How does Scout end up with a blanket across her shoulders? Why would Harper Lee include this moment in the book?

       The chapter begins with Atticus rushing Scout out the door with her boots and coat on. As she opens the door she can not believe what she sees at Ms. Maudie's house...A huge fire has occurred and Scout and her brother Jem are right in front of it, watching the building slowly fall apart. It was about one A.M and they were both trembling in the cold night time. So much was going on in just one small moment, Scout, as everyone else, was so focused on the fire, she was attentive to what was going outside of the fire. When Scout wakes up she finds a blanket rapped around her and her father Atticus asks her who's it was and why it was rapped around her but Scout's mind was blind, she didn't even realize she had a blackness until Atticus pointed it out. She explains to her father that she had no clue as to who's it was, but suddenly Jem figures the mystery out and tells his family that it was Boo Radley. As Scout hears the words coming out of Jem's mouth, something else wants to come out of hers...Just the thought that Arthur (Boo Radley) was right behind her makes her sick to her stomach.

       This small moment in the book hugely affects Boo's character. What Harper Lee was trying to was get the children of Maycomb County, and the reader, to think twice about Mr. Radley. Now Boo isn't the monster that lives next door anymore, but he isn't the nice man who lives next door either. The reason to this is because the kids have so many ideas in their head right now they don't know what to think and this is what they, and the reader as well, will figure out during the book.

#8 Why does Rowdy tell Arnold, "You killed her" (211)?

On page 211 Rowdy says, "You killed her" to Arnold referring that he killed his sister. What Rowdy means by this is that he thinks that what she did was a response to Arnold's actions. While his sister was living in the basement, Arnold took a big step and decided to start going to Reardan. Rowdy thinks this pushed Arnold's sister to do something dramatic and unexpected too, to get married and move to Montana. Now Arnold believes that what Rowdy says is true and that "She had burned to death because I had decided that I wanted to spend his life with white people" (Alexie 211). I think that because of what Rowdy has said Arnold feels guilty and will never forgive himself for "killing his sister" when all he was trying to do is go after his dreams and guid a better future for himself. Finally, in the beginning I think Arnold got the courage to move to Reardan because of what Mr. P had told him about his sister being brave, smart and courageous.

(97-230) #2. Why does Junior cry on pages 216 and 217? (Molly)

Junior cries because he realizes that the Indians are all going to die if they keep drinking. His sister and his dad’s best friend have both just died from being too drunk. “I was crying because I knew five or ten or fifeteen more Spokanes would die during the next year, and that most of them would die because of booze” (Alexie, 216). Junior decides that he isn’t going to drink because he will have a good life in the real world. He realizes that many Indians drink because they don’t have a good life, and he is happy that he left the rez because it will give him a brighter future and maybe cause less heartache for his family in the future.

(97-230). #1 Why does Rowdy tell Arnold, “You killed her” (211)? Is there truth to this statement? (Grace V)

Rowdy tells Arnold, “You killed her” (211), because Arnold abandoned Rowdy and his tribe when he left the rez school to attend the white Reardan school. Junior is convinced that this action inspired Mary to leave the tribe and start a new life in Montana. If she had stayed on the reservation she would not have been killed-drunk- in a fire. Junior reflects, “This reservation had tried to suffocate her, had kept her trapped in a basement… she was trying to live out her dream… and now she was out roaming the fields in Montana” (Alexie 91). Rowdy convinced Junior that Mary’s death was all his fault. From several hundred miles away, Junior had inspired his sister to begin a new chapter, but Junior was not the one who left the stove on or poured those drinks to kill Mary. That is the small bit of truth in the statement. But Junior did not really kill his sister. Mary wanted to start over, just as Arnold had by changing schools. His actions were separate from those enacted by Mary.

