gym. Then he noticed that Rowdy hadn't turned his back on him, and he had hope for a second. "the only Indian who hadn't turned his back on me was Rowdy... And he glared at me. He wanted to play. He didn't want to turn his back on me. He wanted to kill me, face-to-face." (144). I think this scared Arnold a little bit, but it also made him realize that he had to take on Rowdy, and he wanted to take on Rowdy. He wanted to show Rowdy that he didn't need him, and that he wasn't a loser.
          His teammates supported him by laughing with him, and so did his coach. His coach also supported him by giving a pep-talk in the locker room, although it was aimed mostly at Arnold, I think it was good advice for the whole team. Coach said "If you care about something enough, it's going to make you cry. But you have to use it. Use your tears. Use your pain. Use your fear. Get mad, Arnold, get mad." (144). He really believed in Arnold and supported him because he knew he was a good player, and he didn't want him to forget he was a good player. He didn't want Arnold to give up on himself, and he didn't. Arnold didn't give up when his head started bleeding because someone in the stands threw a quarter at him. Eugene tried to take him to get stitches, but Arnold insisted that he just stitch it up himself, even though he knew it would probably leave a scar, and it would probably hurt really badly. His coach supported him very well, by not letting him give up.

If you were in this situation, would you have played in the game, or would you have given up?
What would you have done if you were a ref in this game, and a whole fight broke out because one kid knocked another unconscious? Would you cancel the game? Why or why not?
What do you think would've happened if the refs hadn't given Wellpinit all those free throws just to keep the crowd under control?

p. 118-132 

In what ways does Junior feel he needs to "pretend"? Why is this so difficult for Junior? 

          Arnold feels like he need to pretend to be a white kid when he is hanging around with the white kids. Arnold feels like he has to fit in to survive at Reardan. He tries to act "cool" like the white kids, look rich and elegant, and become popular. 

          Arnold's mother gives Arnold more money than necessary so that he could "lie about how poor he is." (119) Since "everybody in Reardan assumes that Arnold's tribe is rich because they have a casino," (119) Arnold tries to keep his reputation of being a rich kid who is also a boyfriend of a beautiful white girl. Looking at the comic on p. 120, the heading is "How to Pretend You're Not Poor." 

          Now, the word "pretend" may sound silly and stupid to a lot of people. In Arnold's case, "pretending" is pretty serious to him. He moved on from getting picked on to being a popular kid, but he needs to keep his reputation by pretending to be rich. Arnold buys less, doesn't go on field trips, etc. We can clearly see that he is not being himself. 

          After the dance, Arnold goes to a pancake diner with some students. He buys a lot of things to act like he is rich. 

           1) If other people at Reardan find out that Arnold is poor, would Arnold still be their cool friend?

           2) Would Roger's care for Arnold last long?

           3) Penelope is a rich white girl, while her boyfriend, Arnold, is poor. Would their different backgrounds eventually tear them apart?

Pages 118 - 132: Junior says that the night of the Winter Formal was one of the "best nights of his life." Why? Explain. Do you think it could be a great night, but also confusing for Junior at the same time? Why?

Junior says that the night of the winter formal was one of the “best nights of his life” because it was the night that he realized that his friends really care about him, and that the stereotypes he’d associated with them weren’t all true. Before the dance he was worried about not being able to pay for Penelope’s night, but more so that she would leave him if she found out he is poor. He assumed that since she and Roger were white that once he became ‘more Indian’ they would no longer like him. Instead, they accepted him and went out of their way to help him.

Although this was undoubtedly a good night, it must’ve been a confusing one as well. His whole life he has been told that for white people to like him he needs to “change the way you look, the way you talk, and the way you walk” (81). In other words, he had believed that the only path to any kind of success was to pretend. Now that he realizes that’s not true, it is almost as if his whole world has unraveled. He’d relied upon that fact for years, and suddenly his whole basis of the world has proven to be wrong.

-       Do you have any stereotypes about people? How did you learn them?

-       How do you think this night will affect Junior long term?

