• How to Cite
  • Language & Lit
  • Rhyme & Rhythm
  • The Rewrite
  • Search Glass

The Theme of the Short Story "Indian Education"

A theme is a common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated throughout a literary work. The short story "Indian Education" by Sherman Alexie, a Native American writer and filmmaker, is told in the first person, recounting the experiences of the protagonist, Victor, and his schooling from the first through the twelfth grades both on and off the reservation. Several threads are woven into the story, including starvation, brotherhood, resilience and discrimination, revealing the overarching theme of how difficult life was for Victor growing up on a reservation.

In the section entitled "Eighth Grade," the author observes, “There is more than one way to starve.” Starvation is manifested in more than one way throughout this story. There is the self-imposed starvation of the "white girls" Victor hears throwing up in the school bathroom. Other forms of starvation are not explicitly tied to food, as those on the reservation are starving for a real education, for dignity and for a better quality of life.

Brotherhood

In "Ninth Grade," Alexie writes, “Sharing dark skin doesn’t necessarily make two men brothers.” Brotherhood does not necessarily mean that those who look like you or share your ethnic or national identity will be your support system. Alternatively, those who are different from you can, in fact, become your support system. For example, when Victor faints in the school gym, the Chicano teacher does not help him. Instead, Victor's white friends exhibit brotherhood toward him by taking him to the hospital.

Resilience involves the ability to recover and get back up from difficult or traumatic circumstances. Victor, a high school basketball star and the valedictorian of his class, is an example of resilience in this story. Others on the reservation, like Wally Jim, who takes his own life, fall victim to the surrounding negative circumstances.

Discrimination

Throughout Victor's schooling, he experiences discrimination because he is Native American. This discrimination is especially manifested through the attitudes of his teachers, both on and off the reservation. For example, his second grade teacher, Betty Towle, punishes Victor rather than rewarding him after he aces his spelling test. In the ninth grade, a teacher assumes Victor is an alcoholic because he's Native American. The establishment of the boarding schools that Victor attends is itself an act of institutional discrimination, as through these mandatory schools, the government tried to rid Native American children of their native languages and identities.

  • Sherman Alexie: The Poetry Foundation
  • American Indian Education Foundation
  • Como Park Senior High School: "Indian Education" by Sherman Alexie

Soheila Battaglia is a published and award-winning author and filmmaker. She holds an MA in literary cultures from New York University and a BA in ethnic studies from UC Berkeley. She is a college professor of literature and composition.