#7 Summarize the outcome of the game. Why does Junior cry at the end? What does he realize? Stephen

In Junior's basketball game against Wellpinit, Junior's team won, but Junior realized that the other team had much less than his team. In the first ten seconds, Junior took the ball from Rowdy. Rowdy tried to dunk the ball, but Junior jumped higher than him, and stole the ball. Everyone was amazed. He ran to the other side of the court, and made a head fake which fooled Rowdy, then made a three point shot. That play greatly influenced the outcome of the game. Junior's team won by forty points, but he realized that Wellpinit does not have nearly as much as Reardan. He says "I know that two or three of those Indians might not have eaten breakfast that morning." He realized that his team was the bad guy. He went and cried in the bathroom, and his team thought he was crying tears of joy, he was not. Junior's basketball game against Wellpinit, he realized that he was the bad guy.

#7. Summarize the cartoon on 182. What is the significance? What does it show about Junior? What is his dilemma? Fiona

The cartoon on page 182 portrays the different reactions the fans have to Junior at Wellpint gym versus at the Reardan gym. “They came to our gym, so I wasn’t going to get burned at the stake. In fact, my white fans were going to cheer for me like I was some kind of crusading warrior” (182). At the Wellpint gym, Junior feels like he is a devil, and he is hated by all the fans and the Wellpint team as well. People there throw quarters, and yell mean things at him. But at the Reardan gym, everyone loves him and makes him feel like an angel! The fans cheer him on and yell encouraging things at him. Junior’s dilemma is that he doesn’t know whether or not he wanted to return to the Wellpint gym/go to their school and be hated for a little while before he will be accepted again, or if he wants to hide from his angry reservation friends and keep playing at the Reardan gym. Something I noticed about the cartoon is that either way, he still has a speech bubble saying, “Who am I?”

#7: 168-198 Summarize the outcome of the game. Why does Junior cry at the end? What does he realize? -Emma H

Junior and his team beat Wellpinit High School by 40 points, but to Junior the defeat of Wellpinit represented the hopelessness of his own tribe. "Maybe my white teammates had problems, serious problems, but none of their problems was life threatening"(Alexie 195). After the win, Junior realized that the kids on his team had money. They had food, they could afford whatever they wanted. The kids on the Wellpinit team probably didn't have a breakfast that morning, or had serious issues within their family, not to mention that they are constantly pushed down by the white people. The fact that there is no hope in their future is constantly shoved in there faces by the little things that ruin their life everyday. The only thing that Junior's tribe could live for was the basketball team. For a while, Wellpinit was the the best team in the state. Basketball gave people like Rowdy hope. Basketball gave the Wellpinit students a chance. Junior crushed that chance. Now he resents himself for it.

#6 Examine the illustration on page 166 and the repetition of laughter on 166 and 167. What is the role of laughter in this chapter? Nola.

The illustration on page 166 shows two faces with a rainbow separating them. One face is crying, while the other one is laughing. When Junior's grandmother has died, they are having a funeral for her. Ted gives Junior's mother his Grandmother's powwow dancing outfit. His mother says that it was not hers and for a couple minutes everyone is silent. The silence is broken by his mother's laughter. Her laughter triggers everyone else's laughter and soon every person there is laughing. Juniors says that "When it comes to death, we know that laughter and tears are pretty much the same thing" (Alexie 167). That sentence goes along with the illustration. The illustration is representing that laughter and tears can go hand in hand. At funerals you think about all the memories of that person. When Junior's mother received the powwow outfit, she started laughing at the memories of her mother. They wanted to send her off to heaven with laughter, not just tears and sad feelings.

