Dear Life

Dear Life

Dear life have you wondered why I ever treated you like every girl that has treated me badly? I blame you for the things I don't have and the things I do have I blame myself. I say “dam my life sucks”, when in actuality I’m not making an effort to change you to make my dreams reality”.  I remember the first time I ever uttered your name because something was  bad, not only that but I think about you all the time when I’m sad always looking forward to you when I’m glad. Its kind of funny because when I met my ex girlfriend I hoped that YOU weren’t going to do anything to ruin it, but after 6 whole months with her you told me she wasn't for me. You made me look online for quotes to justify what has happened to me, “Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak, sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go”. People often compare their lives to each other and its only natural so they can boast about who’s is better or who’s is worse, but what I want to do is say, Dear life, Thank you for being there and although we have ups and downs I still love you.

Regarding to the quotes

            Poverty isn’t something that politicians would talk about lightly because of the fact that millions of people are in poverty, not only that America is one of the leading countries that has fallen into “Poverty”. Does this mean that America is doomed to fall below other countries? There has been so many ways Americans or even politicians in general has been trying to get out of poverty through social safety nets, but that wouldn't change anything, but how much money we receive from the government. In this quote from Smiley and West they talk about 150 million persistently poor and near poor people in America who had nothing to do to impact the great recession. I believe that it is sad how we as in America have such a high relative poverty % according to Economic Policy Institute in 2012, but that doesn't change the fact that its STILL and ever growing issue in America reaching back to the depression days. I agree with the quote saying that Americans crawl back to the government for help when something goes down regarding to money by making use of the social safety net, but the fact that we are so reliant on the government giving us money and giving us a way to find “salvation” by saying that the 1% is more important, I believe that we should find a way and change that point of view by being more involved in politics and show the government are the people in this very country.

Safety Net

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Q1NiOwNppo_uZrOvuZiWhngL5Y-lmbcW_btb--q1R0o/edit#slide=id.p13

Worth

Hoang Tran

English 102

Worth

            The worth of one person can never be truly described by anyone in any form of words or actions. So how does someone who’s been beaten down by society rise from the slums to determine he is worth more than what people tell him? Perseverance, Arnold or “Junior” at first believes that he isn’t worth anything and is just living through his miserable life. At first it was fairly simple for him to just go through life, but as he noticed that he was up in line to “die” with the rest of the Native Americans he went to do something drastic to keep his worth or life above water and from being submerged. As a reader I understood the story, but while analyzing this amazing story I noticed that not only did Arnold keep his head above water, but he has also kept other people floating as well. In the end Arnold is a savior to not only himself, but also the people he has been with through finding his worth with perseverance.

            Arnold is a strong individual, but in the beginning of his life was slowly being submerged in the dying society of “Native Americans”. When I read this book The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Arnold was already criticizing himself by talking about his body features, his brain disorder, and worse of all he talked about how he doesn't like being Native American already. This just showed how much he didn't like his life and he was ready to “Die” with the rest of the Indians because of these features of his. I don't blame him for thinking the way he does, but I am quite surprised he hasn't given up yet, nevertheless he persevered through many stages of hardship and helped others on the way.

            Oscar dying was the first situation that helped Arnold figure out what his “worth” was to the reservation and how much he means to the Spokane community. When he said that his dog was his best friend was understandable because dogs are mans best friend, so why should it be different for Native Americans? Well Oscar his best friend/dog died and that caused Arnold to want to kill himself. I said all of that because I just want to emphasize how important I feel this moment is because that is when Arnold knows he is worth nothing and that killing himself wont make a difference so he might as well just live and persevere through this moment of life he could call an experience. He got through this experience and he grew from it because he knows that killing himself wont change anything, but rather make everything worse for the people around him. So what he did was “gut it out” (16) which is exactly what he did throughout this story.

            Arnolds’ human best friend Rowdy was the main reason why Arnold didn't fully submerge even at the hardest time. Now like his name Rowdy was a tough kid, but at the same time he is still a teen and is struggling him self. I believe that Arnold helped Rowdy as much as Rowdy helped Arnold. The first time Rowdy helped Arnold in the book was through Oscar’s death and that is a big significance because Arnold literally wanted to kill himself. Rowdy had many reasons why he acts the way he is and if it isn’t for Arnold then Rowdy would probably be not just a bully, but a big failure with absolutely no hope. Arnold helping Rowdy helped him self, the reason is because Arnold never felt significant in the beginning. Arnold thought of him self as a burden and insignificant. Helping Rowdy made Arnold realize that he is doing something to help and that made him feel like he was worth something. “A few days after basketball season ended, I e-mailed Rowdy and told him I was sorry that we beat them so bad” would be a great example of how their friendship is because no matter how much they go through and how much Arnold went through because of Rowdy (Example: Rowdy giving Arnold a black eye for leaving to Reardan and gave him a concussion during the basketball game) Arnold still feels like he is still needed by Rowdy and loves him as a friend.

