Defeatism In The Absolute True Story Of A Part Time Indian

Defeatist Attitude A Dangerous Mind Set Defeatism is a dangerous mind set to have. When one expects to fail and accept it, is likely one will fail. Defeatism takes away one’s ability to handle pressure and one’s composure. It leaves a person unable to handle events in an effective way. It also robs people of the ability they will need to succeed at whatever they set out to do. With a defeatist attitude people give up quickly and fold at the first sign of trouble. In the book The Absolute True Story Of A Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexi several of the characters suffered from a defeatist attitude. “Self-confidence is an inner quality that is not a steady state. It comes and goes depending on the environment we find ourselves in”. (Edmunds, USA Today) The characters Arnold, Rowdy and Arnold’s parents all displayed life altering attitudes of defeatism.
Because of Rowdy’s defeatist attitude instead of accepting the invitation to go to a better school he cursed Arnold. Rowdy was raised by a drunken father that physically and mentally abused him fostering a defeatist attitude in Rowdy. Defeatism blurs one’s vision and covers one’s ears. A person loses the ability to see the situation in an objective way. Making things worse, it also makes it hard for one to listen to good advice. Even if the advice is sound, one won’t be able to appreciate it, much less act on it. As a result, one misses many chances to grow, reach goals, or turn things around. “When faced with defeatist thoughts, immediately ask yourself, So what if I fail. Tell yourself that failures do not deserve your attention.” (Article.vbml.net pg. 2) “Pay attention to your thoughts. You may not be able to control all if the many thoughts constantly running through your mind, but you can control which ones you choose to hold on to.” (Edmunds USA