#6 p168-198: What is Arnold's grieving ceremony? What connection do you see between this and the cartoon on 166? (Josh)

Arnold grieving ceremony cheers him up rather than bring him down. What he does is making a list of his favorite things. Things like favorite people who gave him joy, favorite musicians, favorite food, favorite books, and favorite basketball players. He made these lists to keep the little pieces that gives him joy. The only way he manages through death and change. It gives him hope and small bits of happiness. On page 166 Arnold draws a cartoon of Jesus on water and normal people on land laughing at him. Arnold draws cartoons because it made him feel better. He was mad at Jesus for all that happened and mocked him to make himself feel better. Arnold tries to do anything just to get himself through all these hard times with happiness and draws cartoons about things that he is angry about. "I keep writing and rewriting, drawing and redrawing, and rethinking and revising and reediting. It became my grieving ceremony" (Alexie 178) This quote goes straight to Arnold's grieving ceremony. He explains what he does and it is the only way that he gets through the tough times.

#6 p168-198: What is Arnold's grieving ceremony? What connection do you see between this and the cartoon on 166? (Josh)

Arnold's grieving ceremony is to basically feel angry about himself and to be angry at others. He said what he thought happened and drew cartoons to make him feel better. One cartoon is on page 166 and this is a cartoon of Jesus on water while the other normal people were standing on land laughing at him. Arnold was mad at them because he thought that it was their fault that Eugene died. He was mad at everything and was joyless. He looked back at his life and all the bad, depressing things that happened to him. The events that ruined his life. "I was so depressed that that I thought about dropping out of Reardan. I though about going back to Wellpinit. I blamed myself for all of the deaths. I had cursed my family. I had left my tribe, and had broken something inside all of us, and now I was being punished for that." (Alexie 173) This quote shows how much grieve and pain that Arnold is in. On the topic of grieve, Arnold even searches up what it means. In a cartoon it says, "grief (greef) n. When you feel so helpless and stupid that you think nothing will ever be right again, and you macaroni and cheese tastes like sawdust, and you can't jerk off because it seems like too much trouble." (Alexie 172) It seems like this definition really stuck with Arnold because he, himself did feel helpless and stupid. He also feels like everything is lost and that nothing will become right again. Arnold's grieving ceremony shows all the pain and grief that he is handling but he will come over this tragedy soon.

#6 p. 168-198 Explain the humor in the title of the chapter, "Rowdy and I Have a Long and Serious Discussion About Basketball." (Louis)

            The humor of the chapter is that the talk Junior has with Rowdy is actually not long or serious. In the chapter Junior is being apologetic to Rowdy for beating them so bad in their basketball game at Reardan and he felt bad so he sent him an email. This chapter is another one of Junior’s attempts to get back in touch with rowdy and they did it in a kind and playful way because this is the first time Junior had really talked to Rowdy since their fight. When Junior and Rowdy are chatting online Junior says “I might be a faggot,” “But I’m a faggot who beat you” (Alexie 183). This quote was said during Rowdy and Junior’s chat by Junior to try and lighten the mood and it worked because the next thing Rowdy said was “Ha-ha”(Alexie 183). This reminds me of the friend ship between George and Lennie in “Of Mice and Men” because George was always there for Lennie even though they didn’t always get along. Overall I feel that this chapter even though it was short it was one of the most important chapters in the book because Junior and Rowdy started to realize that they still love each other. 

Reading #6: 168-198 Summarize the outcome of the game. Why does Junior cry at the end. What does he realize? -Danny K.