-       If you were in the position of Roger or Penelope, would you have reacted similarly? Why or why not?

-       Do you think that Junior should have told them sooner? Should he have not told them at all?

118 - 132 - Free Response - How do Arnold's two names reflect his double identity?

     Arnold/Junior often feels as if he is split in half  - between two identities. He also has two names. Each name means something different and is used by different people. At Reardan, he is known as Arnold. He is not made fun of or teased because of this name, because it blends in, as he hopes to do at school. His other name has a lot of meaning. Junior is a name rooted in family, in one's father. It is also a very common name on the rez, where family is a major part of culture. But it's made fun of at school, something he didn't think would happen.
      As he makes his way at Reardan and slowly separates from his family, his "Indian" name is used less and less in the book, showing his transition. On page 143, the Spokane people chant "Ar-nold sucks!" This shows that they no longer see Arnold/Junior as one of their own. His names reflect his identities, and it's important to see how they are used.

• Do you think, eventually, only one name will be used? Why or why not?
• Do you have two names - like a nickname and a full name, or a name in another language? Do certain people use certain names? Why is the person using the name important to Arnold's story and how can you relate this to your own experiences?
• If you could rename Arnold and give him names to further reflect his identities, what would they be? Why?

On pages 107-109, Junior tells us more about Penelope, and he learns her secret. Explain this situation and why he says “…she’s scared all the time, but nobody will let her be scared…” (108).

        When going to the bathroom Arnold finds out that Penelope is anorexic. Before the incident when he hears her throwing up, he thinks of her as a goddess; someone that has a wonderful stress-free life. Sadly, life is not so simple and her life is not that glorious. She has to face many issues and is consumed in them because since she is "pretty and smart and popular" (108), no one would let her voice her issues. Since she is so popular she is held to a standard that she cannot sustain while still staying sane.
        When she finally voices her stress to someone else, Arnold, she has a burden come off her shoulders. She finally gets past being scared to voice her troubles and trusts Junior with her secret.
        Even though she hangs out with a lot of friends she knows that it can change in a moment if she takes one wrong move, like when "Penelope had... declaired that I was cute... all the other girls... decided I was cute to" (110). This shows how her friend group can change their mind in an instant, and that is what worries Penelope. With the stress of all her relationships resting on a thin wire, she needed someone to confide in. Everyone just looks at her cover and doesn't consider the pages inside, the thoughts and challenges she faces as well as many other issues she deals with. Since she cannot voice her thoughts they have built up and have finally have to come out.


1.Will her secret come out, if you think so what are the implications?
2.Do you think that her large dreams will impact Arnold to want more out of life?
3.Is Arnold still only focusing on Penelope's outside or looking deeper?
4.How will Arnold help her find herself? 4.5 How will she help Arnold find himself?

Explore the irony of the discussion about Thanksgiving.

After thanksgiving all of the Pilgrims started to kill the indians. This is very ironic because the Indians are celebrate the death of their ancestors. Arnold’s dad is sober and says “We should give thanks that they didn’t kill all of us”(102). The reaction is the odd part of this quote. Everybody laughs. I think that the laugh is an uncomfortable laugh for everybody. Arnold says “it’s funny when Indians celebrate Thanksgiving” (101). Arnold realizes this and starts off the chapter with this statement. He realizes that it is ironic to celebrate this holiday but his family does so he does too. It is also ironic to celebrate thanksgiving because celebration means to show pleasure through an action and it is ironic to celebrate a bad time for the Indians.

1. What do you think about Gordy and Arnold’s interaction at the end of the reading on page 116?
2. At the end of the reading on page 117 at the bottom of Arnold’s drawing it says “Gordy     (+metaphorical boner)” what do you think metaphorical boner means? Do you think that it is going to be a recurring theme?

On pages 107-109, Junior tells us more about Penelope, and he learns her secret. Explain this situation and why he says “…she’s scared all the time, but nobody will let her be scared…” (108).

