Wheaton North High School: Junior English
Tanto and the Lone Ranger Fistfight in Heaven
Reading Journal
(Let’s look up words that we don’t know, okay?)
1. ESSENTIAL QUESTION 1: How does Alexie characterize Samuel-Builds a Fire through
the use of figurative language? (simile, metaphor, personification)
2. ESSENTIAL QUESTION 2: How does Alexie use one trope (figurative language) and one
scheme (short vs. long sentences) to reveal the despair of living on a reservation?
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

What is the American Indian concept of spirituality within this text? Where are
there instances that Alexie discusses American Indian spirituality or culture?

What are predominate stereotypes of American Indians within the text?
Support this question with examples from the text

Certainly, the novel has some interesting characters. Instead of focusing on how
much you might like or dislike them, consider the function of the characters. What
do you think the function of certain characters are in the book?

What tone do you note in each chapter? HOW IS THAT ACHIEVED? What is the tone
at the end of the book? Would that tone have worked at the beginning? Why or why
not?

Identify the function of each section of the text. What is the purpose of each
chapter? Think about this in terms of an argument, which is what this book is, after
all. How does each section operate in the construction of the argument? Be certain
that you consider the order of the parts. What appeals to emotions, values, and logic
do you see throughout the book? How do the parts work to make a whole?

After reading all six chapters, and listening to your peer’s jigsaw presentations, what
do you think the central message of this book is? What questions do the texts ask of
us? Remember that literature asks many more questions than it answers.