In the chapter, In Like a Lion, Junior wins the basketball game against Wellpinit but realizes that he destroyed Rowdy's hopes. After Junior wins the game, he narrates, "I was crying because I had broken my best friend's heart" (Alexie 196). In this quote Junior realizes that basketball was all that Rowdy had. When Rowdy would go home his father would hurt him. For the people at Reardan, their lives would have been great still because they have a copious supply of money and will go to college. Their lives are "set" for themselves. This means that they will have a good life even if they lose a basketball game i.e. losing a game will not impact their hopes and future. For the kids at Wellpinit in the reservation, they do not have much of a future. Junior says "I knew that none of them were going to college. Not one of them" (Alexie 195). This way, basketball acts as a hope in their crumbling lives. However, when Junior won the basketball game against Wellpinit, he took away that hope. This made Rowdy have nothing good in his life, leaving him with nothing pleasant in his life, just harsh poverty. When Junior understands this he sees that he stole Rowdy's dreams, causing him to cry and be upset. The way that Rowdy felt about basketball reminds me of how the Younger family felt about the ten thousand dollar check. The check was the Younger's hope and dreams and when it was taken away, they were left with sadness, just Rowdy. When Junior realizes that he took away Rowdy's hope, he becomes upset.

#6 - Explain the irony of the chapter, "Rowdy and I Have a Long and Serious Discussion About Basketball." (Manu)

        Contrary to the chapter title, Rowdy's and Junior's conversation is short, insensitive, and sarcastic. After the Reardan basketball team crushed Wellpinit, Junior felt happy and confident, but he also felt a little guilty for turning against his tribe (and his best friend). He decided to send an apology email to Rowdy.  Rowdy responded with a nasty remark, but Junior had grown accustomed to the temper and mean comments being directed at him.  In fact, Junior thought there was a hint of friendliness because "it was the first time that Rowdy had talked to [him] since [he] left the rez" (Alexie 198). This is ironic because the conversation wasn't meant to be friendly at all.  The entire "discussion" consisted of three phrases that were filled with rude words. Even though Junior interpreted it in the best way possible, their talk was brief and cynical, not long and serious.
          The email shows how the friendship between the two is ironic itself. Rowdy and Junior are the most unlikely set of friends; tough guys aren't typically friends with nerds. Their relationship is similar to Bennie and Asagai's, from Raisin in the Sun. Asagai is a African man with lots of cultural pride and Bennie is a assimilated black woman. They are an unusual pair, with seemingly conflicting interests, but they support each other in ways no one else could.
          

Reading #5: In "Red Versus White" what does Junior realize about parents? What is the irony? - Elisa

In the chapter “Red Versus White” Junior realizes that parents should listen to their kids, and that a parent shouldn’t ignore his or her children. Junior says, “I’ve learned that the worst thing a parent can do is ignore their children. And, trust me, there are plenty of Reardan kids who get ignored by their parents” (Alexie 153). He believes that parents should make sacrifices for their kids, worry about them, talk to them, and listen to them. Earlier in the chapter he had explained how he is not in love with the white people from Reardan, and how much he loves his own family. Junior narrates, “Ever since I’ve been at Reardan, and seen how great parents do their great parenting, I realize that my folks are pretty good” (Alexie 153). Reardan is very different from Wellpinit reservation, where “Everybody knows everybody” (Alexie 153), which shows how much every kid’s parents cares about them. The irony in this is that the white kids whom the Indians believe are always successful have parents who don’t take care of them, while the Indian kids who are “dirt poor” have great parents. In Junior’s opinion, parents should never ignore their children, and the Indian parents from the reservation are generally better at being there for their children than the white parents from Reardan.

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? -Ben

           Arnold’s first basketball game was against Wellpinit High. That was Arnold’s tribe’s high school. When Arnold walked into the gym everyone went silent. Wellpinit’s team all turned around, everyone except for Rowdy.  “He wanted to play. He didn’t want to turn his back on me. He wanted to kill me face to face” (Alexie, 144). Rowdy is showing his feelings. Even though he isn’t smiling he didn’t turn around. He isn’t so mad that he is done with Arnold, but he still is mad. He laughs on the court, but when he finally gets to the locker room he started crying. His coach told him to use that anger in the game. The issue with that was that was that he didn’t get much playing time. The first time he went on the court someone threw a quarter at his head and Eugene gave him three stitches. The second time Rowdy fouled him and gave him a concussion. Arnold didn’t have much positive to take away from the game, but he had to go to make a statement, and show that he was making a better life for himself. 