            Mr. P was the epiphany to Arnolds’ life. Mr. P told Arnold “If you stay on the rez, they’re going to kill you. I’m going to kill you. We’re all going to kill you. You cant fight us forever.”(43) Arnold already knew that him being a Native American was bad, but he didn't really realize that their were people causing this to happen and that Arnold could change it. Mr. P was the 2+2 in the equation and when Arnold left the reservation to go to Reardan to change the path of forever being submerged he found the answer of 4. Mr. P created an opportunity for Arnold because Mr. P knew that Arnold is sick and tired of being useless and or worthless. So that is the reason why Mr. P chose Arnold out of everyone to tell this big secret. In doing that Mr. P felt a lot better because he was leading someone off the path of death. I loved Mr. P’s decision because if it weren’t for him, Arnold would have slowly turned into part of the “dead”.

            Moving to Reardan to Arnold was like climbing the tree with Rowdy near Turtle Lake. “Our entire world, at that moment, was green and golden and perfect.”(225), that would be the perfect line for when he moved to Reardan. The tree was  over one hundred feet could be compared to Reardan being a long shot from what he would have “climbed”. Although at first Reardan was difficult to handle because of the white to Native American ratio wasn't very appealing, Arnold still went there just like how the tree was very tall and out of the way to climb Arnold still climbed it. It was hard at first, but when he reached to the end he saw everything in such a different perspective and that helped Arnold realize he is so much more than just a “Native American”. He knew that Reardan was a school for the more privileged, but he still went and he got a prize for it, not being submerged. He realized that he belonged to more than one tribe and although his background may have caused him to be weary of doing the things he do like trying not to go to the winter formal because he didn't have enough money, Arnold still went because that's who he is. If it wasn't for this very perseverance he has then he has no hell in chance of ever getting his head far out of the water.

            In Reardan, Arnold met many great friends, but out of all of them Penelope had the greatest impact on him. At first Arnold helped her through her because she felt like she was on a pedestal all the time, so she had to act perfect. By helping her, he found himself in a relationship that helped him gain popularity in Reardan, I believe that because of Penelope she helped Arnold through a tough obstacle. Instead of judging him wholeheartedly Penelope felt bad for him being in such poverty. Not only that Arnold and Penelope would be the Yin and Yang because they are opposites, yet they have some things in common like the Yin and the Yang. Penelope was rich and people expected a lot from her, but she wanted to leave what she has and explore the world. Arnold on the other hand was poor and no one expected much from him, but he did leave what he had and explored something different. Either way, Arnold inspired Penelope and at the same time she helped him fit in another tribe he calls a high school.  

            The family member that helped him the most would be his Grandma through his struggle of leaving the ocean of despair. Although his Grandma died and that caused him to somewhat fall a couple steps back towards the water, he learned a lot from her to keep him out of devils eye. His grandma taught him something that would help with anybody of race, color, social background, and or culture. She taught him tolerance. If it weren’t for tolerance he could have whiplashed at his dad for being a drunk, but he didn't because he knows that negativity would only bring upon more negativity. If it weren’t for tolerance he would have given up playing against the school he should have went to at the reservation despite everybody booing him and throwing stuff at him. If it weren’t for tolerance he would have given up on not trying to swim, but rather sink because he thinks that Reardan is to tall for him to climb.  

            Worth and perseverance the two words I would use to describe Junior or this book in general. I use the word worth because he is looking for what he is “worth” in this community of the Spokane community. He finally finds his worth at the end of his freshman year in high school attending Reardan, but that was through perseverance. He endures all the hardship that was thrown his way no matter what happened he went through it and confronted all of his problems. Compared to the old generation Indians, he grew up and persevered because he wanted a life outside of being drunk, poor, and “ugly” in the American society.

Citation

1. Alexie, Sherman, and Ellen Forney. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. New York: Little, Brown, 2009. Print.

A Book Like No Other !

Don't judge a book by its cover has never been repeated in my head so many times. The book "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian", was one book i wasn't a book i would have gone out of my way to read if all i heard was the books name, but since it was an assignment in a class i had to pick it up to read. At first i felt like this book was going to be a book to read like every other book I've been assigned to read in an english class, but when i started reading it. i literally couldn't stop until i felt very sleepy and had to sleep at like 3 in the morning. This book was a very enjoyable book and a easy read for many people in any academic level. I would recommend this book 100% to people who seek knowledge about the indigenous Native Americans or to have a fun read about a 14 year old kid going through his life. This book is both funny and sad at the same time and it should be shared to our community because the contents of this book would educate our society of what it means to be an Native American living in America. Although there might be some mature or "NSFW" contents in this book, it doesn't mean that this book won't be interesting. 

