Alexie learned to read at 3 years old, a poor Indian boy, middle class by the reservations terms, who read "Grapes of Wrath" in kindergarten. The feats, which would have made a boy of any other race a genius, simply made the Indian kindergartener an "oddity." That was fine, because what made the young Indian boy an oddity at an early age is also what allowed him to survive. It saved his life. You may wonder, "How can reading at a young age save an anyone's life?" Well, to understand the answer, you must understand the way of the people's lives that it saves.
Alexie was raised in a fairly large family of seven. His family was poor to most standards, but, living on an Indian reservation was able to remain in the middle class simply by one of the parents usually finding a minimum wage job. His father loved to read, he always had stacks of books lying around the house wherever there was room. Since Alexie loved his father with "an aching devotion,"(12), Alexie learned to love books himself. He first learned to read with a Superman comic book at 3 years old, well, not literally read, but make stories himself with the pictures and put words in the places he saw writing. He became addicted to reading, reading whenever he found time, no matter where he was. This helped him to keep to himself, since there were no other Indian children who cared to learn what the teachers wanted to teach, this is the best thing he could have done. Instead of the "normal" Indian life, Alexie decided he would do what he watched his Dad do, what he loved, he would read.
Since Alexie constantly read though his childhood, he learned and was able to make something of himself. Now, instead of being dead, or a drug addict like I'm sure the kids that picked on him for wanting to learn are, he is an author who speaks to Indian youth so they don't lead the lives that are expected of them. By speaking to the children at the schools Alexie visits, he is showing the young Indians that there is another path they can lead through life, they don't have to live up to the image that America has expected of them throughout the centuries. He is giving the children the tools they need to save their lives.
Hi Alex,
ReplyDeleteI love your last line because it names a significant goal Alexie has in sharing his story. Much of his struggle as a child was due to his not fitting society's expectations for what an "Indian child" ought to be. By sharing his story, Alexie challenges the stereotypes and presents another possibility for children to follow--he's making a space that normalizes reading and writing within his community.
Thanks for your insights!
Lauren
Hi Alex, just like Alexie I realized that there is more to life than what I was exposed to on a daily basis. Just like him being a mentor to those children, I had a football coach that set the ballin motion for me to come to California to play football. That for me is what ended up saving my life. It allowed me to see that I was worth more than what others expected of me and it helped me to finally see that I too could have a chance at being somebody and that I matttered. Thanks for the write.
ReplyDeleteHi Alex,
ReplyDeleteGreat writing! Can you imagine being Alexie and having the passion and desire to help these children and save their lives? I think that would be the most awesome thing that anyone could do for humanity. When I was growing up I was not really encouraged to read. I had some difficulties in my much younger years because of this. When I had my boys reading was one of my priorities for them. i feel it has really paid off, they are both very good readers and students. Barb
Hey Alex,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your writing and I feel like the best gift is to give back to children. It must have been very difficult to be raised where your peers where all rejecting education while you wanted it badly yourself. The feelings of not being able to learn when he wanted to, probably drove him to give back to others in his later years, by teaching creative writing and seeing them show interest in writing poems and novels.
Krystal
Hey Alex,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I think you really captured Alexie's life and how reading helped him get through his childhood. I also agree with you on how he's helping other children see that there is more in life.
Hi Alex,
ReplyDeleteI like your responese to the reading. I remember school was hard, because I was an oddity myself. I was always the shy little girl that would stay in the classroom during recess doing some sort of school work, and since I skipped a year in school I was the youngest in the class and everyone would pick on me, but it's ok I never put much attention to them. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the reading as much as I did.
Estela
I;m happy he chose a smarter path to being a "Smart Indian". It completely helped him in life and even though it seemed like he had a bad life in the reservation It all worked out through education!
ReplyDeleteI really like how you said that Alexie is showing the children that there are other paths you can take and you don't have to live up to America's image expectations! Education can definitely save your life and get you in the right path.
ReplyDelete