Reading #5 Question 3

Question: Who is the first game against...

Answer: Coincidentally the first game of the year is against Junior's former school, Wellpinit High School. The crowd in Wellpinit is not a very welcoming sight. When he enters gym the Rez basketball fans were chanting, "Ar-nold Sucks! Ar-nold Sucks! Ar-nold Sucks!" (143).  As soon as the Reardan team walks onto the basketball court, the Indians turned their backs on Junior. This scene reminds of Boston's relationship with basketball player Ray Allen. Allen joined the Miami Heat even though the Celtics offered more money for him to stay. When Allen returned to Boston, he received boos among the crowd, and Boston turned its back on him. This moment in sports today is similar to the boos Arnold received during the game. Arnold is similar to Allen as well because they are both excellent shooters. Arnold and his team reacts by laughing and just cracking up at the gesture made by the fans, and his friend Rowdy. His coach and teammates get him ready for the game by pumping him up and helping turn his greif into anger. Arnold does get mad, so mad in fact that it makes him cry. Arnold ends up not playing because of a bloody forehead.

Pst #5 Question Number 2: Who is the first game against?...

The first game was against Arnolds old school. The crowd was cheering, "ARNOLD SUCKS! ARNOLD SUCKS!" The coach provides support he is there for Arnold and so are his teammates. When Arnold laughed at the Indians and the coach and teammates supported him by laughing with him. "'If you care about something enough, its 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," (Page 145). The coaches is there for him and he feels Arnolds pain. The coach wants Arnold to use his sadness and get mad. The coach's words impacted Arnold to get mad and want to beat the other team. He also felt support from the the white people and angry with the Indians. He wanted Arnold to use his pain to crush his old school. Then Arnold went into the game someone threw a quarter at him. That incident cause him to get takened out of the game. Even though Arnold never got to "get mad" he still felt like the coach and his team had his back.

Reading 5: "What was Junior’s grandmother’s greatest gift? What has happened to Indians’ sense of tolerance? Why has that occurred? ": Ian

  Having a gift of tolerance, like Junior's grandmother, is one of the best things you could have. It allows you to meet different kinds of people, and enjoy life more. Over time, the Indian's gift for tolerance dissipated, because of the culture that was forced upon them. The European culture that the Native Americans were forced into does not support tolerance: "Of course, ever since white people showed up and brought along their Christianity and their fears of eccentricity, Indians have gradually lost all of their tolerance." (155) They accepted the culture, because they had no choice, and in doing that they lost much of their tolerance. The way that they were treated, combined with a loss of much of their culture also wore their tolerance down, and contributed to making them act more European.Having a culture forced on you can remove a lot of your ethics, replacing them with desperation. Over time, this desperation and oppression wore down on the Native Americans, until it made them meaner and less tolerant than before. That is the cause of this, not something Native American, but the culture that was forced upon them. (Ian McJohn)

Reading Five: "How did Junior make the basketball team? In what ways was this related to his conversation with his dad earlier?" - Emory

Arnold made the basketball team by hard work and determinations. His dad helped him realize that these things will help him achieve his dreams by telling him about how the first time he met Arnold's mother. It was when he was five and she was thirteen, and she helped him get a drink from the water fountain. He said "You have to dream big to get big" (Alexie 136). The next day, during tryouts, Arnold originally thought he was going to get cut and not make the team. He persisted through an intense warm-up, and then when he was up against Roger in one-on-one, he didn't give up. He dreamed big and worked hard, like his dad told him too, and made the varsity team. Arnold used his talk with his father to inspire him to work hard and make the team.