Who is the first game against? How is he treated by the crowd at the first game? How does the team (and coach) react/support him? How does this impact him?-Chloe

     The very first game for Junior's team is against the Wellpinit High School. When he and his team mates were walking in he heard a chant but the words weren't quite clear to him, but as he got closer and closer to the court, the words got clearer. All the kids sitting on the bench that were from the reservation were chanting "Ar-nold sucks! Ar-nold sucks!". The thing that bothered him most wasn't that they were saying he sucked, but that they were calling him Arnold, which was his Rearden name. All the kids from the reservation used to call him Junior but now that he changed schools, they feel betrayed and think that although he might be "red" outside, that he is "white" inside. They feel that Junior doesn't care about where he comes from and that all he cares about is becoming an American but this was not Junior's intention, all he wanted was to not lose hope like all the other kids in the reservation. The coach is a great help to Junior and helps him get back on his feet. The coach says "It's ok, if you care about something enough, it's going to make you cry. but  you have to use it. Use your tears. Use your pain. Use your fear. Get mad, Arnold get mad." This impacts Arnold a lot, it helps him get through the pain and the sadness and with the help of his coach's wise words, he turns these sad tears into mad tears so he can take all the madness he has stored in his heart on the ball and the game.

#4. Explain the significance of the friendship with Gordy for Junior. Maxim

Junior is very lonely with all that has happened lately. Rowdy hates him, Penelope doesn't care about him a lot and he is a freak at school. Junior thinks that Gordy and him have a lot in common so he asks Gordy to be friends. They are both smart, they are both looked at as freaks in the school. To Junior this isn't the same friendship he had with Rowdy but he looks at Gordy with respect and he likes to be with him. Also, Gordy is his first real friend at Reardan so he means a lot to Junior so they study together and Gordy teaches Junior things. Overall Gordy is a very important friend for Junior and get along together.

#2 Quote to Note:”We were supposed to be happy with our limitations”(Alexie 112)

Arnold is talking to the reader about the expectations. Penelope and Arnold wanted to do bigger things. In this next quote Arnold is talking about Penelope and him thinking bigger, “we both wanted to fly”(Alexie 113). Arnold wanted to make a difference in the world and escape the fate of his parents. He has partially achieved this goal because he transferred to Rearden. He now has the opportunity and people around him to achieve his goal. Penelope wants to be an architect and build things that help the world. She has taken a step in the right direction by telling Arnold this dream and by having hope in it. If a person doesn't believe in their dream then when they come to a bump in the road they quit. Penelope and Arnold have both started down the right path and are trying to make a difference.

#6 “If you let people in your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing” (129). Jake

In this quote Junior is speaking to the reader. This quote occurs after Penelope asks Junior if he is poor and he admits to it. The significance of this quote is that even though he is poor Penelope and Rodger still respect him. Penelope feels very bad for Junior and begins to cry. After Penelope asks Rodger if he can drive Junior home. "He drove [him] home plenty of other nights, too" (Alexie 129). This quote is important because it shows that even though Junior is Indian and he is poor he is still accepted by the white community. This may lead to other Indians leaving the reservation and staying hopeful. Junior was very worried that everyone would make fun of him for being poor, but in the end telling Penelope and Rodger that he is poor got him a ride home.

#5 Quotes to Note (67-98) "If you are good at it, and you love it, and it helps you navigate the river of the world, than it can’t be wrong" (95). Molly

The speaker of the quote “If you are good at it, and you love it, and it helps you navigate the river of the world, than it can’t be wrong.” (Alexie, 95) is Gordy. He is talking to Junior. Gordy is helping Junior to learn how to study and read and he tells him that “If you don’t treat each word that seriously then you’re not treating the novel seriously.” (Alexie, 95). Junior realizes that he takes his drawing his comics seriously and he wonders if he should take reading that seriously. He asks Gordy if he should take books as seriously as he takes his comics, but is afraid that Gordy will laugh at him and make fun of him. That is when Gordy says “If you are good at it, and you love it, and it helps you navigate the river of the world, than it can’t be wrong.” (Alexie, 95). The importance of this quote is all his life Junior has been made fun of and drawing comics was one way to help him cope with the world. When he tells Gordy that, he is afraid that Gordy is going to make fun of him, but in the end he doesn’t. It shows signs of their friendship that Gordy is supportive of Junior even when other people aren’t.

