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Essay on the image of the native americans in films
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The film industries over the years involving Native Americans tend to display various myths and negative portrayals of indigenous people. However, some films like Smoke Signals and Rabbit Proof Fence show real experiences and lifestyles of indigenous people. In the film Smoke Signals, the director Chris Eyre shows the audience how story telling played an essential role in Native American culture. Throughout the movie, Thomas is always telling stories with passion and humor, which Victor hates due to the fact that most of the stories were good memories with Thomas and Victors father. Being that Victor and his mom were abused and abandoned by their father when Victor was young, therefore he had mixed feelings about his father. However, the movie would not have been the same without the story telling of Thomas. In This is What It …show more content…
Cobbs states “Thomas…. is a story teller… he was really the vehicle, he’s the natural character in order to make a movie (pg224). Thomas story telling is one of the things that made the movie more relatable to its audience. The only thing that made me wonder was if the stories were actually true or was it just Thomas making up stories to entertain his audience. When Thomas was telling a story to Victors fathers neighbor in Phoenix, victor claims that his story was false. Smoke signals is also an act of sovereignty given the fact that this was the first major film directed, acted and written by Native Americans themselves. It gave the Indian audience a sense of hope and joy being that this was not a film that negatively depicted them or had Indians as the bad guys. Also in the film, there was a scene that humorously referenced one of the movies that portrayed Indians negatively, which was when Thomas and victor were on the bus singing about John
Throughout the film of Smoke Signals, the story centers on two characters, Thomas and Victor. Thomas, through his storytelling shows Victor that there's more to life than cynicism and pure anger, while Victor let's Thomas know what it means to be a real Indian. We can see this in the scene where Victor tells Thomas that Indians are not supposed to smile to white people and that Indians always should look mean in order to gain the respect of white folks. However, we can see that after they return to the bus their seats have been taken by two white men and neither did Victor’s mean face and faded smile help him gain their seats back. This scene shows us that those stereotypes about how what an Indian is supposed to act are not in fact true because
The movie “Smoke Signals” was directed by Chris Eyre and the story line was written by Sherman Alexie, an extremely well known, and a personal favorite of mine, writer. Together and the help of many Native Americans, they created a movie following the journey of two teen Coeur D 'Alene Native American boys traveling to Arizona trying to retrieve Victor’s fathers remains. Thomas tags along with Victor while traveling from Idaho on bus and on foot. Throughout the bus ride, Victor teachers Thomas how to be a “real Indian.” Thomas, an avid storyteller, fills the trip with stories about Victors’ father. Thomas’s parents were killed in a fair when he was just a little kid, during the movie you are led to believe
Sherman Alexie's literature often uses symbolic features relating to Native American culture. His characters tell their stories while Alexie tells his own story simultaneously. His 1993 short story, This is What It Means to Say Pheonix Arizona and later film adaption Smoke Signals focuses on two young native American men, Victor and Thomas on a journey to collect Victor's father's ashes. Throughout the journey, Victor reflects on previous events that relate to the death of his abusive father. Fire and Ash continually show up throughout the story; it can be seen through Victor's anger, actual fires and even symbolic fires. Although different,
They brought real Natives to play the Natives on the big screen and eventually movies were created by Natives themselves. Around the same time was the Hippie movement; many people wanted to be like the Natives they saw in the films even though it was not an accurate depiction of the Natives. They liked the 'positive stereotypes' of the Natives in the movies, the family unity and their strength as warriors. In the 1960's the American Indian Movement (AIM) also began and in 1973 The genocide at Wounded Knee occurred. Jim Jarmusch says “That is a genocide that occurred and the [American] culture wanted to perpetrate the idea that [the natives] these people are now mythological, you know, they don’t even really exist, they’re like dinosaurs.” This shows just how much Americans wanted to belittle the Natives, and despite succeeding for a number of years, the New Age of Cinema commenced and movies like Smoke Signals began what some would look at as a Renaissance. The Renaissance explained in Reel Injun discusses the rebirth of the Native American in the Hollywood films, and how the negative stereotypes went away with time. Reel Injun also makes a point to explain how it impacted not only the films but Americans who watched them, and ultimately America as a
Lliu, K., and H. Zhang. "Self- and Counter-Representations of Native Americans: Stereotypical Images of and New Images by Native Americans in Popular Media." Ebscohost. University of Arkansas, n.d. Web. 19 Apr. 2014
Feet in smoke: A story about Electrified Near-Death by John Jeremiah Sullivan writes about a short journey which takes place in a hospital located in Kentucky a family goes through after the oldest brother Ellsworth a lead singer in a band called Moviegoers is in the garage rehearsing for a concert when a surge of electricity shoots through his body, stopping his heart due to his mouth coming in contact with the microphone. After reading this story several times I was moved by the connection the two brothers have during the tragedy. I have come to the conclusion that the author was successful in making me, the reader apart of this horrific event. I experienced the same with my older sister Beth.
In “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix Arizona”, Victor has become psychologically troubled because he has put his own traditions behind. Throughout the story, the readers find out that Victor has an internal conflict due to the unhealthy relationships in his life. His father abandons him at a very young age, which causes Victor’s loss of guidance and self-identity. The day that Victor’s father abandons his family, Victor gets “really drunk and beat[s] Thomas up for no apparent reason at all”(276). If no one would have stopped Victor, Thomas-build-the-fire would have died which clearly shows the readers that Victor is mentally troubled. Not only does he lose his father but, Victor also loses his best friend on that same day. In other words, Victor is mentally traumatized after the abandonment. In fact, Rothe Eugenio, a professor in the department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health at Florida Inter...
