During the basketball game between Reardan and Wellpinit, in which Reardan was victorious, Junior cries because he realizes that the game is symbolic of life, the stronger team will be more victorious. After the game, Junior feels ashamed of wanting to beat Wellpinit because he notices that he had taken away their dreams of success. Junior realizes that all of the seniors on his team will be going to college offering them a better life, but all of the seniors on the Wellpinit team will be working on the reservation unable to attend college. Sherman Alexie uses the game to symbolize the vast differences in life; since Reardan won they have more opportunities because they are financially wealthier than Wellpinit who will continue to live on the reservation in poverty. Junior cries because he is “ suddenly ashamed of my anger, my rage, and my pain… I was crying tears of shame,” (196). Junior cries because he realizes that since the Wellpinit children were born into poverty without any opportunities because most of their parents are criminals, and drunks, unlike the Reardan parents. When Junior thought about the differences in the lives of a child from Reardan compared to the life of a child at Wellpinit it made him cry because of how bad the Indians conditions are and how important this game would have been for them. After the game against Wellpinit Junior realizes that the Reardan children have more opportunities because their parents care about them and their education, unlike the Wellpinit parents.
Do you think Junior will help other people on the reservation leave based on the guilt that he feels after the game?
Why do you think Sherman Alexie used the basketball game as symbol of the differences of the life style of a Reardan child and a Wellpinit child?
What do you think Junior would have done if Wellpinit had won the game? Would he have noticed the same things? Why?
Do you think Junior will help other people on the reservation leave based on the guilt that he feels after the game?
Why do you think Sherman Alexie used the basketball game as symbol of the differences of the life style of a Reardan child and a Wellpinit child?
What do you think Junior would have done if Wellpinit had won the game? Would he have noticed the same things? Why?
I think that After the at Junior's school. Junior will not help them. This is because when he sees them there is nothing he can do. They all hate him for who he is and will never give him a chance to reconcile with them. Also they pushed him down and tried to make him fail when he was trying to get out of there position. The only person he might help would be Rowdy. This is because Rowdy is his best friend and Junior knows how bad it is for him at his house. Rowdy is the only one who might also accept Junior's help unlike all the other boys at the Rez. This is why Junior cannot help other people on the reservation.
ReplyDeleteSherman Alexie used the basketball game as a symbol of the difference in lifestyle between a Reardan student and a Wellpinit student because it is something that all of the children on both teams love. He used this to compare the same situation between two different types of people. When Wellpinit one the first game against Reardan the Wellpinit crowd and team didn’t care that the Reardan team was sad. They hated Junior for being apart of the white lifestyle, the lifestyle where everything is always “amazing”. After this loss Junior was angry and wanted to plan revenge against Wellpinit in the next basketball game. Although once this basketball game came in this chapter, Junior did get his revenge but his emotions were much different than he thought they would be. He realized that Wellpinit winning games was big for the children because they didn’t have much to be happy about. For white kids at Reardan once they won this game they would have many other highs in their life and not just the high of winning a basketball game. White and Indian children both struggle but Indians struggles are worse. Indians at Wellpinit don’t have many highs in their life but white people at Reardan do. Sherman Alexie used the basketball game to show the differences between two groups of children that both love the same thing. It showed how much the same thing can mean to the Indians compared to the white.
ReplyDeleteSherman Alexie used the basketball game as a symbol to show the difference in expectations between white people and Indians. When Arnold stuffs Rowdy and hits a three in his face, the Reardan crowd overreacts so much. When other white people do the same thing nobody starts weeping, the band doesn't start playing, the game isn't just over. Junior would not have reacted the same way if Wellpint had won the game because he would not have been sad for Rowdy. He doesn't really cry at all if he loses a game that is only if he loses people.
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