"And it's not like my mother and father were born into wealth. It's not like they gambled away their family fortunes. My parents come from poor people who came from people who came from people people, all the way back to the very first poor people" (Alexie, 2007:11)

Question

1. What's the above text saying in clear detail?
2. Based on what evidence?
3. How does it say it??

Answer 1

1. The above text is saying that the author's parents did not inherit wealth and did not lose any family fortunes through gambling. Instead, they come from a long line of poor people, tracing back to the very first poor people.

2. The evidence for this statement is the author's assertion that their parents were not born into wealth and did not gamble away any family fortunes. They also mention that their parents come from poor people, indicating a lineage of poverty.

3. The excerpt conveys this information through direct statements and a sequential narrative. The author explicitly states that their parents were not born into wealth and did not lose fortunes through gambling. They also use repetition and a historical timeline to emphasize the generational poverty they come from.