Why does Junior cry on pages 216 and 217? Charlie W

On page 216 and 217 Junior cries for his sister and all the loss he has had in the past few months.
He also cried for how brave his sister was for leaving the reservation and chasing her dreams. At the bottom of page 216 it says "We were supposed to disappear" (Alexie 216) This shows that she was noble and brave because just before that Sherman Alexie says that reservations were supposed to be prisons but Mary broke free and followed her dream to Montana. Even though she didn't catch her dream, she made a attempt which is what really counts. This really counts because at the beginning of the book Mr.P says that people on the rez have already given up but its not to late for Junior or Mary. Junior also cries for himself because he took Mr.P advice and not given up and it made him a better person and made him believe in himself.  This teaches us that even if people have given up around you don't let them pull you down with them. You can be better and you can prevail.

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

The last line of the book, “We didn’t keep score” (230), is significant because for the past year since Junior transferred to Rearden, the relationship between Rowdy and Junior was very tense and full of hatred, but at the end of the book, the boys finally reconnect with a game of basketball. The fact that Junior is saying that they didn’t even keep score just shows how they are actually learning to accept the fact that Junior has made the choice to be at Rearden and that they are truly friends. Before, they would’ve played an intense game of basketball, both desperately trying to prove the other better, but only true friends wouldn’t care about the score. Both boys had missed the other, even Rowdy, who is the tough guy who has no emotional moments, had dreamed about Junior. Rowdy also showed how much he truly cared about Junior when the boys were talking before their game of scoreless basketball, “For a second, I thought he was going to cry. Really. I expected him to cry” (Alexie 229). After this long of being not friends, Rowdy had even almost broke, and it is very meaningful if Rowdy, who is very competitive, doesn’t even want to keep score. They are only glad that they are friends again and that although things will never be the exact same again, at least they are together playing scoreless basketball.

8. 1. Why does Rowdy tell Arnold, "You killed her" (211)? Is there truth to this statement? (Liv Y.)

          Rowdy's statement is partly true because he inspired Mary by going to Reardan, but he didn't firsthand kill her. Rowdy tells Junior this at Mary's funeral. Because Junior decided to go to school at Reardan, this motivated Mary to run away and live in Montana. "But she only got married so quickly and left the rez because I had left the rez first." (Alexie, 211). By attending Reardan, Junior is showing that it is okay to follow your dreams and do something different from everyone else on the rez. This is what inspires Mary to get away from her life and do whatever she wants. Rowdy's accusation isn't completely true, but there is some truth in it. Junior did not set Mary's trailer on fire, but he was part of the reason why she ran away. If she hadn't run away, she could still be alive. Mary ran away because Arnold inspired her, but he didn't actually kill her.

#7 3. Summarize the outcome of their game. Why does Junior cry at the end? What does he realize?

Junior's varsity team beat the Wellpinit team by many points, humiliating them and making them feel angry and mad. Junior's team, Reardon, consists of well-off people who don't have to worry as much about the money that they spend. On the other hand, the Wellpinit team members have to worry about how they are going to get breakfast in the morning. The Wellpinit team walks into the Reardon gym being booed and being made fun of even though they already feel embarrassed because they are not as rich at all as the Reardon students. At the end of the game they get more embarrassed because of their loss. Junior starts crying at the end of the game because he knows that he and his team just made the Wellpinit team feel more bad. He realizes that the Wellpinit team takes pride in their basketball success, one of the only things they feel good about and he just ruined their feeling of pride. Junior says, "I was suddenly ashamed that I'd wanted so badly to take revenge on them," (196 Alexie) because he knows that his team is more privileged than theirs and he should try to help them think more highly of themselves.

What is Arnold’s grieving ceremony? What connection do you see between this and the cartoon on 166?(ColinM)

      Ever since Eugene died, Junior had a tough time getting around the fact that Eugene was dead and that there was nothing he could do to change it. His attempts to cheer himself up consisted mainly of  "writing and rewriting, drawing and redrawing and revising and re-editing." (Alexie 178) This later turned into his grieving ceremony. Junior wrote about the happy things in his life, in the hope that he would appreciate them more, and be grateful for them, while they were still there to be appreciated. When Junior's grandma died, there were still countless questions to be asked and a hundred hugs to be given, which couldn't be given anymore because she was dead. This further shows that you should ask your questions and show your love before it's too late. Junior's grieving and grieving ceremony relates to the cartoon on 166. This cartoon depicts a man laughing and crying. This picture symbolizes that after all the grieving and crying comes happiness. This shows that bad things don't last forever and you can always overcome the hard times in your life if you try to stay positive.

#5 2. Summarize the cartoon on 182. What is the significance? What does this show about Junior? What is his dilemma? - Saffy P

Junior draws a cartoon demonstrating what people say to him and how he feels when he plays basketball in Reardan versus when he is playing at Wellpinit. The cartoon has been placed when Junior is bragging about how amazing his team has become. The cartoon shows that when he is in the Wellpinit gym, he is criticized for betrayal, and being a "White lover" (Alexie 182). Meanwhile, when Junior is in the Reardan gym, he is encouraged, and supported by the crowds. A question that Junior asks that can be seen throughout the cartoon is "Who am I?" (Alexie 182). Junior asks this question because at Wellpinit, he no longer feels like he fits in because he has betrayed the school to go to Reardan. Junoir's tribe call him an "Apple" (Alexie 131,)  because he looks Indian, but they think that really, he is white on the inside. At Reardan, Junior can never really fit in because he is the only Indian kid in the school, he may feel like he fits in, but someone will always hate him for being Indian. Junoir says, " I wasn't from the town ... so I would always be an outsider." The question that Junoir ponders represents the title of the book "A Part-Time Indian," because Junoir is partially an Indian, but also a white person on the inside. Junior illustrates the two sides of his personality in this cartoon.

#6-4: What was Junior’s grandmother’s greatest gift? What has happened to Indians’ sense of tolerance? Why has that occurred? (Sofi P.)

Junior's grandmother's greatest gift was the gift of tolerance. In the old days, Indians often honored characteristics often seen as weird today. "In fact, weird people were often celebrated." They thought seizures were given to lucky ones as a gift from God, and that gays were special because they were both caregivers and warriors, instead of  one. Over time, the Indians' sense of tolerance has ceased to exist. Junior says white people brought their fear of difference to native cultures, causing the loss of acceptance.