Never Give Up

Author's Note: I am writing about the conflict & resolution in the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. I am writing to show the main conflict and how it get resolved. I am working on organization. Feedback would be great.

Arnold is a kid on a Indian reservation, but through all the ups and downs in his life he has kept his hope unlike everyone else. Now he has to take his hope somewhere else, where other people have hope. Arnold always been in conflict with mental and physical problems, even with his tribe. That didn't bring him down and now he has to do something about that. 

First,  Arnold didn't have such a great life on the rez. He is a Indian on a reservation.  Born with a variety of medical issues. He is always made fun of on the rez. Kids his age, teenagers, and even adults would pick on him or beat him up.  Leaving to go to Reardan was probably the best thing to ever happen to him. Maybe it would be hard for some people to leave your old life but I don't think it was hard for him.

Reardan started off not so great but quickly got better. At first he walks into the school no one bothers to talk to him, which is probably better than getting beat up. You could probably tell he was Indian but no one mentioned anything. But as he meets Gordy(nerd, friend, and tutor), Penelope(semi-girl friend), and Roger(friend, star basketball player). His life starts to turn around.

I think Arnold has always battled society. So the main conflict is Person vs. Society. In the beginning he was always against the tribe, during the basketball game vs the rez. Arnold wasn't just playing basketball against the team, but against the entire tribe. When he started Reardan, some kids were kind of racially against Arnold, but all he wanted to do was to fit in. Later it seem like the tribe just back off and stopped trying to make his life miserable because his sister and grandmother died. Now he has found a new society that loves him.

As rough as Arnold's life was nothing ever brought him down. Brain problems, a lisp, a stutter, the tribe, and many, many deaths. Instead of staying at the reservation and not ever having a chance of ever fulfilling his dreams, he went out there and did something big and now has a chance to do anything.  

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian Epilogue

Author's Note: This a creative piece about what I think would happen if Rowdy came to Reardan in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.  This piece is from Rowdy's prospective.

Standing there, thinking. Twenty feet from the door of Reardan. Should I go, should I go home? If Arnold can do it so can I. Okay I can do this. No turning back now. No one has said anything thing yet. Then a teacher walks up to me.

"Welcome to Reardan," he says. "Here let me show you to your locker."

I follow him, but that is when I notice everyone around me is looking at me. Whispering and snickering. How could they possibly know….oh…the basketball game. Great, I already know how great my day is going to be.

Later I got surrounded by a bunch of guys. They were calling me names pushing me around. I was getting mad, real mad. I went on a rampage. I went crazy on all of them. It was like a hurricane of fists, but the weirdest thing was they just walked away. Oh well I have to go see Junior any ways.     

"Hey!" I say walking up to Junior.

"Hi, how's your first day going?" asked Junior.

"I don't know, it was weird. I punched someone and they just walked away." I say.

"Yeah, that happened to me too" says Junior, "But anyways are you going to join the basketball team?"

"Yeah," I say

"Well then I will see you at the game tonight," says junior.

I am all ready for the basketball game. Walking with Junior I feel great. Until I take a step into the gym. Everyone is dead silent. Just staring at me. Obviously the recognize me. I caused there only loss of the season. But this is ridiculous, because then they start booing. This isn't going to be fun.

The game started but the coach won't put me in because when he tries the crowd boos crazily until I am out. This is stupid! I want to just punch them in the face! I storm out of the school and all I am thinking is that I am done with the school. I am going back to the rez.

I think this would happen because Rowdy gets mad very quick and settles everything with violence. Really in the book I don't think Rowdy would have ever gone Reardan.

Hope

Author's Note: This is a creative piece about a quote in the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. If you could comment, any feedback would be great.

Arnold lives on a Indian reservation. He was born with many medical issues. All the adults on rez including his parents are drug addict or drunks. He is bullied every day by everyone, I mean adults, teenagers, and kids. But that isn't going to stop Arnold follow his dreams. 

"You've been fighting since you were born. You fought off brain surgery. You fought off those seizures. You fought off all the drunks and drug addicts. You kept your hope. And now, you have to take your hope and go somewhere where other people have hope." -Mr. P   pg. 43

That was what started everything. That was the line that made Arnold think, it lead him off the rez to basically start a new life. Arnold didn't give up unlike everyone on the rez. He had hope and so did the kids at Reardan Middle school.  Though Arnold was still the same kid, he was still Indian, he still medical problems, but that didn't stop him from turning his life around.

 It kind of makes you think if Mr. P hadn't of talked to Arnold what would have happened next. Probably would stay on the rez and there wouldn't be a story to tell. Mary probably wouldn't have died in the book. She only left because Arnold left. Everyone says that it was his fault but I don't think so. It made Mary leave but it was out of her stupidity that she died. If Mr. P didn’t come to Arnold's house would there even be a book?

I think this was an important quote in the book, it completely changed the story and Arnold's life.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Author's Note: This is essay on character development. I am writing about Arnold from the book The Absolutely True Diary of  a Part-Time Indian. I am working on organization. Feedback would be great.

Have you ever had problems at school, in your town, or just your life? Maybe because of bullies, mental/physical issues, or etc. Well, if you think you got it bad just look at Arnold's life. He may have it bad now, but can he turn this all around?

First of all, Arnold's life didn't really start off the best. When he was born his head was filled with water that damaged his brain (That's how he got the nickname Hydro Head). He lives on a Indian reservation. Doesn't really have any friends except for his best friend, Rowdy. Dog died, Father is a drunk, Mother is never there, his sister ran away and they are poor. Seems like a great life, right. But when Mr. P (Teacher) comes over to talk to Arnold, he might be able to change his life forever?

His life started terrible, but will it end that way? After Arnold smashed Mr. P in the face with a geometry book, he came over to Arnold's House to talk to him about leaving the rez. Arnold still has hope unlike anyone at the rez, everyone has given up. Mr. P says Arnold could have a future but can't stay here. He decides to leave and go to Reardan, an all-white school. But the people at the rez don't like that, they think he has betrayed the tribe and when Reardan plays the rez in basketball it's not a pretty sight. He will go to this new school and find that people won't be so quick to judge, unlike the people on the rez and they will give him a chance to really know him. Now he has more friends than ever and something good could finally come from his life.

This book kind of reminds me of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Arnold and Greg both in middle school, having problems trying to fit in. Plus both of the main character's best friend is name is Rowdy. Both lost there best friend, but the Rowdy's are different one will never anyone and one will punch you in the face to get his point across.But the main character are pretty similar.   

His life might not started off so good, but look at it now. He has left the dying hope at the rez and has create some new hope that could last him maybe forever. No matter how bad his life was, you can always turn it around.