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"This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona" by Sherman Alexie analysis
Phoenix Arizona stereotypes
In sherman alexie’s “this is what it means to say phoenix, arizona”
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In the memoir “This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix Arizona” by Sherman Alexie uses a “descriptive” tone because it is describing how nobody wanted to be seen near or with Thomas. Thomas was a very weird person which could predict what was going to happen in the future but he could also helped people. For example, “while Victor stood in line, he watched Thomas Builds The-Fire standing near the magazine rack talking to himself” describes how Thomas was so weird that nobody wanted to be around him and he had nobody to talk to. In addition, “Victor was embarrassed but he thought that Thomas might be able to help him” Victor is embarrassed because of his association with Thomas and his different culture and perspective of seeing things. Furthermore,
This novel allows the reader to gain many different point of views from narrators within the 34 items in the book. Strange Objects depicts a variety of issues in a perceptive manner, promptly delivering Steven Messenger’s and other characters’ mental states, their character traits and the links between them. In Strange Objects it is clear to see that this novel deserves the awards that it has won, as it is a novel that has an effective way of combining different elements, summoning discussion and analysis of the many aspects within it, and engaging the audience by doing
In Dean Koontz’s book Odd Thomas a young man’s life is laid bare before us. The book’s protagonist is a 20 year old named Odd Thomas. Odd is fry cook at a diner, in a small town in California called Pico Mundo. His life is described as pretty normal except Odd has the ability to see dead people. More importantly he not only sees dead people but he is given this ability to seemingly help dead people right the wrongs in their lives. The book is written in first person and it gives Odd’s account of a major event that happened in August, in the sleepy town of Pico Mundo. Through his recount and back story, we see not only what happens but the protagonist’s thoughts and feelings. Koontz’s book, Odd Thomas, uses in story influences to provide convincing characterization for a well-rounded main character that has had an interesting life.
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).
Anyone as brave as Thomas does not sit back and relax to watch one of his injured friends from being trapped outside as it is about to hit night time. An injured person outside of their safe haven almost equals imminent death. Thomas instinctively ran to his injured comrade in order to save him, to only find out that he himself is also trapped outside of the Glades. "For several seconds, Thomas felt like the world had frozen in place. A thick silence followed the thunderous rumble of the Door closing, and a ...
Victors’ ignorance is viewed again when he does not tell anyone that he has created this monster, and that he is the murderer of William. He does not tell of this creature until his own welfare is on the line. He could have stopped these evil deeds the mons...
“This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona” discusses the physical and mental journey of Victor, a Native American man in the state of Washington, as he goes to Phoenix, Arizona to claim his father’s remains and his savings account. While on this journey, Victor learns about himself, his father, and his Indian culture with the help of his estranged friend, Thomas Builds-the–Fire. The author, Sherman Alexie, plays on the stereotypes of Native Americans through the characters of Victor and Thomas. While Thomas is portrayed as the more traditional and “good” Native American, Victor comes across as the “bad” Native American. Through the use of this binary relationship, Alexie is able to illustrate the transformation of these characters as they reconcile with each other, and break out of these stereotypes in the process.
Thomas’s vision helps Victor realize how his father truly feels about his family. Years before Victor's father’s death Thomas tells Victor “Your father’s heart is weak” and that he would rather
The theme in a story is the message or big idea that the author is trying to reveal in his or her narrative. If there was no underlining theme in Sherman Alexie’s short story, “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” then readers would have no interest in reading the fictional story. Understanding the message that Alexie is trying to display to his readers can vary in many ways and depends on the reader 's understanding of the story. Strong themes that are presented in the fictional tale are man versus self conflict, family, and tribal identity. Victor is a tribal member that has had a rough life and has to deal with his father passing away. Not only does he have to come to terms with his father 's death, but he also has to face his
...was the hardness of his terms. He accumulated bonds and mortgages; gradually squeezed his customers closer and closer; and sent them at length, dry as a sponge from his door"( ).The local problem is a stepping stone to present the universal; one, which is the subject of greed, science everyone is tempted by greed. Moreover, the narrator remains in omniscient point of view to make readers know what others think about Tom: "Her voice was often heard in wordy warfare with her husband; and his face sometimes showed signs that their conflicts were not confined to words. No one ventured, however, to interfere between them; the lonely wayfarer shrunk within himself at the horrid clamor and clapper clawing; eyed the den of discord askance, and hurried on his way, rejoicing, if a bachelor, in his celibacy. After reading this passage, readers gain a bad impression of Tom.
...allows us to see how Tom is so influenced by his unearned wealth which leads to a bloated perception of his own importance. Tom had grown up unappreciative of his wealth and realized the powers it held which to him meant he could have affairs as he was this man of affluence. Yet, Tom later realizes how Myrtle and the affair he spawned out of arrogance stemming from his wealth was crumbling. Myrtle had a different life from hers with Tom and with his need for power, “the shock had made him physically sick.” This shock shows how Myrtle not being reliant or dependent on him was a shock to him and so much so that it made him physically sick showing that when an individual doesn’t earn his wealth that wealth plays a much larger part in their decisions compared to those who earned their wealth.
At the age of seventeen, victor leaves his family and attends a university at Ingolstadt. Like a mad scientist, and to the knowledge of no one, he locks himself away in his apartment and after two years of obsessive labor he creates his monster. Even during this time of following his passion, Victor is miserable and suffers from illness. “and now every day showed me more plainly how well I had succeeded. But my enthusiasm was checked by my anxiety, and I appeared rather like one doomed by slavery to toil in the mines, or any other unwholesome trade, than an artist occupied by his favourite employment. Every night I was oppressed by a slow fever, and I became nervous to a most painful degree; the fall of a leaf startled me, and I shunned my fellow-creatures as if ...
Although “Frankenstein” is the story of Victor and his monster, Walton is the most reliable narrator throughout the novel. However, like most narrator’s, even his retelling of Victor’s story is skewed by prejudice and favoritism of the scientist’s point of view. Yet this could be attributed to the only view points he ever gets to truly hear are from Victor himself and not the monster that he only gets to meet after he comes to mourn his fallen master.
Victor Frankenstein, the monster’s creator, is the victim of his own pride. An ego unchecked is a dangerous thing. But in truth, it really just shows Victor’s humanity. He is privileged, educated, talented, loved, adored, but he is not perfect. His flaw is his own ego and pride. Without doubt, this is the result of a childhood where he was overindulged. Overindulged to the extent he was given a little girl “Elizabeth” as a “present”, whom he considered from childhood “mine only” (Shelley 21). Little wonder the twenty year old Victor would think he could create, control and command life. But Victor as with any indulged child did not take the time to learn much from his parents about parenting and fath...
When Thomas awakes the next morning it takes him a little until he is fully conscious and remembers that he had to complete his plan by taking the trunk to the station. Before Thomas could finish packing up his clothes
Thomas is a hero because the second is that he follows the hero’s journey like ordeal, Death, and Rebirth. The elevator comes back up with a girl and some pipes filled with something and the girl makes Thomas remember more about himself. Later on, they use the needle on Alby and it heals him but he won't speak. Then later on, when its night, the doors don’t close and the grievers start coming and killing people. This is a wake-up call for Thomas that and some people else since Alby is dead by the grievers. Thomas takes the lead to get out of the maze and some people follow him like a leader. When Thomas says something to the people that are left in the glade it sparks something a leadership role for Thomas. “We can't stay here forever.” When Thomas says this to the glade the people are deciding is it ok to break the rules that they have followed for years and go into the maze to try and find a way out with Thomas leading them. In This Ordeal, Death and Rebirth people die yes but Thomas did become more of a leader of the effects that played