Find a shared motive
Junior responds to Penelope’s dream of a life beyond her town.
“And I couldn’t make fun of her for that dream. It was my dream, too.” (Alexie 112)Read in the chapter
The aimRowdy says Junior only likes Penelope because she's white. Is Rowdy right?
Read this week
Chapter 13
My Sister Sends Me an E-mail
Chapter 14Thanksgiving
Chapter 15Hunger Pains
Chapter 16Rowdy Gives Me Advice About Love
Close-reading practice
Read first. Make your own notes, then switch on the model highlights in each passage.
Words for this response
Use one word from each of 4 assigned groups. See the groups and sentence examples →
From a highlight to your writing
Notice the words
“treat white women like bowling trophies.”
Margin note
A trophy makes its owner look successful. Rowdy’s comparison accuses Junior of valuing Penelope as a status symbol instead of paying attention to her as a person.
My notebook
Trophy = prize that makes the winner look important. Is he listening to Penelope herself?
See note 4 beside the passage · Alexie 115
See the observation become sentences
- What it says
Rowdy accuses Indian boys of treating white women as prizes.
- What it helps explain
The trophy comparison questions whether Junior wants a relationship partly because of how it makes him look. A trophy has no voice or goals of its own.
Your turn: another detail
What does “too” add? Write one sentence explaining how a shared dream changes the trophy comparison.
Test a possible misreading
First thought: Because Rowdy notices race, race must be Junior’s only reason for liking Penelope.
Find a shared motive
Junior responds to Penelope’s dream of a life beyond her town.
“And I couldn’t make fun of her for that dream. It was my dream, too.” (Alexie 112)Read in the chapter
Look again: A reason is not the same as the only reason. Junior’s shared dream challenges “only” without proving that race has no effect on him.
Test one small word
A reason
Race or popularity might matter to Junior.
“Only”
“Only” rules out every other reason.
Judgment
Does a shared dream support or challenge that absolute claim?
Characters
What do their choices show?
Themes
What message is developing?
Change
What is different, and why?
Your evidence is building toward a bigger question
The rez calls Junior a traitor for leaving; Rowdy ends the book calling him a nomad. Which one is he, and what proves it?
Open the evidence ledger through Week 9 →Test an interpretation
What does Junior discover that he and Penelope have in common? How does it challenge Rowdy’s claim?
Compare with one possible explanation
Penelope wants to build something beautiful and be remembered. Junior says this is his dream, too. Race and appearance affect his attraction, but their shared dream is another reason for the connection.
Your notebook → your Aim Response
Build your response
Choose your evidence here. Write your sentences in your notebook.
Why Rowdy might think this
Explain the evidence behind the accusation.
Test “only”
Look for evidence that supports or limits the word “only.”
Answer the whole question
Rowdy’s view explains ___, but the word “only” is ___ because ___.
A starting shape, not the only way to write your answer. Replace the spaces with your own thinking.
Evidence 1 + your explanation
The exact quotation, its context, and its citation will appear here.
What it saysIn my own words, this means …
What it showsThis helps answer the question because …
Evidence 2 + your explanation
The exact quotation, its context, and its citation will appear here.
What it saysIn my own words, this means …
What it showsThis helps answer the question because …
Choose two different quotations. Then check that your writing explains every part of the aim.
Connect the two details
The first detail shows … . But / So / Because … . Together, these details help explain … .
Choose the connector that matches your reasoning: but contrasts, so gives a result, because gives a reason.
See the shape in a complete model
This model answers a related question. Notice where the quotes, explanations, words, and appositives go.
Explain the trophy comparison
Rowdy gives Junior his interpretation of Junior’s interest in Penelope.
“I’m sick of Indian guys who treat white women like bowling trophies. Get a life.” (Alexie 115)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Why Rowdy might think this.
Examine a message about beauty
Gordy summarizes an article while discussing Junior’s question about Penelope.
“The guy who wrote the article says people care more about beautiful white girls than they do about everybody else on the planet.” (Alexie 116)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Why Rowdy might think this.
Hear Penelope’s own goal
Penelope explains why she wants to study architecture.
“Because I want to build something beautiful. Because I want to be remembered.” (Alexie 112)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Test “only”.
Find a shared motive
Junior responds to Penelope’s dream of a life beyond her town.
“And I couldn’t make fun of her for that dream. It was my dream, too.” (Alexie 112)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Test “only”.
Notice Junior’s wording
Junior introduces his feelings for Penelope in racial terms.
“I’m in love with a white girl.” (Alexie 115)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Why Rowdy might think this.
Track a changed response
Junior begins to consider Penelope’s goals more closely.
“I wanted to make fun of her, but she was so earnest.” (Alexie 111)Read in the chapter
Can help with: Test “only”.
Words of the day 2 points
Use one word from each of these 4 groups. Complete all 4 groups for the vocabulary points. Words separated by “or” are alternatives.
Meaning + one sentence example
secede (verb) — To formally leave a larger political group or organization.
To secede is to break political ties. Penelope wants to leave a town, not secede and create a separate country; wanting to leave alone does not tell us all of her motives.
Original writing example · More word help
Meaning + one sentence example
courageous (adjective) — Willing to face fear or difficulty.
Sharing a dream can be courageous when a person expects to be laughed at.
Original writing example · More word help
Meaning + one sentence example
defy (verb) — To openly resist a rule, demand, or expectation.
Penelope wants to defy the expectation that she should stay in the same town.
