Compare and Contrast

Not being accepted by a culture other than your own is something most people have gone through. Not being accepted by your own culture is a whole different story. The book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and the essay, “Should I act More Black?” By Ashley Benn have a cohesive theme of not belonging with your own culture. The book The Absolutely true Diary of a Part-Time Indian is the story about a young boy named Junior. Growing up, fitting in was always hard for Junior as he left the school on the reservation to a predominantly white school the struggle to find an accepting group became harder. The essay “Should I act more black?” is about an African American teenager who is struggling to find a group of friends to fit in with and is criticized for the way she acts and her choices in life; like going to college. Both readings hold a similar theme, but they differ as well. A big difference is the way that they are treated by the people of their own culture. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Junior gets much more harsh treatment. He is not accepted by his tribe, and on top of that he is bullied and beat up for being a “retard”. His peers on the reservation refer to him as a “retard” because of the way he talks. He has a lisp and he stutters, whereas Ben is just not accepted for talking like a “valley girl”. She doesn’t get beat like Junior does. Another difference between these two readings is that Ben has other people in her life that have been through or are going through similar things in their lives. Ben refers to her mother and brother going through the same treatment because of the way that they talk. But in Junior’s case he stands alone. He is the only person that has ever been brave enough to leave the reservation. And he is the ONLY Indian at his new school (other than the mascot). These to readings also have many similarities. Both Ben and Junior are not accepted into their culture. A reason that