Book Review and Project Explanation

We have recently been reading "The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie. The summary of this book is that a kid named Arnold, who was born with health issues, gets bullied on an everyday basis on the rez. His best friend Rowdy was his protector, but he couldn't erect Arnold forever.  He needed to get off the rez and pursue his dreams. He finally gets the motivation to transfer schools. Telling Rowdy about his move was the hardest thing for him. Rowdy was upset with Arnold and gave him the cold shoulder along with a little bit of bullying.  He ends up going to an all white rich school, Reardon, and there he then meets the love of his life, Penelope. Reardon started off a little rough but as time went by, Arnold's time at Reardon became more and more enjoyable. He gained new friends and most importantly, he made the basketball team and became their secret weapon. With reading this book, we decided on our product to be a timeline. We chose to do a timeline because it highlights the important events that went on in chronological order. In our timeline, we will be sharing the important events that makes our book unique and inspiring. Our book didn't mention any dates, so instead of putting dates, we're drawing pictures that symbolize that certain scene.

TPCASTT Love Yourself

There is a scene in A True Diary of a Part-Time Indian where Arnold hears someone upchucking in the women's bathroom. He was confused and unsure about what to do. He soon finds out that it was Penelope that was throwing up. Since Arnold's dad is an alcoholic, he assumed that Penelope was drunk. It turns out that Penelope is bulimic. I chose the song "Love Yourself" by Justin Bieber because I strongly think the lyrics relate to this scene in the book. "Cause if you like the way, you look that much, oh baby, you should go and love yourself". This song is basically saying how he's better on his own without her because she had too many problems going on. This might be the opposite of the scene but the chorus' theme is abut confidence. If there was a movie about the book, and this scene came on, I could see an instrumental version of this song play. The electric guitar in the background is so soothing and gentle. 

Emma's Slam Poem Research

Lost voices by Darius Simpson and Scout Bostley is a slam poem that is about not being able to speak up for yourself and how hard it is in their everyday life. In A True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Arnold is an indian boy who enters the halls of Reardon High School, an all white school, where the town of Reardon is quite racist. In the video of the slam poem, a white girl is talking for an african american man and vise versa. He talks about "the first couple times he's realized he's black" and she talks about how being a women is a struggle with sexual men out in the world. "That was the first time I realized having skin color was a crime". In the book, it says that when indians would drive through Reardon they would get a DWI. DWI stand for "driving while indian". The slam poem talks about how much of a struggle it is when no one speaks up for you when you can't speak up for yourself.

TPCASTT Stressed Out By: Twenty-One Pilots

        I chose Stressed Out by: Twenty-One Pilots because I thought I would take on the challenge of relating a modern song to an older book. It was easier than I expected. Stressed Out is a song that shows worry over responsibilities and the challenges that come with it. The lyrics flip back and forth between obvious nostalgia for their childhood days, and stepping up and owning responsibilities as well as fixing old mistakes. The attitude of this song is nervous or high-strung and lacking the self-confidence to own up to these tasks. There is one major shift about halfway through the song, which points to the various connotations of this song: about how they are stressed about the future and then how they miss their childhood days. It relates directly to the theme of stressed, nervous and tired. The instrumentals make the shift even easier to follow. Some of the problems people have today can relate to those of years ago. It's very interesting that we can relate so well. Given the same problem, it's logical that we as a species would act ,more or less, the same ways

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TPCASTT Indian Reservation

Marissa Wroten

Indian Resrvation vs. Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

      The song Indian Reservation by Paul Revere has a big connection with the book Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. One line of lyrics that shows how closely the song relates with the book is, "took away our ways of life, the tomahawk and the bow and the knife." This is explaining how the Native Americans were first put on the reservation because the white people put them there to die. Not only were they put on the camps, they were stripped of their culture. In the book many people on the reservation close to junior and apart of his family die. Another stanza from the songs says, "they took the whole Indian nation locked us on the reservation." This is talking about after the Indians sacrificed what they did for all Americans the white people locked them up. In the book we are shown how the Indian reservation continues to stay along with the people there that continue to live the way they do even though they don't have to in this day and age. The point of the song is to show how thankful we are for Native Americans, but then tell the story of the reservations in the past. Songer Paul Revere almost protests the way he feels in the song. The instrumentals of the song play a role of setting the mood. In the beginning of the song it starts out slower and as it makes its way to the chorus the beat begins to get more intense. Same with the lyrics of the song, they start out less aggressive and become more and more intense. The song and the novel are very closely related and both tell a story of the Indian Reservations. 

Joe's Slam Poem Research

Title: In Line at the Soup Kitchen by: Andrea Madaferri

11-Sentence Paragraph:
      In Line at the Soup Kitchen is an interesting and emotional poem by Andrea Madaferri. It is about a normal person talking to those who are in poverty and just listening to their story. Sometimes that is all people need: to be heard. After explaining how they became to be what they are today, the poor people feel a weight lifted off their shoulders, as if just talking about their troubles could fix everything. And the man likes to listen. He likes to understand their problems and understand why he is helping them today at the Soup Kitchen. This poem is meant for us to make a connection to the poor and help us care and understand them. They are regular people, just unfortunate regular people. "Their gift to me is their life story or their current state of being"(12-13. Madaferri) Hearing their experiences enlightens him on his path, and what mistakes and choices not to make as well as make. He listens because he cares.

Marissa's Slam Poem Research

Title of Slam Poem: Poverty versus Privelage

11-Sentence Paragraph:
        Poverty vs. Privelage has a big connection with the book Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. The poem compares poor life with the wealthy life. While comparing the two, it talks about family life and how easy or hard things come. The poem happens to go hand in hand with the book, because the book is all about life on the Indian reservation and the struggles of money, education and family life. In the book it shows both perspectives. One at school on the reservation and one on the other side of the town where people have money and things come easier. These poeople don't struggle with money, transportation or education. The slam poem created the message that life can be difficult in times of poverty and if no one works hard to change that then it will continue in a cycle. The book also creates the same message that if everyone stays on the reservation and gets the same education they will continue to be in poverty.