#5 Quotes to Note (67-98) “My sister’s spirit hadn’t been killed” (91). Grace V

Arnold's sister marries and moves away from the ranch to escape the hopeless and dreary life she may have lived. Arnold is speaking to the reader in this quote, and he is reflecting on the news of his sisters moving away and marrying without notice. This quote is significant because it shows that Arnold is not the only one on the reservation to make a change with their life for the better. “She was trying to live out her dream...She hadn’t given up” (Alexie 91). Mary has the dream of writing romance novels and Arnold has the dream of writing comic books, and both siblings must leave the rez in order to achieve these dreams. For Arnold, going to Reardon is a step towards becoming independent from the reservation, and Mary has fully separated herself from the doom of remaining at the rez entirely. Neither Arnold nor Mary have given up on their dreams, and neither of them have succumbed to becoming drunks like the rest of the Native Americans on the rez. Mary and Arnold will become the source of new opportunity and a fresh start, hope and inspiration for their generation and the generations to follow.

#3 Name/explain three issues/hurdles Junior encounters in his transition to Reardon. Stephen

Three obstacles Junior encounters at reardan are, race, name calling, and the rules. The first obstacle Junior encounters is race. Immediately when he gets to the school, he is encountered by many people staring at him because he is of a different race. This racism eventually turned into lots of name calling. He says “They called me names. Lots of names.” (Alexie 63). If he is known as “Chief” or “Red-skin” (Alexie 63), he will have a hard time making friends. The last problem Junior runs into is the rules, or the standards at Reardan. At the reservation, fights occur frequently, it is normal. However, at Reardan, the rules are different. After punching Roger, Junior says “He was shocked.” (Alexie 65). This is because Roger was used to fights happening with words instead of fists, and fist-fighting is seen as unacceptable and crazy, almost barbaric. That is not what Junior is used to. All of these problems are because the difficulty in transitioning from a completely different environment. That is something Junior will have to deal with as he continues at Reardan.

#4 "My best friend had become my worst enemy" (53) Nola

After Junior tells Rowdy that he is going to Reardan, he is talking to the reader. This quote is significant because it shows how his relationship with his best friend changed so fast. At first Rowdy would do anything to protect Junior. He cared a lot about Juniors safety and was always looking out for him. That all changed after he told Rowdy that he was switching schools to go to Reardan. He thought that Junior felt as if he was better than him and he could do better than being with Rowdy all the time. With one conversation, Rowdy switched to hating Junior and being one of the many people that beat him up.

#3 Quote to note "My best friend had become my worst enemy" (Alexie, 53). By Fiona

Junior is speaking to the reader about his encounter with Rowdy that ended their friendship. Junior has just been abandoned and punched hard by his best friend, Rowdy, after a stiff conversation about changing schools. Junior told Rowdy he’s transferring to Reardan, and that he wants Rowdy to come with him to the school. Rowdy replies in an angry manner, and at first even thinks that Junior is joking. After he is punched, Junior sits on the ground for a while, feeling the aftershock, and hoping that time wouldn’t move when he realizes what has become of his and Rowdy’s friendship in just a few moments. “But I had to stand eventually, and when I did, I knew that my best friend had become my worst enemy” (Alexie, 53). This quote illustrates how Junior is reflecting on how his and Rowdy’s friendship has just crumbled to the dust before his eyes. This quote also shows that Rowdy and Junior have flopped extremes: they were the best of friends and relied on each other very much in many different ways, and now they are the worst of enemies. If Junior hadn’t told Rowdy he’s planning on switching schools, and Rowdy hadn’t reacted so strongly, they would have been perfectly happy together, and would have continued to stick up for and comfort each other.

