Stereotyping In The Classroom Analysis

Stereotyping can change a person’s character uncontrollably. “We were Indian children expected to be stupid. Most lived up to those expectations inside the classroom but subverted them on the outside.” Sherman Alexie is saying that the people he grew up around are what created the stereotype. They didn’t try in the classroom. There was a constant battle between Indians and non-Indians to prove what they were made of, but Indians gave up. They decided to let the rumors about them become true. As they continued on, they believed the rumors were true as well. They believed that the classroom was a vulnerable place where they could never excel. All, within a blink of an eye. Without the kids really being able to stop what was really happening, the stereotype sucked them in and never let
They cannot save their lives. They don’t have any control of their life. They don’t know which other way to turn, but the stereotypical way. Yet, they have complete control at the same time. These Indians have no chance for a future with their efforts inside the classroom. These kids are intelligent people. While they have forced their minds to believe the stereotypes, they are aware of their intellectual capacity. They have the willpower to sit back and let the non-Indian share the correct answer rather than them, themselves. They have no control, but complete power at the same time.“I refused to fail. I was smart I was arrogant. I was lucky.” This is a way to prove that Sherman Alexie let stereotypes steer his entire life, but in a positive way. He did not let them get in his way, and it changed his character in a way that is mind blowing. He refused to be apart of that group of Indians with no hope or real potential. He became an inspiration without even a fair warning. He let stereotypes push him in the untraveled direction, the life changing, ground-breaking direction. The direction that proved everybody else