As the story begins, the narrator, Victor not only “lost his job at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, he also found out that his father had died of a heart attack in Phoenix, Arizona” (181). Having little money to make the trip to Phoenix, Victor decides to ask to Tribal council for assistance. However, the tribal refuses to provide the full amount of his request because they did not “have enough to bring [his] father all the way back from Phoenix” (181). In desperation, Victor turns to Thomas Builds-the-Fire, an old childhood friend, for help. At first, Victor refuses help from Thomas because of his strange and unpopular reputation. Thomas is known as the reservation’s storyteller who shared stories and continued telling stories even after people stopped listening. However, as he becomes weary, he finally is able to negotiate a plan with Thomas. The plan includes Thomas traveling with Victor to and from Phoenix.
In “This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona,” Alexie creates a story that captures the common stereotypes of Native Americans. For instance, in the story the narrator states, “Who does have money on a reservation, except the cigarette and fireworks salespeople?” (Alexie). This quotation shows that the narrator addresses the idea that all Native Americans must own businesses that sell fireworks and/ or cigarettes in order to be successful. In this example, Victor is shown to not identify with the Native Americans because he does not pursue the same job opportunities as many Native Americans do. Victor's character is used as a contrast to the stereotypes that , there he represents reality. Another instance in which the author incorporates a stereotype about Native Americans is when Thomas-Builds-the-Fire first makes conversation with Victor. Thomas-Builds-the-Fire informs Victor about the news of Victor's ...
Victor knew he was a Native American that lived on the reservation. However, as he has grown up, it seems he has forgotten the tribal ties of the Native Americans. The people of that culture consider everyone in the tribe to be family and they are not ashamed of who they are and where they come from. Towards the end of the fictional narrative it is said, “Victor was ashamed of himself. Whatever happened to the tribal ties, the sense of community? The only real thing he shared with anybody was a bottle and broken dreams. He owed Thomas something, anything” (519). At the end of the story, Victor has finally realize that he is acting self absorbed. He realizes that this is not who he wants to be and he should not be ashamed to talk to Thomas Builds-a-Fire. Remembering his tribal ties, Victor gives half of his father 's ashes to Thomas. By doing that, Victor is thanking Thomas in his own way. Victor said, “listen, and handed Thomas the cardboard box which contained half of his father. “I want you to have this” (519). Individuals on the reservation thought Thomas was just a madman with weird stories. But in reality he was always true to his tribal identity and has even taught Victor how to get back to that. For example Thomas says, “I’m going to travel to Spokane Falls one last time and toss these ashes into the water. And your father will rise like a salmon, leap over the bridge, over me, and find his way
In the case between the Firestorm Smokejumpers and Jake Kurzyniec and the new crew chief the firefighting company has the applicants meet special condition for being able to attain the employment within the company; therefore, the applicants have to pass through special medical examination as well as be an exceptional paratrooper. Jake Kurzyniec fills out the application for the position as a fire fighter and passes the medical examination as well as signing the contract with the company. However, in the meantime the old chief of the fire brigade left and a new fire chief stepped in and rejects Jake Kurzyniecs application. However, Jake Kurzyniec had already satisfied all the pre-conditions of the previous contract and did all of the qualification
Thomas has a distinctive way of sharing his stories: he shuts his eyes every moment before he begins his journey, as if he is envisioning the story inside of his mind and reliving the event he elaborates on. As he goes through each particular event, Thomas’s facial expressions conveys exactly how he feels during the moments. His features light up because of his excessive joy of the memory and he proceeds to dramatically recount his memory to audience, in hopes they receive his story well and enjoy it. The pleasure he takes in recalling his memories is related as to why people tell stories themselves--it is because it invokes pleasant feelings of nostalgia. People tell stories because they want to share a snippet of their lives or the lives of loved ones with others, and in result, they also have the opportunity to reflect on their memories. Moreover, The way the audience gives an account of Thomas’s stories also correlates to Lisel Mueller’s quote (stated in the previous paragraph) which shows how every story can be told differently. People paraphrase, using their own similes and comparisons to tell their version of the story. Comparing their version to the original,
Smokejumper obligations can be to a great degree strenuous and dangerous. Jumpers must be in magnificent physical condition and have a high level of enthusiastic soundness and mental readiness. The occupation frequently includes delayed periods when smoke, warmth, and short supplies of nourishment and water take their toll on your physical stamina. The wellbeing and prosperity of each smokejumper on a task relies on upon the capacity of every person to draw his/her own particular weight. The Smoke jumping rookie must pass the standard firefighter's Work Capacity Fitness Test (pack test) at the challenging level so that he could be eligible for the risky and courageous
For example, Victor does have friends he hangs out with, but if they saw him with Thomas Builds-A-Fire they will make fun of him for it. In the story it says, “ Nobody talked to Thomas anymore because he told the same damn stories over and over again.” This is indicating that Thomas doesn't have any friends, this is difference between Victor and Thomas. However, they were rather close in the past which is something both share that is similar. The dialogue of the story also contains certains elements that represents each character. “Thomas was a storyteller that nobody wanted to listen to.” and Victor was man trying to find money to go to Phoenix Arizona and back to get his father ashes. The quote that was displayed means is the author trying to telling that nobody cares for Thomas even though he had a rough past with both of his parents dying. He had friends overtime, but they end up leaving him as
The character Thomas in “This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix Arizona” lives on an Indian Reservation governed by tribal council. He is a forced loner because people on the reservation avoided him because of his redundant stories . His stories are most often told to the stars and wind as most times no one would listen. He displays many characteristics throughout the story but his kindness is what stand out the most.