Analysis Of The PoemThe Theft Outright, By Heid E....

The poem, â€Å"The Theft Outright† by Heid E. Erdrich, a Native American poet, refutes claims made in another poem, â€Å"The Gift Outright† by Robert Frost, that America was empty before the colonists. In his poem, Frost claims that America was â€Å"unstoried, artless, [and] unenhanced,†(Frost 15) demonstrating blatant racism by erasing the entire Native American culture and race from American history. Erdrich counters his beliefs by citing the colorful, full lives of Indians in the past and now, directly juxtaposing his work by saying that the Americas are â€Å"still storied, art-filled, [and] fully enhanced†(Erdrich 30) because of the Native Americans that lived there then and now. Similarly, the book â€Å"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian† by†¦show more content†¦This draws a connection to the erasure of Native American culture in history, they are seen as rare and different from the ordinary, and for some people their existence is completely forgotten or denied. His own comments of not belonging at a white school, because of his nationality and family history further show the division of race that he can see at Reardan. Junior’s cursing accentuates how frustrated and pathetic he feels, viewed as less than everyone at his school, and constantly rejected and isolated by his white peers. The negative, demeaning mindset of those white kids is that Native Americans do not deserve anything from white people, not their time, attention, care, or even a proficient education. According to Jens Manuel Krogstad at Pew Research Center, Native Americans have the second highest high school dropout rate- eleven percent. This is very high, especially when compared to the white or Asian dropout rates- five and three percent, respectively. Additionally, it says Native Americans have the second lowest percentage of bachelor’s degrees, only seventeen percent, compared to the two highest, white and Asia n, at thirty three and fifty percent (Krogstad). Many Native Americans today are not allowed a chance at education because of poverty at reservations, and lousy, penniless schools. These issues are not thought about or spoken of often, because they are simply not