Reservations

In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian Junior, his family, and several other indian family's live on a reservation. To them it was home, but to Junior, it was something that was holding him back. On the reservation, Junior was picked on, beat up, and constantly made fun of. To Junior, the reservation was stopping him from reaching his full potential. 

Although most American citizens don't on reservations, I believe everyone has a theoretical reservation they need to break free from. In our society today many stereotypes tend to contain a lot of people. Stereotypes surrounding those of different races and often gender can push people into the position that society has deemed appropriate for them. Then they have to dress, act, and even think a certain way, and cannot be themselves. Today, our reservation is stereotypes,  and in order to break free, we have to reject them.

Native Son

Native Son, a novel by Richard Wright, follows the life of Bigger Thomas, after murdering his  bosses daughter, Mary Dalton. Bigger is an African American and has felt all ends of discrimination due to the color of his skin. His employer, Mr. Dalton, is a rich white man who has seemingly attempted to benefit African Americans.
In the third book of this novel, Bigger has gone to trial for the murder of Mary Dalton. His lawyer, Max, begins to argue the logistics of his crime. Although Max agrees that Bigger did murder Mary, he knows that the trial is bigger(no pun intended) than just Bigger. He argues that the discrimantion he has felt, forced him into this situation. Bigger, like others were unable to choose a life of poverty or crime, but rather it was chosen for them, but the socially constructed idea that white people had formed.

Green Lights, Yellow Cars, and Church Steeples

The 1920's was an era of new found freedom across the nation. Americans were innovative, and new inventions popped up daily. Everyone was working hard to achieve that American Dream, and the wealth that came with it. To Gatsby though, his American Dream was not wealth, for he already was as wealthy as one needed to be. Gatsby's American Dream revolved around Daisy, and the idea that one day, hopefully soon, she would love him again. Throughout the book, Gatsby's American Dream is represented by the green light that is fixed at the end of Daisy's dock. It represents the hope within him. When Gatsby reaches for the light in chapter 1, he is reaching for Daisy, and Daisy is all he really wants in life.