Reservation

To the Native Americans Junior lives among, the rez is all there is. The rez limits them and contains them. It prevents them from a bright future and extinguishes all their hope. The reservation is infested with poverty, alcoholism, and hopelessness. The Native Americans living there have given up and have lost hope. They don't believe that they can leave the reservation and become something greater. To them, the rez is an obstacle that they can never overcome. It's like a jail for them, and they can't escape. It won't let them live their dreams or dare hope for a better life.
But to Junior, the rez is something he can overcome. He views it as a home, yes, but he also views it as a prison and a place that he has to leave. Unlike his fellow Native Americans, Junior believes that he can leave the reservation for a better life. Not only does he believe this, but he also takes initiative and works to make his hopes and dreams come true. He doesn't allow the reservation to limit him and hold him back. When he goes to Reardan, he struggles to find his identity. He feels half Indian and half white. Wellpinit is both foreign and familiar to him, and the other Native Americans feel angry and betrayed that Junior has left them. Junior isn't sure of what to think of Wellpinit. But I feel that in the end, Junior finally recognizes that he belongs to many tribes, not just to the tribe of Spokane Indians. He realizes that he has many identities. In the end, he will always think of his rez as a home, but he also knows that he will leave it behind one day.
Are there "reservations" in my life? Certainly. There are fears or obstacles that limit me or make me want to give up. In particular, I feel that one limitation of mine is the past. Dwelling on the past isn't good for me, yet I can't seem to let go of certain experiences that have happened to me. However, I can't hold onto what has happened to me forever. In order to move on, I will have to learn to let go of the past.

Native Sons

Native Son was a powerful and impressive book filled with intensity. It is split into three parts. In the first two parts, Bigger, a twenty-year-old African American boy full of trouble, is hired by a rich man to be a chauffeur. That night, he accidentally kills the rich man's daughter, but manages to conceal his crime by throwing the body into the furnace of the house. He then comes up with a plan to try to collect a ransom from the murdered girl's parents, but when the girl's bones are discovered in the furnace, he runs away and attempts to hide. Bigger is eventually caught and hauled off to jail. 

In the third part, Bigger's trial takes place. Although it lacks the large amount of action found in the first two parts of the book, it is no less intense. The third part is full of speeches made at the trial, and although they are long, they are filled with importance. Bigger's lawyer, Max, argues passionately for his case, speaking not only about Bigger, but about all the African Americans in the country. Although Max's speech was beautiful, Bigger is still given the death penalty in the end.  

I'm conflicted. Bigger did many terrible, terrible things, and his crimes aren't justified. However, I still didn't want him to die in the end. It made my heart ache. Bigger might have been a criminal, but when I finished the book, I was saddened by the fact that Bigger was given the death penalty. But I do think that at the very end of the book, when Bigger was facing his death, he discovered himself. I felt that his last conversation with Max was very powerful and profound. Bigger tells Max, "'...When a man kills, it's for something...I didn't know I was really alive in this world until I felt things hard enough to kill for 'em... It's the truth, Mr. Max. I can say it now, 'cause I'm going to die. I know what I'm saying real good and I know how it sounds. But I'm all right. I feel all right when I look at it that way....'" Perhaps when Bigger was finally given the death penalty, he finally discovered himself. After all, I feel that Richard Wright, the author, made Bigger Thomas a human, not merely a racial symbol. 

And in the end, I feel that in the third part of the book, Richard Wright isn't focusing on Bigger, but rather a more complicated story. He's not just trying to talk about Bigger Thomas, he's talking about all the African Americans in America. He's talking about how they live and feel. He's pleading for America to change their minds about the African Americans. Richard Wright is speaking for his own people, but for America too. It is in this part of the book where I think Richard Wright really gets to put in what he wants to say. I think that's what makes this book so powerful. The speech is extremely powerful, when making a plea for all African Americans. It is a strong warning. "'They are not simply twelve million people; in reality they constitute a separate nation, stunted, stripped and held captive within this nation.'" But in the end, I guess the plea is not strong enough for Bigger himself as an individual. The judge was not persuaded, and gave Bigger the death penalty. 

Did he deserve it? Bigger did murder. But the society who condemned him is to blame as well. Max says of the white people, "'They want your life; they want revenge. They felt they had you fenced off so that you could not do what you did. Now they're mad because deep down in them they believe that they made you do it. When people feel that way, you can't reason with 'em.'" However, Bigger's actions are not justified. But in my heart, I still didn't want him to die. Perhaps it was Max's powerful speech, perhaps it's just something inside me. Whatever it is, my heart ached when the judge seemed to brush away Max's beautiful speech. Max's plea for society to change their views towards African Americans was simply waved away, and to me, that might be the saddest part of all. 

A Principle to Keep

Hmm... A principle to always keep, no matter what the situation. That's a hard one. One that comes to mind is to always defend those you love, no matter what the cost. Do anything it takes to keep them safe. Never harm anyone if there isn't a reason to. But I feel like many people would consider that a principle to keep.

It's pretty difficult to think of one principle that one should always keep no matter what happens. But I do think that it's important to think about one's state of mind. I believe that it's important to move on from the bad things that happen to us in life and to let go of grudges, resentment, or what could have been. Should have, could have, would have. We should let go of those things. If we hold onto what happened in the past, then we can't face the future. We need to learn to forgive and move on, whether it's forgiving someone else who's wronged you or forgiving yourself. Yeah, it sounds really cliche and cheesy and whatnot, but I think it's true. No matter what happens, you always have to make sure to check your state of mind. Sometimes the internal part of you is more important than the external.

I believe that it's important to let go and move on from the mistakes and bad events of the past. It does no good to hold onto such things. In any situation, if you make sure that you aren't holding onto the bad things and focus on turning the problem into something good, you will have a clearer mind and feel better. That's another thing- being able to see the bright side of things. No matter what happens, if you hold onto hope and don't give up, then you can never count yourself out right away.