Reservation Blues Reader Response Letter #1
So far, through chapter 2, this book Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie is very enlightening on the life of the Native American on reservations and the tough life these individuals have. So far this book has made me question my own opinions onn the Indian reservations of the United States. Before this back, I had always wondered the conditions of the Indian reservations because of the hostility some Native Americans have as a result of the creation of them. As a result of this book, my eyes have been opened on the sheer quality of the homes and lives the individuals living here have. As seen throughout, it is very poor. In this book, the author reveals that Thomas Builds-The-Fire "thought he needed more money than music. Music seemed to be a luxury these days" (Alexie 23). This states that music itself was very rare. Native Americans were constantly so focused on money that they had no time for any entertainment; they were just barely making it by. The use of the word ‘reservation’ throughout the novel is also very powerful, using the word as a way to describe something out of shape, old, or unwanted. The use of this word is used throughout, and very powerfully used to describe a variety of different items as being old or unusual.
P.S. I apologize for any unusual grammar or vocabulary mistakes; my computer is acting up really badly.
Francesco Pagano
I completely agree with you that the use of the word "reservation" is extremely powerful and meaningful in this book. The author uses it to describe a character or object that is dirty, poor, or rundown. I, just like you, had my eyes opened up by the description of the reservation. Thinking all reservations were safe, prosperous pieces of land, I was taken back by the horrible lifestyle Thomas Builds-The- Fire lives.
ReplyDeleteI was somewhat aware of the awful contions on reservations, but I had never truly believed it to be as bad as it clearly is. I was also surprised at how the term "reservation" was/is used. I had never considered it to be a word for run-down or dirty but, I suppose if the reservations are as awful as Alexi describes them, it would only make sense for "reservation" to be used that way.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the statement you made about how the author stated that music is used as a luxury. In many cases outside of Native American tribes, almost everyone you will meet considers music to be some sort of gift. While reading this section of the book, I also realized how run-down the tribe's home resides and how something so simple but beautiful can mean so much to some of them, that being music.
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