  • My Shodhganga
  • Receive email updates
  • Edit Profile

Shodhganga : a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET

  • Shodhganga@INFLIBNET
  • Jain University
  • Department of Management
Title: Indian Higher Education
Researcher: Roja Reddy Meka
Guide(s): 
Keywords: Economics and Business
Management, Higher Education
Social Sciences
University: Jain University
Completed Date: 2022
Abstract: Since the year 2013, most pressing research questions have taken root in the mind of researcher when newlineshe was made aware of the survey results of Times Higher Education - World University Rankings newline2012-13 list. 1 It was very disturbing to notice that at that point of time, there was not even a single newlineIndian institution/university among the top 225 world universities list in the world. Alarmingly, with a newlinegradual decent in position as years passed by, now in year 2021, the top most Indian institution s newlineranking has further dropped down to 314 in the world ranking list. This made the researcher question newlineherself - Why are Indian universities not globally competitive? What strategies should Indian newlineuniversities adopt to be among the global top 250 universities in the world? newline newlineIn spite of having a glorious historic evidence that India had established one of the world s first newlineuniversities in Takshashila, flourished from 600 BC to 500 AD, according to Times Higher Education newline- World University Ranking list 2021, 2 India is still struggling to be among the top 300 universities in newlinethe world. Being an administrator in the field of Indian higher education for more than a decade, the newlineresearcher has been deeply affected and after various verifications through other sources, have newlineunderstood it is a serious concern for the Indian higher educational institutions. newline newlineThis gave birth to the research question How and what strategies/practices/methodologies are to be newlineadopted by the Indian Universities to be globally competitive in their most crucial aspects of newlineuniversity administration? newline newlineThe researcher comprehends that there is a great need to understand the best practices being followed newlinein the higher education domain across the world and also believes that a study of best practices andamp; newlineinnovative strategies will help in developing findings that would imperatively bridge the quality gap newlinethat is existing in most of the universities within India while competing across the globe. newline newline1 https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2013/world- newlineranking#!/page/0/length/25/locations/IN/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/undefined newline2 https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2021/world- newlineranking#!/page/0/length/25/locations/IN/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats newline newlineRoja Reddy Meka, 2022 Ph.D. Thesis newline newlineJain (Deemed-to-be University) 11 newlineAt this crucial point, this research study endeavours to understand why Indian universities are not at newlinepar with the global standards, understanding the most crucial parameters to define a world-class newlineuniversity, capture the practices/strategies adopted by world-class universities to make themselves newlineglobally competitive, benchmarking the best practices, analyzing where top Indian universities stand newlinein comparison to world s top universities, identifying the gaps under each parameter, offer newlinerecommendation to aspiring Indian universities to become globally competitive. newline newlineFor this study, data is collected through survey questionnaires, personal interviews and case study newlinemethods. Tools like R andamp; SPSS software, MS - Excel, Tidyr, ggplot packages are utilised for data newlinepreparation andamp; analysis. A total of 15 respondents from world-class international universities and top newlineIndian Universities have participated in this study. Under the comparison between top Indian newlineUniversities and world-class international universities, it is identified that significant differences are newlineobserved in aspects of university characteristics, teaching andamp; learning; research andamp; incubation; human newlineresources, governance andamp; quality assurance; funding andamp; financial practices. newline newlineThe tentative recommendations offered by the researcher on strategies and framework to become newlineglobally competitive can be used by aspiring Indian universities, higher educational institutions, newlinepromoters of educational institutes, Indian ranking bodies, assessment and accreditation bodies, newlinegovernment organisations, policy makers in field of Indian higher education, state governments and newlinefellow researchers. While there is no one point solution, the present study will draw a logical newlineconclusion and observations to make the universities and higher educational institutions more newlinecompetitive. The observations/recommendations are not all inclusive but competitive for higher newlineeducation institutions to benchmark. Furthermore, as the results are based on the empirical study newlineobservations that are very broad, more details in implementation and microlevel strategising can be newlinefurther explored by the higher educational institutions. newline
Pagination: 359 p.
URI: 
Appears in Departments:
File Description SizeFormat 
Attached File5.51 MBAdobe PDF
71.6 kBAdobe PDF
61.76 kBAdobe PDF
762.54 kBAdobe PDF
456.99 kBAdobe PDF
175.79 kBAdobe PDF
755.94 kBAdobe PDF
337.05 kBAdobe PDF
2.78 MBAdobe PDF
1.72 MBAdobe PDF
1.52 MBAdobe PDF
5.06 MBAdobe PDF
437.98 kBAdobe PDF
1.08 MBAdobe PDF
344.84 kBAdobe PDF
139.81 kBAdobe PDF

Items in Shodhganga are licensed under Creative Commons Licence Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Shodhganga

Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Cultural Identity — Sherman Alexie’s Indian Education: a Critical Analysis

test_template

Sherman Alexie’s Indian Education: a Critical Analysis

  • Categories: American Education System Cultural Identity

About this sample

close

Words: 681 |

Published: Mar 20, 2024

Words: 681 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Cultural identity.

Image of Dr. Oliver Johnson

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

  • 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
  • Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

author

Dr Jacklynne

Verified writer

  • Expert in: Education Sociology

writer

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

1 pages / 495 words

4 pages / 2001 words

2 pages / 749 words

1 pages / 1597 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Cultural Identity

Joanne Hyppolite's essay "Dyaspora" is a thought-provoking exploration of the Haitian diaspora experience. Hyppolite delves into the complexities of diasporic identity, the impact of displacement, and the struggle to maintain [...]

In the memoir essay, "The Myth of the Latin Woman," Judith Ortiz Cofer delves into the challenges faced by Hispanic women due to their identity. Cofer draws from her own childhood experiences to highlight the stark differences [...]

One of the most exciting aspects of studying literature is the ability to delve into the complexities of different cultures and identities. Through examining works of literature by authors from a diverse range of s, such as [...]

