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However, the main character Junior was in the same situation as the others because his family was very poor but his appearance was very different. When he was born he suffered a brain damage, which in turn made him look different from everyone else in the community. He partially blind, his hands and feet are way to big for his skinny little body and he had an enormous scull. Junior’s unusual appearance made him a bullying target In school. His appearance made it so easy for people to pick on him.
From the essay Recognizing Strangers”, the author Sara Aimed redefines the meaning of strangers. When we hear the word “stranger” we associate it with someone that we do not know at all and we are threaten by the concept of unknown. She defines the word “stranger” as someone that we do know because we have seen them around before however we do not know them well personally. In closed small communities that people live in tend to have similar values, beliefs, cultures, and similar physical appearances. Those aspects and similarities between them connect people and there
Is a sense of belonging. However, In the context that Sara Aimed defines the strangers are the people that do not belong particularly to others within those aspects aforementioned above. When someone Is different he Is automatically seen as “stranger” or a threat. People tend to be threaten with something or something that is different and as a result place all their fears that they have on that particular figure and they feel secure. Placing fears with physical object makes us feel secure because when we encounter It In front of us we take measures to keep It away.
Junior, In the novel did not belong with the people In his community even though he was the same race as everyone else but the fact that he looked different made him an outcast automatically. By Junior being physically different a person could easily define him as a stranger In the community and could place all his Insecurities and fears upon poor Junior. The community Reservation had the concept of “neighborhood watch” because they wanted everyone who lived In that particular area to be the same as everyone else.
When Junior transferred too new school In another town where the white people lived, again he was out castes and seen as a stranger In the eyes of his classmates and teachers. People make Judgments and assumptions about others without even meeting them. We make stick to stereotypes and believe that defines them. Junior’s teacher believed that he was stupid based on his race and his ethnicity even when they new that his observations or comments were correct.
HIS new classmates did not even look at him when he first came In to class because he looked different and so they automatically acted as If he was not art to realize without even realizing we all make Judgments about others and place them into a category to see if they do belong or if they do not belong. It’s so wrong for one to be Judged by his race or his physical appearance because the person did not choose to be what he is or what he looks like. Its devastating to see even in our days in 2013 where the human mind has involved so much in so many aspects that it still makes these ignorant pre assumed Judgments about others.
We are better and smart than that to make these naive and biased assumptions and actually stick with them. Themes of the book Belonging- beginning of Indian school did not belong at all Rules of society- social rules, values system of fighting. Concept of friendship- abused child Rowdy. Rowdy is the reflection of what is he supposed to be. Does not want to become Tough, not value of education, poverty, drunkenness, Junior does not belong in his society. Junior is going to change because he is going adopt different values. Its going to change who he is.
Similarities to Recognized Strangers and the book Neighborhood watch similar to the reservations because everyone looks the same Prejudges when Junior thought that he will punch by the white dudes. Preconceived notion of the teachers had that he will not be smart. Product of environment – the way he lives Keeping everyone pure Junior as stranger Neighborhood watch keeping everyone the same Fear – changes the way we see the world and move around it Penelope did not even recognized strangers or deal with strangers. Visual economy- not being worth to place money on it.
His parents are brilliant people but because of there economy they can not improve. Read up to 151 He begins to fit in He starts dating Penelope – who is the most popular girl so he is seen popular Becoming more distance from his own culture Rowdy hit Junior hit him in the head with a ball because he feels intimidated by him. Not the same person- his friends from school at the basketball game called him Arnold. He is placing new values that are clashing with his old values. Who would be the stranger. Why would anyone feel like a stranger on campus. 2. Who does the space exclude? 3. What are the daily practices to keep the exclusion in place?
Started to question his identity when he beat the basketball game. Because he realized that they were not going anywhere. Indian kids the basketball game was everything to them. To the white kids had a future ahead of them. Multiculturalism- 21 at Century Academy Insiders – not associated as a group. Egocentrics- assumes that they see the world the way they do (insiders). Outsiders- the unwritten roles that they can see where they belong. Insight of how the world works and the insiders do not have the privilege because they are inside. People should not look at the world in as a color blindness.