Compare and Contrast: What are the similarities and differences Ned experiences at the Navajo Mission School (chapter 4) and Navajo High School (chapter 5)?

As the children progress in the school, they begin to understand the terrible things the teachers are telling them. The children are told that their traditions are bad and that they must never speak their own language. In fact, when Ned is caught speaking Navajo, his mouth is roughly washed out with soap. This is enough to teach Ned to speak only English. However, other students at the school refuse to give up their language and suffer much worse punishments, such as beatings and a week in solitary confinement.

Ned's transition to high school is much better. He enjoys being closer to home and likes his teachers, especially since they are much better teachers than those at the boarding schools. Ned had been studying Japan in the months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. For this reason, he knows a great deal about America's new enemy. Ned is in the dorms when he hears about the attack on Pearl Harbor and he goes to listen to the report on the radio with a group of other students.