Reading #3, Pages 48-66– In Junior’s mind, what is a “real Indian”? How does this impact him? Emma

            Junior sees “Indian” as being brown, tough, loyal, and hopeless, but he does not identify himself as all of these things. Fighting is so common that without Rowdy, bullies on the rez would pummel Junior constantly. But that isn’t even the worst part of living on the rez. Everyone that Junior knows has lost hope in themselves, their future, and their community. Most adults are drunks, wasting away, assuming that they have neither opportunities nor any possible way to make something of themselves. “Dad is a drunk and Mom is an ex-drunk, but they don’t want their kids to be drunks”(Alexie, 46). Because of the similarities between all Indians -their traditions, their past, their heritage- the Indians of the rez stay together. There would be no way of survival otherwise- no way to be successful in the real world. But Junior knows that he isn’t like all the other Indians. Even though he is brown, he would not be perceived as tough by first impressions, and he does not like to fight (with the exception of defending himself). Since Indians have been seen as “weak” throughout America’s history, they are known as nothing- they are seen as zero.  Because Junior is treated like he is nothing, he sees himself as the lowest of the low. Like Lenny from Of Mice and Men, he is a big dreamer, and he dreams through his cartoons. When Junior leaves for Reardan, the tribe sees him as a disloyal traitor, but he sees it as a step towards hope. Junior, unlike everyone else at the rez, has hope, and that, above all else, makes all of his differences to the other Indians worth it. If you were in his shoes, would you be ok with being different from the tribe?

Interpret/explore/explain the context and the significance of the quote “Every white person on this res should get smashed in the face. But let me tell you this. All the Indians should get smashed in the face, too.”

      When Mr. P is having a chat with Junior, Mr. P says to him “Every white person on this res should get smashed in the face. But let me tell you this. All the Indians should get smashed in the face, too.” In this quote, Mr. P is trying to apologize to Junior for all the things that white people did to the Indians, for example taking the Indian's land. Mr. P also says that all the Indians should get "smashed in the face" because the Indians just gave up. None of the Indians fought for what they deserved and just let what was happening happen. Mr. P believes that nobody should lose hope, he feels like losing hope is something  that you should maybe even be punished for. He is explaining all this to Junior because he knows that Junior is the only Indian, maybe even the only child, in the reservation that hasn't lost hope. He wants to save Junior from that because he knows all the potential that Junior has and he doesn't want all that to go to waist, he doesn't want Junior to throw all his talent and intelligence out the window. Mr. P has faith in Junior and he won't let all the other kids in the reservation take Junior's hope away from him.

#1 “I draw because words are too unpredictable. I draw because words are too limited...” (5). Jake

In this quote, Junior is speaking to the reader. Junior says this quote while he is talking about why he likes to draw. The signifigace of this quote is he has trouple with speaking, "I had a st-st-st-st-stutter and a lissssssssththththp" (Alexie, 4) so he could not comunicate very well by verbal comunication. He uses his drawing to show what he is saying allowing people to more clearly understand what he is trying to say. He also draws because not everyone can speak the same language and by dawing he is able to show his words in any langues that the observer speaks. Another reason that Junior draws is becuase there are less words than there are ways to draw a certian thing. Meaning that you can interperut drawing easy than words. Junior enjoys drawing because it allows him to comunicate without haveing to speak and most importantly he can creat many different meanings for each drawing. 

#1 Quote to Note: “Rowdy and I are inseparable” (Alexie 24) by Thomas B

Arnold is talking to the reader about how Rowdy is more important than his family. The reason Rowdy and Arnold are inseparable is because there is a give and take to their relationship. Arnold and Rowdy help each other by being someone he can rely on. An example of this is when Arnold says, “And he only talks about his dreams with me. And I only talk about my dreams with him.”(Alexie 23) This shows that they do not have a strong bond with any members of their family and that they have no other friends they can trust. Rowdy also stands up for Arnold. When Arnold was beat up by the Andruss triplets, Rowdy cut their hair. Arnold can also cheer up Rowdy by showing him his comics he draws. Arnold provides a safe haven for Rowdy to go to when his dad is drunk. Arnold and Rowdy help each other in many ways and have a special bond.

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