Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Why does Junior say, “it sucks to be poor….” (13)? What does “poverty teach you” (13)? Explain. (Devin)
To Junior "it sucks to be poor” in more ways than one, but he expresses that one of the worst things about being poor is not being able to realize and accomplish your dreams. When you are a poor reservation Indian you don’t get the choices or chances to realize your dreams. In “Why Chicken Means So Much to Me” Junior explains his life in poverty. He explains what his parents could have been if someone had taken the time to recognize their dreams. He has been raised under the impression that his dreams for the future will never come true. On page 13 Juniors says, “But we reservation Indians don’t get to realize our dreams. We don’t get those chances. Or choices. We’re just poor. That’s all we are.” (Alexei 13) In this quote Junior is representing that just because they are poor they don’t have the opportunity’s and chances to follow their dreams. As Junior sees it poverty doesn’t tech you much, “Poverty doesn’t give you strength or teach you lessons” its says that “poverty only teaches you to be poor.” (Alexie 13). Junior believes living in poverty is useless and harmful all it teaches you is how to be poor and and being poor just holds you back from accomplishing things.
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I agree that Junior thinks that being poor means that you cannot accomplish your dreams. He says that being an artist is "the only way [he] can become rich and famous" (Alexei, 6). Because of his poverty, he decides that it is very unlikely for him to become successful. He also confines himself to being artist; saying that being an artist is his only opportunity. His poverty teaches him to not believe in himself and therefore he doesn't realize that he could in fact accomplish his dreams.
ReplyDeleteDevin, you wrote and answered the question very well. Junior also explains that the worst part of poverty was when his only true friend Oscar died, and he couldn't do anything to help, which made him feel useless. He said, "I wanted to hate my Dad and Mom for our poverty. I wanted to blame them for my sick dog and for all the other sicknesses in the world"(Alexei 11). He wanted an excuse to get mad at someone for his pain. But there was no one to blame, he explains, because it is not really anyone's fault, so he was just left sad and frustrated.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Junior, for I have seen, and in some ways, experienced real poverty. Some of my relatives live in the countryside of southern China, and they lived in a far worse state than anyone in USA, including the Native Americans on the reservations. The houses are mainly made out of homemade bricks and hat, and there is no single paved road. Only some owned automobiles; some have to travel with a tricycle or always on foot. The school is tiny, and the windows don't even have glass. They lived in poverty that is far worse than any Native American on the reservation can imagine. But poverty does not teach my relatives just to be poor. It teaches them to save and be happy with what they have, it teaches them to help others, because everyone is struggling, most importantly. It teaches them always to look on the bright side of things, for sometimes that is the only thing they've got. This is the reason why out of this little village of poverty and underdevelopment, many has become a successful businessman, some became teachers, some worked in the government. A portion even leave the village and pursued a better life in big cities, and in some ways they are superior to those who were born and raised in the comfort of the city! The ones who came from the countryside is more resilient, can endure more pain, and never gives up because they have been hardened by poverty, made stronger by poverty. Above all, they had been very different from the Native Americans on the reservation though both groups have been through poverty.
ReplyDelete(Continued) I think it really depends on how you use poverty, either to cry and being frustrated about it, or to try to change it, and use it as the blade that carves the diamond. We all know that a diamond carved can only be brighter and more dazzling.
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