(3) On pages 107-109, Junior tells us morea bout Penelope, amd 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). (Lauren:)

       In the chapter "Hunger Pains," Arnold learns that Penelope is bulimic, and that deep down she is scared. Penelope is smart, intelligent, and very popular, and the society expects her to be the best, and nothing else but the best. However, just because somebody is popular definitely doesn't mean that their not insecure or scared inside. Everybody fears something, and Penelope feels lonely. She hides her true self from everybody just to make herself something that she shouldn't be. "But Penelope starts crying, talking about how lonely she is, and how everybody thinks her life is perfect because she's pretty and smart and popular, but that she's scared all the time, but nobody will let her be scared because she's pretty and smart and popular" (Alexie, 108). Arnold is the only person who truly understands Penelope and who she is under her popular layer. Arnold is the one person that will let Penelope be scared, which is really what Penelope needs. Nobody let's her feel scared because she's pretty, smart, and popular, and that is all that people expect of her.

#4- What does Arnold hide and ultimately reveal in “Dance Dance Dance?” What does he learn? Be sure to discuss the final sentence on page 129 (Addie)

In "Dance, Dance, Dance" Arnold hid, then eventually revealed, that he was incredibly poor. He tried to hide it, but Roger suggested that they go to a diner for a midnight snack. Arnold couldn't pay, and after Penelope talked to him, he admitted that he was poor. Penelope started crying for Arnold, and Arnold realized that she was being his best friend and that she really cared about him. "She started to cry. FOR ME!" (Alexie, 129). She told Roger, who then drove Arnold home, and continued to drive Arnold home after that. From this experience, Arnold learned that if you let someone into your life, they could help you when you need it.

Reading #3 (pg. 99-132) (4) Why does Rowdy call Junior Racist? Is he right? - Athena

Is it considered racist for someone of a color to like someone of a different color that has more privileges and rights than the other? You could argue that they are only in love with the other not because of who they are but because of what they have and the skin color that gives them the right to have it. However I say, in Junior's case, that's not all true.
Rowdy and Junior have a little chat over e-mail about Junior being in love with a white girl. Rowdy replies to Junior how hundreds of Mexican girls go missing and nobody really cares but when one white girl goes missing, its all over the news. He thinks that Junior is racist, like everyone else because he likes a white girl. Rowdy has also said before that Junior is stupid for liking Dawn, an Indian girl. Rowdy seems to look down on every girl Junior likes, no matter what skin color they are.
"She tracked the ball with her blue eyes. Just watched it intensely. Like that volleyball mattered more than anything else in the world. [Junior] got jealous of that ball. [He] wished [he was] that ball." (Alexie 115). According to this quote, Junior wanted to be the ball that mattered more than anything else in the world to Penelope. It was more about wanting to be what Penelope had and not wanting what she had. Junior described in detail about how beautiful and gorgeous Penelope is.  He is so in love with her that he even sent an email to his best "frenemy" about it. You can argue that deep down he's just being a racist bastard, but if "[you] almost fainted when she was [serving]," (Alexie, 115), then you have definitely fallen in love - hard.
On the surface, Junior looks like he loves Penelope because she is a white girl, but underneath all that was a bond that held them closer - something they both earned for. "- Indian boys weren't suppose to dream like that. And white girls from small towns weren't supposed to dream big, either." (Alexie, 112). However, both of them dream big. Penelope dreams of building something that can make her remembered, and Junior wants to create more hope for the Indians. Although Junior admitted that he "mostly loved to look at her" (Alexie 113), he drew a cartoon of her, and he drew cartoons to express himself; he drew cartoons to make amends between Rowdy and him; he drew cartoons of the important people in his life. Penelope, of all the people, opened up to him, and although each was using the other to have a better life (a smudge or more popularity), later, Junior did fall in love. Rowdy says it's racist for an Indian boy to like a white girl, and that could be true, but love doesn't have boundaries. Some people will tamper with love, but for Junior that is not the case.

