Poverty Impacts on Education in Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Part-time Indian

        Literature is something that can be enjoyed. We can sit and relax and get lost in our literature companion. However, it not only keeps us entertained, but we can also learn plenty from literary works. Literature provides unlimited knowledge and experiences for those who read it. It is impossible for a person to able to experience various events. Through literary works, we can experience occurrences by reading them. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, a novel by Sherman Alexie, talks about the experience of racism, alcoholism, finding identity and belonging, dreams and hope, and the main focus in this analysis: is poverty. Poverty is one of the issues that influence poor education. On the report of the National Center for Education Statistics, 39 percent of Native American children lived in poverty (2006). In this short analysis, I would like to discourse on how poverty can have an impact on one’s education whereby is discussed in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie kicks off with its main character, Arnold Spirit Jr. (Junior), who is an Indian kid living in the United States of America. Junior and his Indian fellows live a limited life in America. Here are the examples of Junior describing his experience with poverty:

Do you know the worst thing about being poor? Oh, maybe you've done at the math in your head and you figure:

Poverty = empty refrigerator + empty stomach (Alexie 9)

·    And sure, sometimes, my family misses a meal, and sleep is the only thing we have for dinner, but I know that, sooner or later, my parents will come bursting through the door with a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. (Alexie 9)

·    My parents came from poor people who came from poor people who came from poor people, all the way back to the very first poor people. (Alexie 11)

            Junior frequently emphasized his struggles with poverty in the book. Junior set out that the poverty he and his Indian tribe face came from long since (through his ancestors). The indicated poverty here creates numerous issues. For instance, hunger and lack of education. A study in 2002 presented a case in which only 6% of the income from poor families is invested into education and as aforementioned in paragraph 1, 39 percent of Native American children lived in poverty. Although education is important, this shows that education is not the priority of those who suffer from poverty. Below is a presented case by Junior on how limited the education Indians receive:

·      My school and my tribe are so poor and sad that we have to study from the same dang books our parents studied from. That is absolutely the saddest thing in the world. (Alexie 31)

            The statement above is the root of the problem. One of the ways to escape poverty is through education. Yet, poverty is still a never-ending issue. As Junior stated, he has to study from the same books their parents studied from. This insufficient facility and the system are yet to be established. It affects the Indians; they will always have limited knowledge of the literacy that has been passed down is the same over the years. Not solely about literacy but also the facility of the school should be proper and the environment should be able to support learning any kind of skills (e.g., sports, music).

            If the system and facility are still poor and no changes are made, it will create an unskilled generation and it will be unfortunate. The children who have big dreams will not be able to pursue them since they have bounded opportunities. Such as Junior, he is a talented kid and wants to be a famous-rich artist. The government and the people have to come up with a way to minimize poverty and help kids like Junior to be able to chase their dream.