Original writing example · More word help
Meaning + one sentence example
privileged (adjective) — Having advantages or opportunities that other people do not have.
Penelope’s privileged position does not mean Junior already understands all of her hopes.
Original writing example · More word help
An alternative from a listed root family fills the same group. Review words in a practice model do not replace this list. Connect each word to your point; a made-up event is not evidence.
Introduce two people or ideas 2 appositives · 2 points
The words between the commas give another name for the noun.
Penelope, another name for this person or idea, …
See one that works
Penelope, a student with plans beyond her hometown, tells Junior what she hopes to study.
“a student with plans beyond her hometown” and “Penelope” name the same person or idea. Keep both commas; finish with your own point.
Rowdy, another name for this person or idea, …
See one that works
Rowdy, the friend who challenges Junior’s motives, offers an interpretation to test.
“the friend who challenges Junior’s motives” and “Rowdy” name the same person or idea. Keep both commas; finish with your own point.
Check the response in your notebook
Point to the evidence in your own paragraph before checking a box.
These boxes are a self-check, not a grade. Development reflects how your argument builds and your growth as a writer. Checks stay in this browser.
More evidence and practice
Explore the evidence
Why might Rowdy think this?
What suggests that being white affects Junior’s attraction to Penelope?
Does “only” fit?
What other reasons does Junior give, and how do they change your judgment?
Explain the trophy comparison
Rowdy gives Junior his interpretation of Junior’s interest in Penelope.
“I’m sick of Indian guys who treat white women like bowling trophies. Get a life.” (Alexie 115)Read in the chapterThemes
What this detail can show
Rowdy compares a relationship to winning a prize that makes someone look important. His accusation asks whether Junior values Penelope partly for the status he thinks she brings.
Examine a message about beauty
Gordy summarizes an article while discussing Junior’s question about Penelope.
“The guy who wrote the article says people care more about beautiful white girls than they do about everybody else on the planet.” (Alexie 116)Read in the chapterThemes
What this detail can show
Gordy reports an article’s argument about whose disappearance gets attention. This suggests a wider message about the value of white girls; it does not by itself prove Junior’s only motive.
Hear Penelope’s own goal
Penelope explains why she wants to study architecture.
“Because I want to build something beautiful. Because I want to be remembered.” (Alexie 112)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
Penelope wants to create something and be remembered. Quoting her goal treats her as a person with plans, rather than only as the prize in Rowdy’s comparison.
Find a shared motive
Junior responds to Penelope’s dream of a life beyond her town.
“And I couldn’t make fun of her for that dream. It was my dream, too.” (Alexie 112)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
Junior recognizes his own wish in Penelope’s dream. A shared goal gives another reason for their connection, challenging the word “only.”
Notice Junior’s wording
Junior introduces his feelings for Penelope in racial terms.
“I’m in love with a white girl.” (Alexie 115)Read in the chapterCharacters
What this detail can show
When Junior asks Rowdy for advice, he identifies Penelope by race. Race is on his mind, even though these words do not explain every part of his attraction.
Track a changed response
Junior begins to consider Penelope’s goals more closely.
“I wanted to make fun of her, but she was so earnest.” (Alexie 111)Read in the chapterChange
What this detail can show
Junior notices that Penelope means what she says. Her seriousness interrupts his urge to joke, giving us a small sign that he is paying attention to her as a person.
Find more evidence in the chapter
- Chapter 15: Find the reasons Junior calls “shallow” just before the supplied conversation about dreams. Choose a line that helps you weigh Rowdy’s concern against the shared-dream evidence.
Choose a second quote that adds something
You explained Rowdy’s trophy comparison. Which quote best tests whether it tells the whole story?
In your notebook: explain what your second quotation adds that the first one could not show alone.
Your evidence is building toward a bigger question
The rez calls Junior a traitor for leaving; Rowdy ends the book calling him a nomad. Which one is he, and what proves it?
Open the evidence ledger through Week 9 →Reading practice helps you prepare. Your Aim Response is the paragraph you write in your notebook. Check that paragraph against the rubric →
Check yourself
Complete the explanation
Use each choice once. These are practice sentences, not quotations.
When a claim uses the word , a reader must ask whether another reason is possible. Calling someone a suggests treating that person as a prize that raises your own status. But a person also has goals and experiences beyond that label. Penelope says she wants to study , and Junior recognizes an ambition they . Those details do not automatically erase racial ideas about attraction. Instead, they ask the reader to a broad claim: keep what the evidence supports, and narrow what it cannot prove.
- Blank 1: A word meaning there is no other reason.
- Blank 2: An award or prize that can make its holder look successful.
- Blank 3: The field Penelope wants to study so she can design buildings.
- Blank 4: Have in common; a verb after 'they.'
- Blank 5: Make a claim more precise by adding a limit or condition.
Trace how Junior listens to Penelope's plans
Drag the blocks or use the arrow buttons. Keyboard: focus a block and press Alt + ↑ / ↓.
- Junior asks her to state a simpler plan for her life.
- Penelope says the town's ideas and dreams feel too small.
- She objects that nobody takes her seriously.
- She explains her architectural ambition, and Junior recognizes a dream they share.
- She describes places she wants to visit, and Junior laughs.
Take it into your writing
Use one detail from Penelope's conversation to write a sentence that challenges the word 'only' without claiming that race never matters; cite the printed page shown beside the quotation.
Practice feedback is for you. These activities do not submit a grade.