On page 106, Arnold comes to the realization that penelope is anorexic. Commonly she goes to the girls bathroom and purposely forces herself to throw up, so that she loses weight and remains very skinny. She also starves herself. On page 107, Penelope quotes, “‘Anorexics are anorexics all the time,’ she says, ‘I’m only bulimic when i’m throwing up.’” This is a very ironic statement. Arnold draws a cartoon under this quote of his dad saying “i’m only an alcoholic when i get drunk(107)” This, similar to what penelope said, is crazy, because if you are addicted to alcohol, and are an alcoholic, you aren’t just an alcoholic when you are drunk, you are always considered an alcoholic.

On page 108, Arnold says “....she’s scared all the time but no one will let her be scared (108).” Arnold says this because everyone thinks that Penelope is perfect, and it isn’t possible for a pretty, popular, and smart girl to be scared. This relates to the many stereotypes in this book. Penelope being smart, pretty, and popular implies to many people that she has no issues, and is pretty much flawless, as a stereotypical girl with all of those traits is expected to be, even though it is human to be scared.

why do you think penelope is anorexic?
do you think Arnold will help her overcome this?

On pages 107-109, Junior tells us more about Penelope, and he learns her secret. Explain this situation and why he says “…she’s scared all the time, but nobody will let her be scared…” (108).

Penelope is supposed to be this perfect white girl with no problems or worries at all, and contrary to what everyone in Reardan including Arnold think, she actually has a great load of burdens that shatter her spirit into a thousand pieces. On page 108 Arnold starts to understand what Penelope is feeling, and he says that Penelope starts talking about “how lonely she is, and how everybody thinks her life is perfect.” This is a great example of stereotypes, and people judging books by their cover, because Arnold thought all white people had hope and were perfect much like many thought that people in the Rez are hopeless and controlled by their poverty. As we heard in the TED talk, you need to hear all the stories, because they all matter, and help us learn the truth.

Penelope is “scared all the time” (108) because everyone views her as some lucky white girl with no problems while it's really the opposite, but she has to maintain this cover because people won’t accept her otherwise… They won’t let her be scared. In the beginning of the novel Penelope seems to be exactly what stereotypes have led Arnold to believe, and on page 73 this seems to be quite the case, “She looked at me and sniffed. SHE SNIFFED! LIKE I SMELLED BAD OR SOMETHING! ‘Do I know you?’” Society has forced her to act this way, to agree with and prove the stereotype that she is flawless, because as we said in class if someone/society told you that you were something over and over you would start to believe it to be true.

Overall these pages have shown us the power of stereotypes, and how they can trick a whole community into believing the lies it speaks of.

Has there ever been someone that you have judged by “their cover?” How was this situation similar/different from Arnold’s? Do you think Arnold should/could have helped Penelope more? Why/why not, and How?  

Do you think that this stereotype exists in our world? Why or why not?

Explain the significance/importance of the friendship with Gordy for Junior.

Hillary could not post so this is what she wrote:

The significance of Gordy and Arnold's friendship is that Arnold really needed a friend, and Gordy filled the open spot.  Arnold used to have a friend, Rowdy, that always looked after him, cared for him, and had his back.  However, since Rowdy punched him, Arnold has felt as if there is no one supporting him, even though he hasn't said it.  Now that Gordy and Arnold have become friends, he no longer feels as alone.  He now has somebody who will have his back.  "... Gordy believed in me.  He wouldn't let me give up"(94).

This quote shows that there is somebody who does really care for Arnold, which is indeed significant.  Nobody at the reservation thinks rather highly of Arnold.  He has not had many friends in his life.  Gordy's significance is that he fills the emptiness that Rowdy created when he left Junior, and tries to help Arnold fit in.  

Another importance of Gordy is that he reassures some of Junior's confidence.  Arnold was quite low on confidence before Gordy and he became friends.  He went into him own sad depression cloud until Gordy pulled him out.  Gordy was the only person there for Arnold.  Overall, the importance of Gordy is that he filled an empty space, and boosted Junior's confidence when nobody was there for him.

What do you think of their friendship?  How long to you believe it will last?  Do you think that Gordy is a better or worse friend than Rowdy?

