The Rez

After reading The True Diary of a Part-Time Indian  and watching Smoke Signals it's easy to see what Indian reservations are, according to a quick google search they are: An Indian reservation is a legal designation for an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the US Bureau of Indian Affairs, rather than the governments of the US states in which they are physically located. That definition doesn't really explain anything if we are talking about the lives of people which in this day and age is prevelent. To me the reservations are a bad place, plagued with alcoholism and hoplessness. Indians on this reservations are placed at a great disadvantage as far as living in the American world. Ya America, they live in American, I feel as thought there is an Indian the reservation is some special place that's not America, reservation are placed throughout america and they need American there is very little power that Indians have off this plots of land yet there seems to be an idea as though we are helping them. If we look past the idea of indifference the Indian have something that some American lack which would be a strong sense of community which dirresctly corresponds with the idea of reservations being separate from the U.S. This is defiantly shown in the True Diary of a Part-Time Indian after Arnold leaves, the reesevation as a community has come to hate him for his choice to leave. As far as connecting to my life I don't know if I can. As far as growing up everyone has friends and goes to school put there is a point when our communities are so different, I'm expected to go to college and get a job when Indians have been allowed to stay on there reservations. This difference unbelief is why we really can't relate to the average Indian.

Native Son

Bigger Thomas a character them more than a few people seem to know. As Ive read this book it seems that I have met people who want to discuss what I think of him. As the book began I looked at bigger as an idiot someone who had ben delt a bad hand, his actions were motivated by stupidity. The book progressed ands to me Bigger's action had not changed, but he was able to put thought behind them. The things he did were still moronic but to him they made sense there was reason to why he did  what he wanted,  I was about to understand his thinking. By the end of the book my opinion of Bigger Thomas had changed completely, Yes he was at a disadvantage growing up how he did and i blame that for what he ultimately would become, as I once believe bigger was a half wit he ended the book showing me bigger was intelligent and able to think. Even if his thought were just justification it still showed me that bigger had capability. From there I can only say if Bigger would have been given other opportunities he could have been something. Another question I should answer is how would I treat Bigger if i were in the jury. To me  death is not the moral thing to do, sure Bigger committed these crimes but he was in a community in which he had little chance to do good. Given that he must be punish for his crime but must keep in mind his crime was almost pre-destine. So in my mind jail time is justified but not death.