In the book "The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian", there was many instances of things you wouldn't go through as a 14 year old living in America. Arnold, the main character of this book talks about how he goes through life in a rez that is very strict on a certain culture. That culture is what swayed him away from dreams, but later on he would realize something about his dreams. Because of that i learned that everything in the world is like this book because it might seem like everything is good and jolly, but the backstory of how everything came to be might not be very pleasant. The first couple of chapters you would laugh at how this 14 year old boy goes through his life, but towards the end you feel a lot of sympathy like you are growing with the main character yourself. This book not only teaches you, but it helps you experience the things these people feel. The pictures in this book also really help illustrate what Arnold is thinking or seeing at the time as well, which is a big deal to me because i can see what other people see in their perspective.

Response to sampler papers

In Sample paper one, i felt like throughout the whole paper had some sort of summary in every paragraph by quoting a particular part of the book then summarizes that quote in what happened in the book. It kind of got repetitive and i lost interest in reading the whole thing.

In sample paper #2 i felt was a lot better because he did a good way of making their point and using their paragraphs to support what he/she was trying to get through to the reader. In this paragraph the person analyzed what went through arnold as he was living through these times and connected it to us as readers. For example he would say that Arnold would never ignore his problems and compared it to many people in the world in saying that it is hard for people to not ignore their problems. I felt like this sampling paper worked very well because of the fluidness in his paragraphs, not only that he compared and contrast many things in the book which made me think more as i read.

In sample paper number 3 i felt it was very similar to number one in terms of quoting the book before summarizing what had happened, but in paper 3 the person who wrote it analyzed the paper more and tried to make sense of it all rather then just summarizing. Another problem is that i felt like this paper had no clear thesis as paper 1, he or she may have hinted it, but i still question the clear cut thesis he/she is trying to put out in this paper.

American Indians Today

Today there are more than half a million Indians in the United States and millions more elsewhere in the Americas. Still trying to cope with adjustment to white civilization, they are in all stages of development, from the most primitive to the most sophisticated. In the United States, they still speak more than 100 different languages. Economically they range from pauperism to affluence. A few have made money from oil and other natural sources found on their lands, but many thousands live at near-starvation levels. Some are educated and completely assimilated in white society; many live in nearly complete isolation from non-Indian Americans. Relocation programs have taken hundreds of Indians to work in cities; thousands of others cling to the security of their reservations, hoping to gain education and assistance necessary to develop the resources of their lands and become self-sustaining. Generally, the Indians are still proud of their traditions and heritage, and many of them resist giving them up or allowing them to be submerged or corrupted by white civilization. But Indians generally also recognize that their standards of living must be raised. Without giving up their unique cultural heritage, they have organized into tribal councils to try to help the federal government settle on long-range programs of education, health services, vocational training, resource planning, and financial credit that will assist them to solutions of the problems that have beset them for so many sad decades. Nowadays, there exist about 300 federal reservations in the United States, with a total of 52,017,551 acres held in trust by the federal government, the large majority west of the Mississippi. There are also 21 state reservations, most of these in the East. Some reservations are restricted to one tribe, others are jointly held. Some reservation land is owned, rented and occupied by non-Indians. The largest reservation is held by the Navajo tribe. Although the reservations are sovereign nations, the People are also considered U.S. citizens. In the contemporary relationship between the federal government and federally chartered tribes, as it has reached the present through a number of historical stages, the United States Congress with its powers to ratify treaties and regulate commerce is the trustee of the special Indian status. The trusteeship involves protection of Indian property; protection of Indian right to self-government; and the provision of services necessary for survival and advancement. In the commission of its trusteeship, Congress has placed the major responsibility for Indian matters in the Department of Interior and its subdivision the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In addition to the central office in Washington D.C., the BIA maintains regional offices in 12 states, mostly in the West, with agencies on particular reservations as well. Many Native Americans have positions in the BIA, but relatively few are at the highest positions. Indians are free to live anywhere. It is estimated that one-third to one-half of the Indian population in the United States now lives in cities. The greatest concentration of urban Indians, about 60,000, are found in the Los Angeles - Long Beach area of California. Other cities with large Indian populations are San Francisco - Oakland in California, Tulsa and Oklahoma city in Oklahoma, New York City and Buffalo in New York, Phoenix and Tucson in Arizona, Minneapolis - St. Paul and Duluth in Minnesota, Seattle - Everett in Washington, Rapid City in South Dakota, Denver in Colorado, Milwaukee in Wisconsin, Portland in Oregon, Albuquerque in New Mexico, and Nome, Bethel and Barrow in Alaska. On the positive side of the Native North American situation, Indian art is enjoying a renaissance. First in the realm of Indian arts and crafts, where many Indians, using traditional techniques and forms, have found reliable markets among both tourists and serious collectors; and second, in the realm of fine arts, where Indian painters and sculptors, in a burst of new esthetics that blend the traditional with the modern, have developed international reputations. Native North American culture in both the United States and Canada is a national treasure. Its renewal is everyone’s renewal. In Mexico the Indians called indígenas - estimated 15 percent of the total population - are direct descendants of the Aztec, Maya and other ancient civilizations. Some are small groups living in self-sufficient isolation, others occupy large territories. While it is convenient for the sake of categorization to lump all Indians together, Mexico’s native peoples are characterized by linguistic and cultural differences that can be very distinct. The status of indígenas in today’s Mexico, unfortunately, is not much better than it was during the colonial era. Poverty is a chronic, debilitating fact of life for more than three-quarters of the country’s Indian communities. Life is very hard for "Mexico’s most forgotten people", as many indígenas refer to themselves, but their concerns have garnered international attention and forced ongoing government negotiations. In Peru about half of the population is Indian, descendants of the Incas. These people still practice their own language, culture and religion. Their situation in the Peruvian society is similar to "Mexico’s most forgotten people". Indians everywhere represent heroic and romantic historical figures who held out, through skill and courage, against overwhelming forces. They also represent beings who were in tune with themselves, one another, and nature. Balance and harmony are concepts often applied to Indian ways of life, as well as to Indian inner life. For societies alarmed by ecological damage from modern technologies, Indian coexistence with the natural environment serves as a model for survival. http://www.american-indians.net/today.htm

