Preview

Sherman Alexie's 'Crack Open A Loan Account'

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
574 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Sherman Alexie's 'Crack Open A Loan Account'
Aaron Witter
10/10/10
Period 2
Crack Open a Loan Account

Individuals that grow up with poverty in their lives end up committing actions that are out of desperation, enlarging their problems in the end. Alcohol quickly gets dragged into the picture when poverty comes up. In Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian poverty has its grasp on most members of the reservation, and many of them have drinking problems in order to deal with their fiscal troubles.
All Junior has ever known is poverty, but he is able to recognize that his situation is bad. Junior analyzes his situation saying “it sucks to be poor, and it sucks even more to feel that you somehow deserve to be poor (13)”. Junior is aware of the fact that he
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Seeing And Making Culture Summary
    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Seeing And Making Culture Summary

    Now in days, television shows and movies depict the poor as people with no ambition, no dignity, people who cannot be happy with themselves while living in poverty. These negative stereotypes often fill people with a stigma of being or becoming poor. Many of us in this generation, who grew up in poverty or with blue-collar workers as parents, have dealt…

    • 588 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Case Study: Jay W.
    • 1722 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Case Study: Jay W.

    Financial Aspects: Jay’s parents pay for him to attend college and give him $1,000 monthly. Jay spends approximately $75 per week on beer which is roughly thirty percent of his income and his money doesn’t always last until the end of the month. He points that to his parents not giving him enough money. One of the harms related to alcohol is the financial status of the family of the abuser. The spending amount by the alcohol abuser increases to tolerate their habit. Due to restrictions of the family income inflicts, the alcoholic abuser begins to borrow money, steal and/or sell household objects in order to withstand his habit (Doweiko,…

    • 1722 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Story of Tom Brennan
    • 14950 Words
    • 60 Pages

    The Story of Tom Brennan

    Notes on the author Synopsis Genre, structure and style Background notes on alcohol abuse Chapter summaries Themes, motifs and symbols Character analysis Quotations General discussion questions and activities Essay questions Oral assignments Short written responses Extension work Appendix: How to plan a text response 3 4 5 6 7 17 22 26 29 31 32 33 34 35…

    • 14950 Words
    • 60 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Lone Ranger And Tonto Fistfight In Heaven
    • 66 Words
    • 1 Page

    The Lone Ranger And Tonto Fistfight In Heaven

    In the novel, “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” by Sherman Alexie, alcohol plays a major role in reservation life. Sherman Alexie depicts a native american reservation where the Spokanes are very vulnerable to alcohol. The Spokanes are vulnerable to alcohol because of what it represents to them. In “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven,” alcohol represents cultural loss, pain, and emptiness.…

    • 66 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Toni Bambara The Lesson Analysis
    • 1199 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Toni Bambara The Lesson Analysis

    The writer presents a young adolescent who is in her initial stages of life. Initially, she does not know that she is poor, but from her interactions with Miss Moore and the other rich kids, she becomes aware of her environment. She is however reluctant to accept that she is disadvantaged which a positive character is. It is surprising to note that believes she is the best despite realizing that she is disadvantaged. She portrays a positive character when she says, “aint nobody gonna beat me at nuthin.” She is different from many people who would feel this affects their ego. She is focused on remaining upbeat that she is the best among all of her…

    • 1199 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hidden America Summary
    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hidden America Summary

    The most prevalent issue among the Native Americans living on the reservation is alcoholism. Around 80 percent of adults living on Pine Ridge are alcoholic. The interactionist perspective argues that drug and alcohol use is learned through others (Leon-Guerrero, 332). However, “research indicates that factors such as demography…

    • 679 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Culturally Safe Care: A Case Study
    • 267 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Culturally Safe Care: A Case Study

    According to my cultural values, any issue that occurred due to substance abuse is self-imposed. From my point of view, these problems occur as a result of weak personal traits and moral, rather than mental or physical illness. For this reason, being aware of Tom’s alcohol addiction, it might be difficult to feel sympathy (Happell,…

    • 267 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Navajo Nation Alcohol Abuse Case Study
    • 101 Words
    • 1 Page

    Navajo Nation Alcohol Abuse Case Study

    The problem of alcohol abuse on the Navajo Nation is widespread and devastating, leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Substance abuse is associated with substantial health consequences, including liver disease, alcohol-related accidents, suicide, and domestic violence. The expansive nature of the reservation and systems of structural violence perpetuate health and socioeconomic inequities on the Navajo Nation, making interventions difficult. Furthermore, many patients on the Navajo Nation lack the financial and logistical means to travel hours off of the reservation to receive care. This renders the centralized system of alcohol abuse treatment through hospitals and clinics in border towns inefficient and unsuccessful.…

    • 101 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Part Time Indian Stereotypes
    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Part Time Indian Stereotypes