#4 What does Arnold hide and ultimately reveal in “Dance Dance Dance?” What does he learn? Be sure to discuss the final sentence on page 129. (Maia)

In “Dance, Dance, Dance” Arnold is desperately trying to hide the fact that he is dirt poor out of fear of what his friends will think of him if they find out. “And after they all found out I was a poor-ass Indian, I knew they would be a couple (p 124).” This quote shows the role of money in this society, as well as how it affects Arnold and his confidence. Penelope and Roger are both richer than him, and they don’t think he’s any different. He is afraid that they will turn on him if they find out, but there are some things you can’t keep secret for long, and this is certainly one of them. When Penelope confronts him, he decides he can’t lie any longer, and he braces himself for her to leave him, but she doesn’t. She asks him how he gets home, because she cares about him. He tells her about walking and hitchhiking and she is shocked.“Oh, my God, Arnold, you can’t do that,’ she said. ‘I won’t let you do that. You’ll freeze. Roger will drive you hoe. He’ll be happy to drive you home (p 129).” This quote shows how much Penelope cares about him, and how she doesn’t care whether he is rich or poor. She likes him for who he is, and so does Roger. This reaction was definitely not what Arnold was expecting, but he learned that his friends liked him for who he was, and they will help him. “If you let people in to your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing (p. 129).” His friends helped him with his problem (in this case poverty) and Roger would never have been able to help him if they had never known about his problems. 

Reading #4 p.99-132 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) (Molly)

Junior learns that Penelope is bulimic and scared, but she is afraid to show her emotions and her true self. She doesn't want anyone to know that she is bulimic, afraid that it will ruin her reputation. "She'd obviously tried to cover the smell of vomit with the biggest piece of cinnamon gum in the world" (Alexie 106). Penelope thinks that if she lets people know about the imperfect part of her, then nobody would like her anymore and not know her as the perfect girl who has a perfect life. She is also sad that nobody really knows her; that she is lonely and scared. "...how everybody thinks her life is perfect because she's pretty and smart and popular..." (Alexie 108). Penelope finally spills this all out to Junior and I hope that helps her gain the confidence to tell more people about who she really is.

#4 pages 67-98, Junior explains how alone he feels. Why does he feel this way? How does what happens in science class reinforce his feelings? (-Josh)

Junior has no one to be friends with and no one will accept him. Everybody ignores him and no one wants to be near him. "So that made me, well, it made me nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada." (Alexie 82). This quote shows how Junior feels alone isolated from the others.  Junior thinks that he is 'lower' than an indian and feels like the whites are superior over him. Roger is the only person who notices his existence by nodding his head sometimes but never did anyone really talk to Junior. "I just walked to class alone; during PE I stood in the corner of the gym playing catch with mysel. Just tossed a basketball up and down, up and down, up and down." (Alexie 83) This quote illustrates an image of Junior by himself, no one to talk to, no one to play with, not even to walk to class with. All this changes in science class. Junior finds that he is smarter than most of the kids in Reardan and so when Mr. Dodge was talking about petrified wood could turn into rock he decides to correct him. He raises his hand fr the first time ever and gives his explanation on why Mr. Dodge was wrong. Mr. Dodge was fuming and his face was all red. He responds to Junior with a diss about how he was Indian and from the reservation. Junior feels embarrassed and back to being nothing. Then Gordy the class genius, raises his hand to prove how Junior was right and explains his theory. At this moment Junior feels like he wasn't alone again. He felt like someone who stood up for him, to help him. Someone he could be friends with.

#3 p. 67- 98 What do you make of Arnold's relationship with his grandmother? (Louis)

When Arnold is with his grandmother he enjoys himself and doesn’t feel like such an outcast. When Arnold transfers to a new school he is scared about all the kids picking on him but then he stands up and is respected just like his grandmother said he would be. Arnold loves his grandmother and they always seem to be happy with each other. They love and cherish their moments together and if I were in his position I would do the same. Arnold sees his grandmother as a very cool person in his drawing of her and states that she has “mad skills” because she wears basketball shoes and he really appreciates her. When he is talking to his grandmother after he punched Roger in the face and she gave him advise he says “Grandma I love you” “But you’re crazy”(Alexie 69). Arnold is close to his grandmother like Travis is close to his grandmother in “A Raisin in the Sun” and they both feel the same way. Arnolds Grandmother is one of the people in his life that can help him and that he can trust and that is why he loves her so much.

