1. Indian Education Dylan Simcik (Powerpoint Work), Guilherme Barbosa, Nabil Brache, John Plewes, and Jorge Romero

2. Who Is Sherman Alexie? (Guilherme) Born in October 7, 1966, Sherman Alexie is a Native American poet, writer and filmmaker. He was raised in a Spokane Indian reservation in Wellpinit, Washington. Alexie was born hydrocephalic, with a disorder in his brain that eventually made him go through a brain surgery at six-months old. One of Alexie’s main things he would do in his childhood was read. As he grew older, he started to write his own stories about the Native American life, despair, poverty and alcoholism. Today, he is one of the most praised poets in the United States.

3. Similarities between Sherman and the Narrator (Guilherme) Clearly, there are many similarities about the narrator in Indian Education and Sherman Alexie. He seems to be the narrator. By looking at Alexie’s life since he was born, we can see that he certainly went through many of those moments accounted by the story himself. He lived through what the story tells us. Also, Alexie is trying to tell us that many of the Native Americans also go through this everyday in their schools.

4. Biblical References (Dylan) “Yes, I am. I am Indian. Indian, I am” This quote most easily connects to “Moses and the Burning Bush.” I am is evident throughout the biblical text. The famous saying, “I am who I am,” (biblegateway) explains it all. He is proud of who he is and he is just emphasizing it. “indian, indian, indian.” This quote most easily connects to the entire bible. The number 3 is seen hundreds of times and it emphasizes how meaningful things may be. The number 3 plays a huge part in the bible. “The number 3 is used 467 times in the Bible. It pictures completeness” (biblestudy.org) In “Indian Education” I feel Sherman took it as a honorable compliment as if the teacher was speaking from the bible. “she crumpled up the paper and made me eat it” This quote most easily connects to Ezekiel 3:3 in the bible. In the bible it says, “Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth” (biblehub.com) These two can differ in the meanings. The quote from the story is more serious rather than in Ezekiel.

5. Significance of Hair (Nabil) In first grade, Junior said, “My hair was too short.” When the Indian children went to the U.S. Government schools, they had to cut their hair because of school policy. In the Indian culture, long hair is a tradition. He said his hair was too short for the Indian culture because they made him cut it in school and he did not like it. When he was in second grade, his teacher sent a letter home to his parents saying “either cut my braids or keep me home from class.” This quote from the teacher means that for schools he has to cut his braids but back home he wants to have his braids. She basically said either you cut his braids and take him to school or keep him home and let him keep his braids like a real Inidian and “learn respect” (Alexie, para. 13). The teacher was against his long hair and did not care if it was an Indian tradition or not and she was disrespectful towards him and his braids. In second grade, his parents “dragged their braids across Betty Towle’s desk.” The teacher told them “Indians, indians, indians” (Alexie, para. 15) without even capitalizing it and Junior said proudly, “Yes, I am. I am Indian. Indian, I am” (Alexie, para. 16). The teacher was disrespecting their kid because of his culture and his parents went to school and showed them how Indians were and how they had their hair. Finally in twelfth grade, Junior said, “cap doesn’t fit ebcause I’ve grown my hair longer than it’s ever been.” This shows that when he as in twelfth grade, people learned to respect him and his culture. He had his hair longer than it has ever been because people started to respect his culture and let him have his hair as long as he wanted.

6. Possible Discrimination? Since past years there has been lots debates and controversial about the red skins; they have been asked to remove or change their name and logo. The Native Americans have considered that the team has used the Native Americans symbols, names and logos to minimize or laugh at the important of the Natives. Some people still says that they should remove the name and the logo or change it; they strongly agree that it’s an offence to all Natives and that could not be acceptable. There have been campaigns directed by these people to make the team owners change the name, many Native Americans can’t believe that a huge sport in the capital of the country fails to help with racism problems. However, team owners strongly disagree with that; they reject any type of discrimination, the redskins’ owners says “there is no such thing as racism behind the mascot nor the name and logo of the team” (Martinez, 1). The redskins name honors “Where we came from, who we are” (Martinez, 1). The owners and most of the Redskins fans agree with that, and don’t want to change the name or the logo of the team; they celebrate at every Redskins game without any type or racism. In the Story Indian education Junior say something that is remarkable for every person in the world… “This morning I pick up the sports page and read the headline: INDIANS LOSE AGAIN. Go ahead and tell me none of this is supposed to hurt me very much” by this quote he meant that the people back then was racist to him and to his Native American friends. He shouldn’t react in a bad way, he should talk to his friends and to everyone that could help him and maybe create a campaign that goes against racism and to help them gain authority.