What traits do Arnold and Gordy have in common that makes them friends?

On pages 82-84, Junior explains how alone he feels. Why does he feel this way? How does what happens in science class reinforce this feeling?

Junior feels this way because of his race and how people don't understand him. Junior mentions that "once I arrived at Reardan, I became something less, than less, than less, of an Indian,"(82). By this Junior means that he was shamed because of his race at school. He says that the "white kids did not talk to,"(82) him and that "they barley looked at,"(82) him. Since he was the only Indian, Junior didn't feel like he could relate to anyone. Having similarities with people is one of the most basic ways to make friends. The kids at Reardan think he is so different, they do not want or feel the need to connect with him, so he is lonely. Even the adults are being bad influences, and encouraging this behavior.

In the book there is a passage in science class, where the teacher doesn't believe Junior because of his race. The teacher then feels the need to check with another student. "Yep, now even the teachers were treating me like an idiot. I shrank back into my chair and remembered when I used to be a human being,"(86) says Junior. This is a very significant line as Junior uses the language "used to be a human  being" and "shrank back". The "shrank back" represents Juniors race as a burden even though it is not.  It shows how they teachers at this school are also killing the culture. They are doing what Mr. P used to do, except it is more powerful now that Junior is trying to have a new start. So therefore this reinforces why Junior is so lonely. It seems as everyone is against him for reasons beyond his control. 

What do you think of Gordy for "sticking up" for Junior? What do you think Junior thinks of him?

How do you think Mary and Junior can relate, in the book? Why are they more similar than Junior thought they were?

What are some differences between Mr. Dodge and Mr. P? Why are they such big influences in the story?

On pages 82-84, Junior explains how alone he feels. Why does he feel this way? How does what happens in science class reinforce this feeling?

    Junior felt alone during pages 82-84 because "those white kids did not talk to me" (83) and the Indians were angry with him. He has lost every sense of comfort, making him alone. Junior had no friends from the rez, except for Rowdy. However, Rowdy wasn’t happy with him leaving for Reardan, so he ended their friendship, meaning he has no more rez friends. The white kids knew Junior was an indian, and “They stared at me, the Indian boy” (56). This made the white kids discriminate and say racist things, which made Junior go to the extent of saying, “I felt like Roger had kicked me in the face. That was the most racist thing I’ve ever heard in my life” (64). This means he has no loyal friends from the white kids or the people from the rez, making him alone.

    His feelings of loneliness develop quite a bit when he is at Reardon. The most obvious experience Junior had with loneliness was in Science class. First of all, Junior had no rez friends to support him during this science class. Junior questions one of Mr. Dodge’s statements, and he pays the price. After Junior’s thorough and accurate explanation to why Mr. Dodge is wrong, Mr. Dodge gets angry with him, and embarrasses him in front of the whole class, causing the everyone to laugh at him. Later, Gordy (the class nerd) proves that Junior was correct. Junior thought that Gordy would be his friend, because he stuck up for him in Science. This gave him hope, but it did not last, since Gordy defended him “for science” (87). In the end, this experience only reinforced Junior’s feelings of loneliness.

Questions:

1. What are some of Gordy's character traits? How is he similar/different from Junior?

2. Why would Junior want people at Reardan to pay attention to him?

Why is Junior confused when Roger did not fight him back?

         Junior was confused when Roger did not fight him back because in the Rez, fighting was how they dealt with problems. In Reardan, bulling is different. They tease and call people names but they have respect for each other causing fighting to not be involved. In the Rez, people do not have the same type of respect, causing fights to be the answer to all of the problems. “’I can’t believe you punched me.’ He sounded insulted. He sounded like his poor little feelings had been hurt. I couldn’t believe it. He acted like he was the one who’d been wronged.” (65) Junior does not understand that there are different rules in Rearad than the Rez, which I believe, will affect him later in the book.

         Why did Junior not understand that there are different rules? Why does Junior feel superior after hitting Roger? How will this affect both Junior and Roger?