Why is basketball so important to Sherman Alexie?

In Sherman Alexie’s poem “Why We Play Basketball”, basketball is not only for entertainment, it can be an intrinsic motivation for people aiming for a better future. Alexie uses basketball to describe his childhood. This poem answers the question why they play basketball because of their childhood experiences.

What is a particular theme that runs through several of sherman Alexie’s stories?

Alexie’s poetry, short stories and novels explore themes of despair, poverty, violence and alcoholism among the lives of Native American people, both on and off the reservation.

Does Sherman Alexie have a family?

Diane Tomhave
Lillian Agnes CoxSherman Joseph Alexie
Sherman Alexie/Family

How old was Alexie when his mother sobered up?

7
His son was certain of his love. The author’s mother, Lillian, was a different story. She got sober when Alexie was 7 but stayed mean.

What does basketball symbolize in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian?

It’s when he’s playing basketball that Junior hears and believes the words “You can do it”—this is one place where all his hopes and dreams really are within his reach.

What are Sherman Alexie’s difficulties in writing about his childhood?

He suffered from congenital hydrocephalus and underwent surgery when he was six months old. Though the procedure did not affect his ability to learn, he suffered harsh side effects, including seizures, in his childhood.

What was Alexie’s first career choice in college and what made him change his mind and consider a different career?

Alexie originally hoped to become a medical doctor, but he decided to change career goals because he kept fainting during human anatomy class. Alexie left college before completing his degree because he claimed he didn’t finish his U.S. History course.

What disease does Sherman Alexie have?

congenital hydrocephalus
Alexie was born to Salish Indians—a Coeur d’Alene father and a Spokane mother. He suffered from congenital hydrocephalus and underwent surgery when he was six months old. Though the procedure did not affect his ability to learn, he suffered harsh side effects, including seizures, in his childhood.

What are 3 interesting facts about Sherman Alexie?

Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Sherman Alexie

• Sherman Alexie has published two dozen books, and he’s writing regularly.
• Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian reservation and is a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene Indian, yet his works aren’t simply about life on the reservation.
• He currently lives in Seattle.

Why does junior try out for the basketball team?

Why does junior try out for the basketball team? Junior trys out after talking with his father who tells him that “you have to dream big to get big.”

What happens during the basketball game The Absolutely True Diary?

The crowd explodes. Junior’s mom and dad weep with joy. It is the only shot Junior takes all night, but Junior holds Rowdy to just four points, and Reardan wins the game by forty. Junior celebrates at the buzzer, but then he has a realization.

What is Alexie’s primary message?

The theme of Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me” is that education is valuable, and culture or background do not correlate to…show more content… He even explains this when he says, “My father loved books, and since I loved my father with an aching devotion, I decided to love books as well” (Alexie 279).

What is Sherman Alexie’s purpose in writing The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is Alexie’s first young adult novel. He claims to have written it as a response to pressure from kids and librarians to create something directed toward a younger audience.

What obstacle did Sherman Alexie have to overcome as a child?

What are 5 facts about Sherman Alexie?

What advice does dad give that encourages junior to try out for the Reardan basketball team?

Junior’s dad tells Junior the story as a way to say he should “dream big to get big.” Junior should try out for the Reardan basketball team. Junior goes to tryouts and Coach says that 16 of the 40 kids there won’t make the team.

How does Junior’s dad encourage him to try out for the basketball team?

Though Junior almost doesn’t go to basketball tryouts because he’s afraid of being humiliated, his dad convinces him to go, saying with uncharacteristic optimism, “You have to dream big to get big.”

What happens during the game why does junior cry when the game is finished what does he realize?

He cries for his sister, for his tribe, for his fellow tribal members who are slowly killing themselves, for being the only one who is brave and crazy enough to leave the rez, for knowing that he will never drink and kill himself. He also realizes he is not the only lonely person in the world.

For what reason does Alexie claim that reading and writing became important to him?

Alexie emphasizes books because reading is what set him ahead of all his Indian classmates and advanced his ability to excel in life. As a man Alexie has written many popular books and poems.

Who is Alexies audience?

Audience: I think that Alexie was writing to a general audience. You can argue that he was writing to the Native American students to try and inspire them, but I think that he is writing to anyone who feels and has experienced some sort of stereotype. 2.

How does Roger the giant respond to the fact that junior punched him?

How does Roger the Giant respond to the fact that Junior punched him? Roger and the others walk away, and Junior asks Roger what the rules are.

What challenges did Sherman Alexie face?

Alexie was born to Salish Indians—a Coeur d’Alene father and a Spokane mother. He suffered from congenital hydrocephalus and underwent surgery when he was six months old. Though the procedure did not affect his ability to learn, he suffered harsh side effects, including seizures, in his childhood.

Why is Junior deemed to have betrayed his tribe?

Junior is deemed to have betrayed his tribe because in the other people on the reservations eyes he turned his back on them and denounced their culture, they see him as someone who wants to be white since he left.

What is the central idea of Alexie’s text?

What is Alexie’s purpose in writing the text? Alexie values education and supporting others in fighting against low expectations. The reader knows this because it is part of the central idea that Alexie develops in the text.