Teenage years are a pivotal time in a person's life, marked by self-discovery, growth, and navigating the complexities of familial relationships. In the novels "Confetti Girl" by Diana Lopez and "Tortilla Sun" by Jennifer [...]

Culture can be defined as the behaviours and belief characteristics of a particular social, ethnic, or age group. Every country has its own special way of life. Canada’s in particular can be considered unique because Canada is a [...]

In our country today, we recognize the importance of preserving culture, which will be discussed in this essay. As we are a nation of diverse cultures, our society is a beautiful blend of African American, Asian [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

  • Instructions Followed To The Letter
  • Deadlines Met At Every Stage
  • Unique And Plagiarism Free

thesis of indian education

IMAGES

  1. (PDF) EDUCATION IN INDIA-'ANCIENT' AND 'MODERN'

    thesis of indian education

  2. SOLUTION: History of indian education

    thesis of indian education

  3. (PDF) CHAPTER-5 Blueprint of Ancient and Present Secondary Education

    thesis of indian education

  4. (PDF) The Indian Education System and the Authoritarian State

    thesis of indian education

  5. Essay On Indian Education System In 250 Words

    thesis of indian education

  6. India Student

    thesis of indian education

COMMENTS

  1. Shodhganga@INFLIBNET: Department of Education

    Shodhganga: a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET ... Effect of psycho education for the parents of early adolescents on awareness of child abuse: Jaba Singh J: Rexlin Jose G: 6-Feb-2023: A study of sociological factors influencing upon the study habits and intelligence of tribal students in nilgiri district:

  2. Shodhganga : a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET

    A reservoir of Indian Theses. The Shodhganga@INFLIBNET Centre provides a platform for research students to deposit their Ph.D. theses and make it available to the entire scholarly community in open access. The repository has the ability to capture, index, store, disseminate and preserve ETDs submitted by the researchers.

  3. A Review on Indian Education System with Issues and Challenges

    The major problems and remedies on primary education system in india by V S. Athawar April To June 2015 Online : ISSN-2394-7632, SCHOLARS IMPACT Print : ISSN-2394-7640, Vol-I, Issue-3

  4. PDF Indigenous Knowledge in Education in North-east India

    In the sustainability development rankings, India ranks at 117 whereas the ranking is at 168 on the Environmental Performance Index (Press Trust of India, 2021). This means that ESD can play a key role in promoting sustainability aspects, especially in relation to the environment and more specifically by imparting education at an early stage of an

  5. Shodhganga@INFLIBNET: Savitribai Phule Pune University

    Shodhganga : a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET. Shodhganga. The Shodhganga@INFLIBNET Centre provides a platform for research students to deposit their Ph.D. theses and make it available to the entire scholarly community in open access. Shodhganga@INFLIBNET.

  6. PDF Education, Indian Culture and Philosophy: A Holistic Approach to Learning

    Central to Indian education in its rich cultural heritage which serves as a guiding light for learners. India's cultural mosaic woven from threads of myriad languages customs and traditions infuses every aspect of education. From the celebration of festivals to the inclusion of indigenous knowledge systems in the curriculum

  7. The historiography of Indian education: 1920-2020: the socio-political

    67 During February 2018 and December 2020, I had discussions on what was taught in history of education with 170 assistant professors from teacher training colleges from across India. All of them stated that for teaching the history of education, Kumar's Political Agenda of Education was used. They were not aware of any other book or had even heard of the term 'archives'.

  8. Shodhgangotri@INFLIBNET: Indian Doctoral Research in the Field of

    Title: Indian Doctoral Research in the Field of Education A Content Analysis of Theses on Shodhganga: Researcher: Sharma, Mugdha: Guide(s): Satsangee, Nandita

  9. (PDF) An Empirical Study on NEP 2020 [National Education ...

    An Empirical Study on NEP 2020 [National Education Policy] with Special Reference to the Future of Indian Education System and Its effects on the Stakeholders :: JMEIT October 2020 DOI: 10.5281 ...

  10. The Theme of the Short Story "Indian Education"

    A theme is a common thread or repeated idea that is incorporated throughout a literary work. The short story "Indian Education" by Sherman Alexie, a Native American writer and filmmaker, is told in the first person, recounting the experiences of the protagonist, Victor, and his schooling from the first through the twelfth grades both on and off the reservation.

