Reponses to Indian Education

1. What is the significance of the narrator's glasses in the first-grade scenario?
The narrator's "horn-rimmed, ugly" glasses probably symbolizes the narrator's first experience at discrimination. In this case, because he wore ugly glassless, he was labeled as a nerd, and was therefore bullied.
2. What can you assume from the narrator's first-grade school? Who were his fellow classmates?
The school was probably very poor, and not very strict, which may have caused such bullying. His fellow classmates were Native American also.
3. What does the narrator mean when he tells us that his teacher said "indian" without capitaliztion (paragraph 15)? What is the significance of the narrator's response?
Because capitalization is used only for important terms, by writing indian without the capitalization, the narrator is trying to show that his teacher is prejudiced against Native Americans, and think they aren't significant enough to be said with a capitalization.
4. What does the narrator mean by the line "I'm still waiting" in paragraph 21?
The line prior to that statement was, "waited for the punishment to end" and even before that, the narrator explained that he was being punished partly because he was Native American. Therefore, "I'm still waiting" would mean that the narrator is still being discriminated upon for being Native American.
5. What effect does kissing the white girl have on the narrator in seventh grade? Why does he say after that "no one spoke to me for another five hundred years"?
By kissing the white girl, the narrator is leaving his traditions and culture behind him, and is slowly embracing the American culture. Because he kissed a white girl and left his tradition, and because he still looks like a Native American, and still has a Native American name, he longer fits in with all the other Indians, and still cannot assimilate with white people. Therefore, because he no longer fits in with anybody, nobody speaks to him anymore.
6. The narrator Switches to a new school for junior high. What is different about the new school?
The new school seems to have more white people.
7. How do you interpret the line "there is more than one way to starve" (paragraph 55)?
This line shows that many people are pitying themselves, and have decided to starve themselves through binging or just not eating. However, the narrator also shows that there are some people who can barely afford to eat, and therefore, pity themselves and starve. Thus, there are "more than one way to starve."
8. What stereotypes do the teachers in the story have of Native Americans?
They think that all Indians start drinking at an early age.
9. Why does the narrator tell us of the teacher who assumed he was drunk in the eighth grade was Chicano? How did you respond to the narrator's assertion in paragraph 59?
By mentioning the teacher was Chicano, the narrator shows that even other minorities discriminate against Native Americans. Usually with minorities, one would expect one minority to understand and sympathize with the other, but the narrator proves otherwise. The narrator's assertion in paragraph 59 is emphasizing the difference between two races; that although sharing dark skin doesn't necessarily make two men brothers, sharing different skin means for sure that they won't get along.
10. What do you think the postscript means?
This postscript shows that although each they have all graduated and supposedly moved on with their lives. Because of the discrimination against them, they will forever stay in the reservation because thats the only place where Native Americans are not discriminated against, and where Native Americans can feel they belong. Therefore, since everybody still stays in the reservation, and goes to the "Powow Tavern" every weekend, there won't be a need to have a reunion.