(pg. 1-31) Why does Arnold draw? - Athena

Arnold wants to talk to and be heard by the world, but since words are too limited and unpredictable for  Arnold to express himself, he draws. He draws because there aren't different languages of drawing. There is only one, that every person from the four corners of the earth can understand. Not only does drawing let him communicate, but it also creates hope for him that one day he could escape the reservation and achieve his dreams. "I think the world is a series of broken dams and floods, and my cartoons are tiny little lifeboats."(Alexie 6). This quote expresses how in Arnold's reality, there is no hope for someone like him, an Indian with medical problems and parents who are forgetful and alcoholic. However, through the countless cartoons he draws; because most of his people that are famous and rich are artists of the performing arts and visual arts; he feels like he can grow up to be somebody important, and somebody who is listened to, against all odds. 

This is similar to Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez. Anita is a twelve year old girl going through the rough times of the dictatorship of Trujillo. She copes with everything that happens, from her first crush to losing her father, by keeping a diary. Anita is the opposite of Arnold, believing that her words are powerful and that they will be left behind to tell her story to others. 

Some may say words can describe and create images in our minds, but not everyone having the same exact one, giving us freedom to create our own world with the words we have. While others will say drawing creates images for us to see already, and that no matter where we are from or who we are, we will all understand it.  Which one effects you more?