In the chapter "Why Chicken Means So Much to Me" Junior said that "It sucks to be poor..." (13). He says this because once you're poor "you somehow feel like you deserve to be poor... because you're stupid and ugly," (13) Alexie is showing the reader what Junior is feeling. Junior starts to believe that the reason for all of this is because that he's Indian. He thinks that there's nothing he can do about it. It seems that Junior doesn't like being Indian. He doesn't fit in anywhere and he realizes that. On that same page Junior said that "poverty only teaches you how to be poor," (13). Some people might say that if someone is in poverty it teaches them to not take things for granted or how to stay strong. Here in this quote Junior is going back on that and saying that poverty doesn't help you. By saying this it shows that the education that you get out of being poor is how to keep being poor.
Do you agree with what Junior is saying about poverty? Why or why not? What do you think poverty teaches someone? Why do you think this?
I agree that Junior realizes that he is caught in a circle, and that he has little chance of escaping. The statements made by people saying that poverty teaches you to be grateful and resourceful usually have not lived in poverty. Junior, being poor, has a perspective on poverty that none of us have. The great thing about him though, is that though all this, he still manages to be funny in the toughest situations
ReplyDeleteI agree with Junior because he would know what it feels like to be in this situation. He can't get out of being poor, "We don't get those chances." (13) No one acknowledges the people rez because they are, "just poor." (13) I think that being in poverty could teach someone different things. One being to work your hardest to get where you want to be and the other being to feel bad for yourself and wait for people to help you. I think Junior is waiting for someone to come along and help because he has believed his own lie that he was telling himself and hearing from other people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Junior because he would know what it feels like to be in this situation. He can't get out of being poor, "We don't get those chances." (13) No one acknowledges the people rez because they are, "just poor." (13) I think that being in poverty could teach someone different things. One being to work your hardest to get where you want to be and the other being to feel bad for yourself and wait for people to help you. I think Junior is waiting for someone to come along and help because he has believed his own lie that he was telling himself and hearing from other people.
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