The Res

            In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, the reservation represents a state of “nice and safe” familiarity. The reason I say “nice and safe” with such hesitation is because in the, for lack of a better word, general sense, it really is not a nice and safe place. But since Junior has accepted the way others treat him and the belief that he is meant to stay on the reservation for the rest of his life, it is hard for him to imagine leaving it, especially to go to Reardan. I like to keep moving forward in my life and I try my best maintain that mindset. Yet, the more I think about leaving for college, the more life altering it seems. I know that leaving for college is a life changing experience and it’s a huge milestone, but it is hard to move on. I do not want to go to college anywhere locally so I would move pretty far away. I would be leaving behind my family, friends and the sense of familiarity, just like Junior did. But Junior understood that he had to leave his comfort zone and risk everything he had to be able to have a better life. This is exactly what I have to do. There is always some amount of apprehension about making such a huge leap, but its definitely worth it.

Native Sons

Bigger does not think things through. That is what gets him in all the trouble he has gone through in the text. In many instances, Bigger fails to react well to the situation and never thinks of the repercussions actions he is about to commit. For example when he dumps Bessie's body down the air shafts before retrieving his money and when he jumps out the window when they find the bones in the furnace. If I was on the jury, I would be convinced by Max's argument that Bigger was forced to commit his acts because of society. Maybe since I have gotten to know Bigger throughout the book, I cannot think of him as a stranger and it causes me to be bias. But I definitely think Max provides a good argument to why Bigger was forced to commit his acts because of white oppression.