SeanNussdorfer

Ms.Gardner
English10H
21October2015

Bentley,Andrew."Alcohol:ItsDifferentforNativeAmericansNativeAmerican/
American
IndianBlogbyPartnershipWithNativeAmericans."
NativeAmericanAmerican
IndianBlogbyPartnershipWithNativeAmericans
.N.p.,30July2013.Web.8Nov.
2015.

Thisarticletalksaboutthemanyproblemsthatalcoholismhascausedforthe
NativeAmericans,thestereotypes,theviolence,andthesuicides.Throughoutthe
articleBentleytalksabouthowNativesarerelativelynewtoalcoholandhaveless
toleranceandwithotherlivingconditionsthatNativesliveincausescatastrophe.
Thearticleisshortandinformativebutisverypowerfulduetothesubject.
BentleyshowsthatNativesreactdifferentlytoalcoholwhichcausesmany
problems.

BentleygivesinsightintooneofthemainproblemsinTheLoneRangerand
TontoFistfightinHeaven,alcoholism.Thiscausesmanyproblemsinthestories,
andinreallife.ThisexplorationgivesthereadersomebackgroundfortheNatives

andalcoholism,whichisaprevalentthemeinTheLoneRangerandTonto
FistfightinHeavenmakingthereaderunderstandthedifficultiesoflifeforthe
Nativesinthestoriesalotmore.Thisarticleisgoodbackgroundreadingforthe
relationshipbetweenalcoholismandNativesoneoftheprevalentthemes,butit
lacksinthetransitions.

DIX,ANDREW."EscapeStories:NarrativesandNativeAmericansinShermanAlexie'sThe
LoneRangerandTontoFistfightinHeaven."YearbookofEnglishStudies(2001):155.
LiteratureResourceCenter.Web.8Nov.2015.\

InAndrewDixscriticalessayhecommentsonthefactthatAlexie'sworkconsidersthe
possibilitiesofNativesintheirownlittlenarrativesandwhatdifferencesAlexiehaswith
anotheroutspokenNativewriterSilko.Throughouttheessayhecommentsonthemany
subtlethingsthatAlexiedoestoenhancehiswriting.Dixalsocommentsonthe
repetitionofsimilarsituationsthatappearindifferentstoriesthatmakesthereservation
pulsewithdepressionandfailure,whileSilkoswritingismorefocusedonatribes
narrativeimpulse.Thisessayisessentialifyouarelookingtofindmoreaboutthe
messagebehindAlexie'sshortstories,andhowhecomparestootherNativewriters.

Thisessayiswritteninaveryacademictone,butrequiressomeknowledgeofthe
subjectbeforereading.Dixstalksaboutandusesreferencestosomeotheressays
writtenbyotherpeoplethestorytellerbyWalterBenjaminisanexample.Throughout
hisessayheusesmanyexcerptsfromTheLoneRangerandTontoFistfightinHeaven

whichishelpfultounderstandhispoints.Overallthisessayistargetedmoretowardsthe
literarycriticthanyouraveragereaderaspriorknowledgeisneeded.
Horwitz,Sari."TheHardLivesofNativeAmericanChildren."
WashingtonPost.
TheWashington
Post,9Mar.2014.Web.8Nov.2015.

Thisarticlediscussestheverydepressingtopicofthehighsuicideratesamongteens
andtheirbattlewithabuse,poverty,anddrugproblemswhichareconsiderablyhigher
thantherestofthenation.Thearticletalksaboutthemanythingpeoplearedoingto
preventthistragedyandhowtheNativesthemselvesarentgoingtobeabletostopit.
Thisarticleisveryinformativeonthemanygoodpeoplewhoaretryingtostopthe
amountofdeaths,andiseasytounderstand.

Horwitzencounteredaverysensitivetopic,thehighsuicideratesintheNativeAmerican
teenpopulation.Thisarticlegivesabackdropforthestoriesasmanytimestherewillbe
acharacterwhogetsintroubleorstartstoabusealcohol,butonlyoncedoesitcomeup
inthestoriesasitisaverysensitivesubject.Thisbackdrophelpsgivethereadera
betterunderstandingofthedespairandhardshipsofthecharacterswithinthebook,
whileeducatingthemonthestrugglesoftheNativeAmericanpopulation.

KirkusReviews."TheLoneRangerandTontoFistfightinHeaven.KirkusReviews(30
June1993).Rpt.inShortStoryCriticism.Vol.107.Detroit:Gale,2008.Literature
ResourceCenter.Web.21Oct.2015.

Thereviewoffersaverysimplisticbutpowerfulcriticismoftheshortstory
collectionTheLoneRangerandTontoFistfightinHeaven.Thecollectionof
shortstoriesisalookatcontemporarylifeonareservation,filledwithalcoholism
anddespair.ThecriticgivesinsightintothethelivesofThomasbuildstheFire,
AuntNazzy,andtheyoungpopulation.

ThereviewstatesthattheauthorofTonto..Heaven,ShermanAlexie,isavery
talentedwriterwithgoodstyle.Thereviewhasgoodacademicdictiontogetthe
pointacross,thatAlexie'sstoriesaresadandinformationalbutalsofunny.this
textisusefultounderstandthecollectionofshortstoriesasithasacademic
diction,aswellasbeingslightlyinformalforthelessexperiencedreader.

ShermanAlexie.
ContemporaryWritersOnline.
Detroit:Gale,2014
LiteratureResource
Center.
Web.8Nov.2015

ThisbiographyaboutShermanAlexieisveryinformativeonhislifeandhiswriting
accomplishments.Ittalksabouthislifeasalittlekid,howhereadeverybookinthe
schoollibraryandhewenttoaschool32milesoutsideofthereservationandgivesa
littleinformationonhiswritingstyle.ThisshortbiographygivesinsightintoAlexie'slife
onthereservationaswellashislifeasanadult.

ThisbiographygivereadersthebackgroundofAlexiethathelpedhimbecomethewriter
heistoday.Itshowswerealmostallofthebasisforhisstoriescomefromforthereader
whoisinterestedintheinspirationofwriters.Italsoshowsthereaderhowrealhiswriting
is,ashedeltwithmanyoftheproblemshewritesabout.Thisbiographyisusefulforthe
readerwhowantstofindmorebackgroundinformationonShermanAlexie'slife.

"ShermanAlexie."TheNewYorkTimesBookReview10Nov.2013:8(L).LiteratureResource
Center.Web.8Nov.2015.

InthisinterviewbyaNewYorktimesreporter,duringthisinterviewAlexietalksabouthis
readinghabitsandtheimpactofliteratureonhislife.Duringtheinterviewhetalksabout
howreadingaffectedwhenhewasgrowingup.Healsotalksabouthisfavoritewriters
andhisfavoritecharactersinliterature.ThisInterviewgivesyouinsightonwhatbooks
ShermanAlexiereadsandenjoys.

ThisinterviewisnotveryinformativeonAlexie'spersonallifeasitisdoneforabook
review,butitdoesgivegoodinsightonwhathereadsandsomeoftheinfluenceshe
hashadonhiswriting.Thisgivesinsightonwhatinfluencedhiswritingasakidandwhy
hestartedwriting.THisisnotagoodinterviewifyouarelookingformoreserious
indepthquestionsandanswers,butisagoodcomplimenttotheshortstoriesasalittle
lookintoAlexie'slife.