Native American Alcoholism

There are 5.2 million Native Americans in the United States. 1 in 10 of those Native Americans die for alcohol-related reasons. Alcoholism spreads like the plague. Because of this, it can be hard for children on the reservations to find positive role models. Which can be why many Native Americans grow up to be alcoholics as well. “Life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of the community” -Sherman Alexie. This quote means that it’s always a balance between being part of your community and doing what is favorable for you. Or by doing what's valuable for your future. To be successful in life, you need to surround yourself with positive influences. To be successful, you need hope. At Junior’s home on the
At the school on the Rez, Junior is the smartest kid by far. But at Reardan there are students who know more. That helps Junior get challenged. Gordy, one of if not the smartest kid in the school, helps Junior out.“Gordy taught me how to study. Best of all he taught me how to read”(Alexie 94.) Gordy knows more than Junior. So Gordy helps Junior out and he is someone Junior can learn from. It also shows that Junior likes that there is someone who is better than him and can challenge him when he says, “Best of all.” Which is a phrase you would use if you were excited about something. Junior had someone that was smarter than him. That didn't hold him back it did the opposite. He had Gordy pushing him because he knew more than Junior. In an interview with Diane Sawyer, a young Indian boy with high hopes for the future describes how being poor will help you in life.“My uncle told me there's going to be a muddy road and an easy road. The rich kid takes the easy road and the poor kid takes the muddy rough road. And they're building up strength the whole time.” (Sawyer 8:10 .)Rich people have more privilege and they have it easier. Poor kids have less privilege and they have it harder. But poor kids get strength from having to work harder to get what they want. It also shows how his uncle is really influencing him to work hard and telling him that hard work pays off. Since the poor kids have to work harder they become better people and warriors. The rich kids are considered a better class, so they don't have to work as hard. In the future, the poor kids will have learned more than the rich kids. The uncle is also a very positive role model and he’s helped this boy have