  11. PDF Right to Education: a Critical Analysis of The Indian Approach

    3 DECLARATION I declare that this dissertation titled, "Right to Education: A Critical Analysis of the Indian Approach", researched and submitted by me to the National University of Advanced Legal Studies in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of Degree of Master of Laws in

  12. PDF The New Education Policy, 2020 and the future of Indian Education

    Indian education system by the introduction of the New Education Policy, 2020 which aims to revamp all aspects of the Indian education structure, to create a new system that is aligned with the aspirational goals of 21st-century education, while remaining consistent with India's traditions and values. The policy is based on

  13. Shodhganga : a reservoir of Indian theses @ INFLIBNET

    The Political Economy of Higher Education Reforms in India A Critical Analysis of Opinions and Policies: Researcher: Kanagaraj, K: Guide(s): Nageswara Rao, S: Keywords: Education and Educational Research Public opinion Social Sciences Social Sciences General: University: The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad:

  14. PDF A Systematic Review on Indian Education System & NEP 2020

    The NEP 2020 also recognizes the significance of technology in education. It advocates for the integration of digital tools and resources to enhance learning outcomes, promote digital literacy, and expand access to quality education, especially in remote areas. Equity and inclusion form integral pillars of the NEP 2020.

  15. (PDF) Analysis of the Indian National Education Policy 2020 towards

    The National Education Policy 2020 envisions an India centered education system by considering its. tradition, culture, values and ethos to contribute directly to transform the country int o an ...

  16. IndCat

    Shodhganga is a digital repository of Indian Electronic Theses and Dissertations set-up by the INFLIBNET Centre. Shodhganga stands for the reservoir of Indian intellectual output stored in a repository hosted and maintained by the INFLIBNET Centre. All the records which are available in ShodhGanga are also available in IndCat's Thesis database.

  17. Thesis On Indian Education System

    Thesis on Indian Education System - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. The document discusses the challenges of writing a thesis on the Indian education system. Some key challenges mentioned are the vastness and complexity of the topic, difficulty navigating diverse historical developments and policies, and issues with finding reliable sources.

  18. Analysis of Sherman Alexies Indian Education

    In conclusion, Sherman Alexie's Indian Education is a powerful and enlightening collection of stories that provides a profound analysis of the challenges faced by Native American students in the education system. Through his vivid narratives, Alexie explores themes such as cultural identity, discrimination, and the effects of historical trauma.

  19. Shodhganga@INFLIBNET: Indian Higher Education

    The Shodhganga@INFLIBNET Centre provides a platform for research students to deposit their Ph.D. theses and make it available to the entire scholarly community in open access. Since the year 2013, most pressing research questions have taken root in the mind of researcher when newlineshe was made aware of the survey results of Times Higher ...

  20. PDF Christian Contribution to Indian Education

    Traditional Indian Education too became a vehicle to propagate and strengthen these social evils. This has a long history which dates back to the time of the Aryans where the development and the practice of Gurukula, a system of ancient education which was very unique to India. 6. It was a formal setup by nature, a amidst calm

  21. PDF DESTRUCTION OF THE INDIAN SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

    DESTRUCTION OF THE INDIAN SYSTEM OF EDUCATION An article published in 'Bharathi', the cultural magazine of IIT-Madras contributed by V.Ravi Kumar (B.Tech, Mech. Engg.) based on a study of Kum.B.Nivedita's "The Tormented Indian Spirit- Redemption or Regression INTRODUCTION During the time of the East India Company and later, in the British rule ...

  22. Ph.D Theses

    Ph.D Theses: The Theses Section is housed in the same area in which the Text Book & Book Section is located at the Ground Floor. Central Library receives copies of all the Ph.D. theses awarded at IIT Delhi and they are housed in this section. There are about 7,500 Ph.D. theses currently available in the section. The theses on the stacks have ...

  23. Sherman Alexie's Indian Education: a Critical Analysis

    Sherman Alexie's short story "Indian Education" provides a poignant and insightful portrayal of the experiences of Native American students in the American education system. Through the protagonist's journey from kindergarten to college, Alexie explores the challenges and complexities of navigating a system that is often indifferent, if not hostile, to the cultural and historical ...