Banned book essay

Oscar Mendoza 802

               My essay on my banned book

In the book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is about an Native American boy named Junior the age of 14 and how he struggles to find himself in his old of white people and Indians. He is a special Native American filled with hope that has not been diminished by others around him and goes to school at a white town where he’s told that is where hope is. He ask his parents which people have the most hope and they both respond at the same time saying white people.This book is about how a young man is struggling to find who he wants to be and how wants to represent himself.

One way Junior struggles to find himself is that he does not know if he is going to represent himself as a white person or Native American. For example according to the book it states that “Can an Indian have a legacy in a white town? Should an Indian even worry about his legacy?”(pg. 182). Junior is a starter on the varsity basketball team and his other great teammates are compared to great white players in the past, but no one compares Junior to any player because he’s Indian. Junior still worries about his legacy and if he will be remembered which is something very strange for an Indian that Junior even knows that it’s weird. Junior struggles to know which “type” of person is he going to be or remembered as.

        Another way Junior struggles to find himself is when he wonders if he should even be at the “white kids” school. For example, according to the book it states “I felt like someone had shoved me into a rocket ship and blasted me into a new planet. I was a freaky alien and there was no way I could get home.” Junior makes it seem as if he was a completely different species and he wasn’t human. He does not know “the ways” of the new people and he is a stranger, He knows that there is turning back because his Indian community disowned him and if he goes back to the Indian school he will be destroyed. Junior knows this is the right place to be if he wants a brighter future and he still does not know if he should stay Indian or not because of how confused he is about turning back or staying where hope is.

      The last way Junior struggles to find his true identity is when he compares Native americans  and white people. For example, according to the story  it states" And when i looked over I saw the sad face of all of those Native Americans, whose parents are probably drunks, deal with weed or other drugs, those boys whose dads will probably beat them for losing the game and probably didn't have any food to eat all day. (pg.195). junior sees what his race is how they are in some serious issues that are life threatening and these Native American kids lives are just going to get worse and worse as they grow up.  He later looks on the white kids his school and sees this “Yes these kids had some issues in their lives but none of them were life threatening, All of them were going to college, had their own cars ipods and mothers and fathers with good jobs that supported them and didn't have to worry about surviving or not.”(pg.195).Junior feels his struggle here the most if he wants to seek a better life a harder life that requires more work or lose all his hope in himself and his life and be in a near death situation all the time.         

In conclusion, this is why Junior is very confused if he should represent himself as a Native American  or should try to find a brighter future with the white people as he is told that they have the most hope. He is confused all thought out the novel until he finds that the “white kids” school is the right place for him to be, but deep down inside he does know that he is a Native American and he can not change his appearance of his skin or anything of the outside, but he can change who he wants to be in the future

Book reading list

book list

1.Sold by Patricia Mccormick 

Finished September 25

2.The scorch trials by James Dashner

Finished:october 2

3.Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Finished: October 12

The Kill order by James dashner

Finished: October 22

Day of doom by David Baldacci

Finished: October 30

The absolutley true diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Finished: in progress of finishing 

YA book essay

Oscar Mendoza 802

   In the book "Day of Doom" by David Baldacci a family named Cahill's are fighting against an organization called the vespers to free their family members that are being hostages and the rest of the world from being destroyed. This family has obeyed orders from the vespers so that their family members who are being held hostage don't die. In the final book of this series the Cahill family have to stop the vespers from detroying the world and save their family members at the same time when the vespers always seem one step a head of the Cahills.As you may see this book shows the archetype "hero vs villain" in which the Cahill's are the "heros" and the "villain  " are the vespers.

  The archetype "hero vs villain" is shown when Amy Cahill is surrounded by three vespers including Isabel Kabra and is going to be shot to death. For example according to the text it states" Army was surrounded she saw no way out of this. She thought"this is the end. Good bye And,good bye everyone." Suddenly the noise of sirens and " Your are surrounded surrender now or face the consequences!"(p.168) Later on Amy is told by her brother Dan that he created a hologram and with is advance speakers made the noise sound real when he noticed that she was surrounded. The cahills always seem to have each other's back especial in high risk situations and it is a life or death situation . In this situation Amy and Dan Cahill were against the odds, but Dan was able to save his sister from three vespers.

    Another example of the archetype "hero vs villain"is when Jake Rosenbloom and Amy Cahill are trapped in a train cart surrounded by Isabel's Kabras body guards when the train had lost its power. In the dark both Amy and Jake could not see a thing but the bodyguards could with their night vision goggles. According to the text it states" Jake  watch out!" Screamed Amy as she felt something thrown at her and dogged it ,but hit Jake. Amy kicked in the direction the object had come from and heard a hmpf. She picked up the man night vision goggles and directed Even where the bodyguards were to attack them while Amy had jakes back. In less than 5 minutes all the guards were down."(p.269) Both Amy and Jake worked very well together to stop the bodyguards from hurting or killing both of them.  After that they turned the power back on and tried to stop Isabel from killing Dan.  The Cahills never give up no matter what their situation is they always keep on fighting to save each other and to do what is right.This is another situation which the book shows how the archetype "hero vs villain" is shown.

  The final example of the archetype "hero vs villain "is when all of the Cahill's fighting the vespers(including the former Cahill hostages)are in a room for the final battle to decide if they will defeat the vespers or die. For example according to the text it states" Amy saw all of the ones she cared about Dan,Fisk,Nellie,Ian,Evan,Regan,Jake, Jonah, Atticus,Phoenix and Hamilton working together back to back as if they will never separate again. The Vespers didn't come through the doors but instead the walls opened up and a flood of vespers came through. Each one knowing vespers out protecting each other from not seen enemies. It was a beautiful sight to Amy to see her family working together, a thing she thought was never going to happen."(p.309)Later on a former vesper and Cahill sacrificed herself so that her family could have destroyed that machine that would have killed all of them and destroyed the world. The Cahills had a very tough history with them always fighting, but for once they were all cooperating for the greater good. This is the final example of how the archetype "good vs evil" is shown.

  In conclusion this is how the archetype "hero vs villain" is shown in "Day of Doom". All of the Cahill's or some managed to work together to save themselves and the world from the vespers. The Cahill's showed this archetype but also the statement of  family and how important family is. In the real world many people or groups are seen as good or bad to try to destroy or help for the greater cause.