How is education a means to save one's life?
Education is a means to save one's life because having education is having knowledge. To have knowledge is to have the power to understand the endless opportunities that life has to offer. To comprehend that there is countless opportunities in life, that can get a person out of any negative situation that they have been through.
How is Alexie attempting to save the life of the students he works with?
Alexie is attempting to save lives by educating the students he works with. Giving the kids, that were just like him, the knowledge that they need or maybe wouldn't get otherwise. He is showing kids that there is another way out. That you don't have to live up to the stigma that is expected of them. Alexie is teaching them that they too have a chance to amount to something.
How did Alexie save his own life?
Alexie saved his life by educating himself. He pushed the boundries. He expanded his horizon and thought outside the box. He used that education to become something other than what his society, native and nonnative, expected him to be.
"I am breaking down the door." This is a quote that Alexie lived by that motivated him. He felt that he was trapped in this place where he was stuck. He understood that being stuck in that place meant amounting to nothing, or being an uneducated, alcoholic Indian that wasn't going anywhere in life. He knew that breaking down that door meant being smart, being superior and having positive endless possibilitites. Living by that quote contributed to saving his life and he wanted to help save the kids lives by helping them break down their doors as well.
Hello, Your completely right. He did break down the door, because that was a message he needed to change. He knew he needed to change his life. He spent time help the kids learn by reading. He experienced what the kids had, so he knows what they are thinking. He wanted to change the lives of the kids, just like he saved his life. He had a purpose, a goal, he wanted to achieve, and he did! He set a goal and he was positive. Anything is possible if you work hard for it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, LESLEY
Hi Natalie,
ReplyDeleteIt's almost cliche to say "knowledge is power," but knowledge truly is power in this reading. Knowledge and the desire to learn are what enables Alexie to find success in school, which later helps him find a successful, well-paying career. That's power. We don't generally think about the power we have, instead, we think that only certain groups of people have it. This reading argues that there are multiple forms of power, personal, political, social, economic, etc. Alexie accesses power through his education, which makes education that much more important.
Thanks for your insights.
Take care,
Lauren
Hello Natalie,
ReplyDeleteI really liked the expression you used in your dialogue, “To have knowledge is to have the power to understand the endless opportunities that life has to offer”. I also believe that knowledge gives us the power and resources to achieve one’s goals in life.
Natalie,
ReplyDeleteI liked how you put in the quote that motivated him to become what he is. I think we all have something in life that motivates us to our goals, even to above and beyond. I agree when you say knowledge is power, you just have to make use of it.
Xochilt