Wednesday, October 30, 2013
#3 Why does Junior say "it sucks to be poor..." (13)? What does "poverty teach you (13)"? Explain. (Talia)
Arnold lives in deep poverty which rules his everyday life. Arnold claims that, "it sucks to be poor" (Alexie 13). Junior's family has difficulty providing him with basic necessities such as health care and food. How can someone learn if their stomach is empty (Alexie 8)? Their lack of resources results in having to kill the family dog because they don't have the money to take Oscar to the doctor. His parents want to be able to cater to Arnold's every need and it deeply pains them that they are not able to produce a heavy income in order to give Arnold that happy life he deserves. The text states, "Dad just looked down at me with the saddest look in his eyes. He was crying. He looked weak." They too had to give up their dreams because of responsibility and economical issues (Alexie 11). Arnold is trapped in a vicious circle with what feels like no escape. Poverty is beginning to teach Arnold that he deserves his lack of luck. He feels that he has been put in this situation just because of his race and the stereotypes that come with being an Indian. The text states, "It's an ugly circle and there's nothing you can do about it," (Alexie 13). Arnold doesn't get the same opportunities that the higher class has, he is trapped just like his parents, grandparents, and great grandparents before him (Alexie 11). All that poverty teaches you is that you are poor and that you can have no aspirations. Poverty just teaches you to give up. Hopefully, Arnold has the motivation to overcome his situation and achieve his dreams in becoming a cartoonist. What do you think? Can Arnold rise above the low expectation set for him?
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This blog post was very good because you gave many quotes that were backed up with specific and useful context. I also love the way you left the reader with a comprehensive way of reflecting on the text. You showed an intent understanding of the story when extensively describing each piece of context and quote. I think instead of the last line being a question though, you could just have a regular conclusion sentence, to wrap up what YOU thought of the text. -Tauryn
ReplyDeleteTalia, I thought that you did a very good job with this blog post. I thought that you clearly stated your opinion with plenty of quotes to back it up. What also stood out to me was how you explained all of your thoughts superbly, but still, did not make your post very long with too much detail. You clearly showed the reader the personalities of each character used in your post. I think that this was important because it lets the reader have a better view on what you are trying to explain. I also agree with Tauryn about your conclusion sentence. I think it should be a regular conclusion because I don't think that if a reader had only read your post, they would not have enough information to answer the question you left at the end.
ReplyDelete-Deven