7. Is Junior a Racist? (John) Racism is defined as “racial prejudice or discrimination.” Junior says “taught me the most valuable lesson about living in the white world: always throw the first punch.” This quote seems inherently racist as Junior is assuming that all white people will be the same and treat him as poorly as the white people have in his life. A common problem with racism is the fact that people have the tendency to judge a whole race solely based on the people of that race they have encountered in their life. There are many bad people in this world, evil knows no skin color.

8. The Alussion (John) The quote is alluding to the Sioux leader Crazy Horses’s battle cry. It’s a perfect allusion as Crazy Horse said it before going to battle with the white man, similarly to how Junior sees himself at war with the white man as well. The tone of the poem is very negative and sad as it talks about problems with racism and attempting to fight a seemingly impossible enemy. Crazy Horse was the chief of a dying tribe who could see the end coming, similar to how Junior can see the end coming as the principal takes him away.

9. Alcoholism and Poverty (John) Alcoholism is much higher on Indian reservations then it is in other areas. “A study carried out from 2002 to 2005 reported that 10.7 percent of all Native American and Alaskan Native age groups suffered from alcohol use disorder, whereas 7.6 percent of other ethnic groups reported the same disorder”.” Alcoholism is shown to be higher on Indian reservations and shows that the post script in the poem could be completely correct seeing as alcoholism runs much more rampant in Native American communities. In the top 10 largest Native American reservations the poverty rates between 22.6 and 54.4 percent, whereas the national average 9.2. Poverty and alcoholism is much higher on reservations then it is in “normal” America.

10. Benefits of living in such an aggressive environment such as this school (Group) The benefits of living in this environment were that it made Sherman Alexie the person who he is. It made him stronger for the future and he does not get hurt easily. People cannot disappoint him as easy as they could when he was in school. Also, the benefit of living through this environment full of obstacles gave Alexie the opportunity to write about it. As he lived through a “disastrous” adventure, no one could tell his story better than him. Today, he is one of the most praised poets in the English language, and without a doubt, part of this success comes from his past.

11. Citations “Sherman Alexie”. Poetry Foundation. Last Updated 2010. Web. September 11, 2014. “Sherman Alexie”. Poets.org. n.d. Web. September 11, 2014 “About Sherman Alexie: A Profile”. Cline, Lynn. Ploughshares. n.d. Web. September 11, 2014 “Sherman Alexie”. Goodreads. n.d. Image. September 11, 2014 Alexie, Sherman. “Indian Education.” The Lone Ranger and Tonto Distfight in Heaven. New York: Perennial, 1993. Print. US Census Bureau (2000). US Census FactFinder. Washington, DC: US Census Bureau. "Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders among American Indians and Alaska Natives.", SAMHSA, Office of Applied Studies. The NSDUH Report, 19 Jan. 2007. Web. 11 Sept. 2014. "Today Is a Good Day to Die." Today Is a Good Day to Die. Manataka American Indian Council. Web. 11 Sept. 2014. "Racism." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web. 11 Sept. 2014. Alexie, Sherman. “Indian Education.” The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. New York: Perennial, 1993. Print. V ”Ezekiel 3:3.” biblehub. n.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2014. “Biblical Meaning of Numbers.” biblestudy. N.p. n.d. 11 Sept. 2014. “Exodus 3 New International Version.” biblegateway. N.p. n.d. 11 Sept. 2014 Martinez, Michael. "A Slur or Term of 'honor'? Controversy Heightens about Washington Redskins." A Slur or Term of 'honor'? Controversy Heightens about Washington Redskins. CNN, 12 Oct. 2013. Web. 9 Sept. 2014