#3 - What is the importance of Gordy's friendship for Junior? (Manu)

After connecting with Gordy, Junior feels less like an outcast and starts accepting himself. When Junior switches schools, everything changes suddenly. He finds himself at an entirely Caucasian school, and also loses his best friend. Junior goes through the first couple days at school, constantly being teased and made fun of by the other students. His self-esteem levels keep spiraling downwards, and he can't help but believe what his peers are saying about him. As he walks through the hallways, there are no other Indian faces. He begins to lose hope, thinking that his suffering isn’t worth much. Then, he meets Gordy. After Gordy backs him up in science class, Junior decides to befriend him. “(Junior) was lonely and sad and isolated and terrified...Just like Gordy" (Alexie 94). With a friend who is similar to him, Junior feels less lonely as the only dark-skinned student in the hallways. He realizes that race and background don't have to restrict friendship; there are other ways to connect with people. Similarly, in Of Mice and Men, the "weak ones" (Steinbeck 73) figure out that they don't have to be middle-aged white men to make friends. Gordy’s friendship is the turning point for Junior, because the first step to facing the world is accepting yourself. 

Who (in your life) makes you feel welcomed and confident?

Reading #3 p. 67-98: Explain the significance/importance of the friendship with Gordy for Junior -Danny

Junior's relationship with Gordy helps Junior's confidence and helps lessen his loneliness. After a science class where Junior said that the science teacher was wrong and Gordy supported him, Gordy told Junior that he did not support Junior, but only supported science. Junior then came up to Gordy and started talking to him where he realized that Gordy was worse socially than Junior, and they became friends. Junior narrates, "I was an Indian kid from the reservation. I was lonely and sad and isolated and terrified. Just like Gordy"(Alexie 94). This shows how Junior understands that him and Gordy are akin because both are not popular and at the bottom of the social order. But, he realizes that Gordy is less popular and more strange when he narrates, "I wasn't laughing WITH him. I was laughing AT him" (Alexie 93). This helped Junior realize that his life in Reardan could be worse. When he understood this Junior wanted to become friends with Gordy because of their similarities and Gordy is stranger than Junior. This made Junior feel better because by comparison, Junior is less strange and because he has a friend that he can relate to, he feels less lonely. This situation partially reminds of Curly's wife in  Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. This is because Curly's wife was so lonely that she wanted to make friends and Junior was also lonely and wanted to make friends. Overall, Junior needs Gordy because their relationship boosts his confidence and makes Junior feel less lonely. However, one question that I had about this part was why did Gordy answer the way he did to Junior? Was he autistic, or just anti-social?

Reading #2 p. 32-66, In Junior's mind, what is a "real Indian"? How does this impact him? - Elisa

In Junior's mind, a "real Indian" is an Indian who lives alone in the woods, unlike those living in the reservation, and someone that Junior thinks he could never be. When his father leaves him at Reardan High School for his first day of school, Junior is the only Indian among all the white kids, and everyone stares at him. He is waiting outside for school to begin, and he thinks that he could escape to “go live in the woods like a hermit. Like a real Indian" (Alexie 58). Junior thinks that nobody on his reservation is a “real Indian,” as he has a very low opinion of the Indians living on the reservation. He believes that he could never be a "real Indian" and says, “since I was allergic to pretty much every plant that grew on earth, I would have been a real Indian with a head full of snot" (Alexie 58). This quote shows that Junior has a very low self-esteem. He believes that since he is neither a white person full of hope nor a real Indian who lives in the forest, he is not a worthy individual. This is similar to A Raisin in the Sun, where Lena and Ruth are from Africa, but they are not real Africans, as they do not know anything about their African heritage. Beneatha tells Lena that all anyone knows about Africa is from the story of Tarzan. In both stories the characters live in ignorance of their ancestry and culture.