School days version 1.0

I can't believe that school has started because i haven't even really had time to really think. I am a college student and I, like many other college students have a very busy life. Not only that i am in the Tennis team, but i have classes from the morning and night classes on Monday and Weds. That isn't all because i also have work on the weekends when i don't have tennis practice and school. To top it off i have homework that i barely have time to tend to and it will take a while for me to finish most of them because I'm so tired from the day. It may sound like I'm complaining, but I'm actually glad that I'm this busy because of a complicated relationship I've had before going back to school. Ive been to busy to think about it most of the time and I'm actually happy because i get to make something of myself and i know that hard work doesn't fail. It might sound silly, but i listen to motivation speeches all the time to pump myself up for the day. One saying from the speech is that "There are rough times that come through your life, but they have not come to stay, they have come to pass." It makes me work 2x, 10x or even 20x harder at everything i do because my new years resolution is if you want something work hard for it and don't let others tell you that you can't. I know my resolve is strong, but i hope it doesn't falter.

Response To Obama's Morale Argument

Obama cares for this country and wants to make a difference. He doesn't care if the republicans or "congress" won't help him with how he views America should be. The thing is most Americans view the our country the same way Obama does, thats why we voted for him. Although not all of us voted for him, that doesn't change the fact that he is helping our country with the support of the democrats and the citizens of America. He is trying to slowly change America by implementing the bi-partisan bill, keep the affordable care act from being voted off, reform immigration, and fix the education budget. Im sure when he asks the businesses for help to raise the minimum wage he is talking to every business owner and not the upper class citizens because every person counts. There are many things that Obama have promised us in this speech, but the one that sticks out to me the most is education and not because i am a student, but because he wants children to be able to go to pre-school and that makes me want to help him. The reason is because i have nephews, nieces and little cousins that are on the verge of being able to go to pre school and i want them to have the opportunity that i didn't to go and educate themselves at an earlier age. Instead of struggling through high school and college they will most likely have an easier time because of fixing the budget for education. Im sure with the bi partisan bill that helps support the US job growth, and help export the products made in America it will create revenue for us to pay taxes which can be used for education. Although i am very biased when it comes to Obama's speech because i am more liberal than realist, that doesn't change the fact that i feel like our system is being ruined by rich power houses and not having enough equality for all Americans to have a say in what they want.

A little about me

Hello! I am here at Chabot because i want to transfer to a college without the expense of loaning too much money from the government. The school i would like to transfer to UCSD, SFSU, SJSU, and or other good schools that promotes my political science major. I am also currently in the Chabot's tennis team and our first game is next month. I used to be really passionate about tennis because i wanted to get really good at tennis, but later on it became something i started giving up because i would get injured and i would have to re-learn certain things that my muscle has forgotten. I am currently playing for the tennis team because i want the priority to sign up for classes earlier, but i am also slowly finding the passion for tennis again. The things that i have a passion for and hasn't died yet is dancing, training, and beach hopping. I love dancing for my spare time when i listen to music; training because i love to exercise and keep my body as fit as possible; beach hopping with my friends because i love the sound, breeze, and the beach itself.