    When interviewed Sherman Alexie said “It’s [alcoholism] not a stereotype,it's a damp, damp reality. Native Americans have an epidemic rate of alcoholism”(Alexie, 23:30). Sherman Alexie is the author of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (Part-Time Indian). Stereotyping mainly is the perceived notion especially for a group of people. However, there are unfortunate times when a stereotype perceived about a group of people is correct, similar to the case of Alexie when voicing his opinions about his race, when alcoholism is the reality. He expresses these opinions in his book Part-Time Indian where the main character Junior must cope with three severe losses of close family and friends. In addition, the character feels he is a part-time…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Part-Time Indian Identity
    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Part-Time Indian Identity

    The poverty faced by Junior's community results in his lack of opportunity . The 6 panel storyboard on page 88 shows the difficulties Junior faces when travelling to school as a result of his poverty. The staccato use of language and flat tone in the dialogue of the graphic emphasises on Junior's hopelessness that he is forced to cope with, as seen in the caption "Next Week: Start over (but in a different order!)". However the recurring motif of the road in the panels shows Juniors will to go to school in order to break out of the cycle of poverty. Further, the use of cartoons has a thematic link to the poverty experienced by Junior and his community. He draws because he ‘wants the world to pay attention to him’ and he knows that drawing is the ‘only way he can become rich and famous’. Therefore, the visual imagery has an added poignancy to it, illustrating both Junior’s emotions and feelings, alongside his desire to escape the cycle of poverty that entrapped his community. Alcoholism and violence is also linked to poverty. When Junior learns of his sister's death, he immediately assumes "OF COURSE THEY WERE DRUNK! THEY'RE INDIANS!". The use of capitalisation places huge emphasis on how Junior recognises that numerous deaths occur as a direct result of alcohol and that it is one of the biggest threats to his…

    • 1221 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Native American Culture Summary
    • 1658 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Native American Culture Summary

    While there is some thought that Native Americans are particularly susceptible to alcoholism due to genetic factors the author believes that this is probably not the case. If one looks at the trauma, cultural genocide and socioeconomic revearsals endured by this culture over the last 150 years this is far more likely to be the cause. One’s culture plays a huge role in our mental health and when that is “forcefully taken away it weakens a person’s emotional well being” as noted by Emile Durkheim in Suicide.(Walle, 57-60,…

    • 1658 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Jimmy Driver: A Short Story
    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Jimmy Driver: A Short Story

    Jimmy Driver, a normal 12 year old boy from Ohio, has no clue what might happen in his future. He would love to be rich and have a luxurious life. Jimmy might think this is how he was meant to live but when life throws problems at him, he had to figure out what to do. First, his parents got divorced and his mother had no money to care for Jimmy. As Jimmy began to live most of his days with his dad, he continued to miss the way life used to be. “Why did this have to happen to me?, Why me?” Jimmy would say to himself. Even though Jimmy thought he was in the worst position, he could never imagine rock bottom. On the way to school one day Jimmy’s father's car broke down and they were left on the side of the road next to a forest. Jimmy then…

    • 535 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Alcohol Abuse In Alaska Natives
    • 1217 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Alcohol Abuse In Alaska Natives

    The concepts of alcohol abuse and dependence are very common among Alaska natives, and are associated with high rates of violence and health problems (Seale, Shellenberger & Spence, 2006, p.1). A survey by the Gallup organization found that 14.9% of American Indians & Alaska natives were dependent on alcohol and another 4.1 were alcohol abusers (p.2). Let’s look at those stats this way, that 14.9 is a huge number regarding their population size. Society been have overlooked this issue, alcohol research studies back in the day didn’t focus on native communities and excluding them in their studies (p.6). Alcohol was introduced to the native communities by Russian fur traders and whales, who took advantage of the native individuals when they were intoxicated (p.7). The men were said to be the most influenced and so they started getting addicted and it started affecting their work (p.8). For example, as one native women stated in an interview “Spring is our time of gathering for the winter like hunting and fishing, but the men stayed drunk and we didn’t stock food for the winter” (p.8). Violence and the factors that come with it also emerges when an individual or community start to abuse…

    • 1217 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Effects Of Poverty On Child Development
    • 1600 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Effects Of Poverty On Child Development

    The term poverty is usually used to simply refer to a lack of money, but living in a state of financial instability is both physically and emotionally damaging. While an adolescent who grows up in a middle class suburb is taught that he or she can go to college, marry, have a rewarding career, and make a meaningful contribution to the world at large, a child born into poverty must struggle to simply make it to adulthood. The long term effects of poverty are why this is a social issue that deserves public attention. Poverty…

    • 1600 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Impact Of Alcoholism Research Paper
    • 2679 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Impact Of Alcoholism Research Paper

    The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of what alcoholism is, and how alcohol induced disease, the deleterious impact of heavy drinking, alcohol abuse and alcoholism on the United States.…

    • 2679 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More

Related Topics