Exploring The Text Questions #1-8

1. This sentence is an example of an asyndeton. It gives the effect of explaining a complicated matter in a short list form to create irony.

2. Sherman Alexie paints his father as an educated knowledge hungry man. The typical stereotype of an Indian is a person who is lazy and helplessly dumb; this is the opposite of his father and paints him as a role model for Alexie.

3. This analogy shows his very keen intellect at such a young age. I cannot recall learning what a paragraph was till at least 2^nd grade. The fact that he was able to pick up on this gives the reader insight into what a smart child he was.

4. It shows the reader what a hard childhood he had. It couldn’t have been easy to be an Indian, and poor, and smart in a world that told him to be stupid.

5. He is making his life sound matter of fact and not an amazing tale. As if it was just something that happened to him.

6. This essay is divided into two parts to give the reader a chance to understand his situation more fully. He tells the circumstances then his story. By understanding the circumstances a reader is better able to understand his story.

7. He is giving the reader information so that they can understand where he is coming from. Both paragraphs use short choppy sentences to get their points across.

8. I believe the audience is different groups. Fist it is directed towards white people, by reading this they are able to understand where he is coming from and also understand the ways they suppressed Indians. I also believe it for children, and not just Indian children. It inspires them that no matter their situation they came make something of themselves and get out of the poverty hole they are in.

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