“This is What It Means to Say Phoenix‚ Arizona” by Sherman Alexie‚ presented a story based on the Native American culture‚ traditions‚ and social-economic problems. The author organized the events illustrated in this short story in chronological order with the incorporation of flashback throughout the story which helps to comprehend much better the relationship in between characters‚ potential conflicts‚ settings‚ and other elements of the story. The central element of the story is the trip that
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couple that give up their greatest belongings in order to buy something special for each other. However‚ they can not make use of their gifts‚ because what they gave up‚ relates to their possessions they gave up. In Sherman Alexie’s “This is What It Means to Say Phoenix‚ Arizona”‚ the protagonist Victor travels with his childhood friend Thomas to Phoenix to get the remains of his dead father. Thomas tells him the story of Victors dad telling him to “Take care of each other” (156). Through out these two
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generations start forgetting history of themselves becoming people living in the present as well as writing their own history‚ while others bass in the pass‚ never forgetting where they came from and who they are. The same happened in “This is What it means to say Phoenix Arizona”‚ by Sherman Alexie‚ the story followed two men who traveled to retrieve the remains of a deceased one while learning more about themselves and their culture. Victor and Thomas Builds-The-Fire are the two main characters that are
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Lorisa Qumawunu June 7‚ 2013 English 102 Essay #1(revision) “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix‚ Arizona” In the short story‚ “This is What It Means to Say Phoenix‚ Arizona”‚ by Sherman Alexie‚ I looked at two characters: Thomas and Victor. Thomas Builds-the-Fire is a storyteller on a reservation who everyone ignores because they think he is crazy. Victor on the other hand is a guy who would not dare be seen talking to Thomas. Thomas knows that Victor is in
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“This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix‚ Arizona‚ is a story that focuses on the relationship between two Native American men‚ Victor and Thomas Builds-The-Fire‚ who have grown up together one the Spokane Indian Reservation. The leading cause of the central action of the story was the death of Victor’s father in Phoenix‚ Arizona. Having just lost his job and unable to financially travel alone with the one hundred dollars given to him by the Tribal Council‚ Victor happens to run into Thomas Builds-The-Fire
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and contempt towards Thomas. Almost at the finish of the story “This is What it Means to Say Phoenix‚ Arizona”‚ Sherman Alexie portrays Victor as being kind and friendly to Thomas. Victor feels the urge that he owes something to Thomas and ends up offering to Mr. Builds-the-Fire the precious ash remains of his recently deceased father. As kind as he was to do that‚ Victor immediately afterwards talks to Thomas in an underlying mean way. Thomas graciously turns down Victor’s offer‚ and in the process
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What does it mean? Although some people may not think too much of things as insignificant as names or symbols‚ there is always a reason an author puts them in a story. Sherman Alexi’s “This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix Arizona” is a great example of a story that is full of many different kinds of symbolism‚ ranging from animals to people‚ even the story’s title. Understanding of Alexi’s symbols in the story is crucial in understanding the meaning of the story as a whole. A symbol
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Anh Phan Professor Frank English 112 September 28‚ 2012 “That Is What It Means to Say Phoenix‚ Arizona” In short story Sherman Alexie. “That is what it means to say Phoenix‚ Arizona‚ he creates three main characters‚ Victor‚ Victor’s father‚ and Thomas who have three different personalities. However‚ Thomas seems one of the most interesting characters in this short story. The author presents Thomas as a person who has not been affected negative by the hardship and struggles of modern day Native
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been estranged from each other since they were teenagers. Victor who is the narrator of this story is a young man who lost faith in his culture and its traditions‚ while Thomas our second main character is a deeply rooted traditional storyteller. In the beginning of the story Victor‚ our Native American narrator learns the death of his father. Jobless and penniless‚ his only wish is to go to Phoenix‚ Arizona and bring back his father’s ashes and belongings to the reservation in Spokane. The death
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Angela Smith Mrs. Black Engl. 1102 January 31 2014 Plot “This is what it means to say Phoenix‚Arizona” “This is what it means to say Phoenix‚ Arizona” by Sherman Alexie is about the life struggles of two American Indians named Victor and Thomas Builds-the-Fire. Victor‚the protagonist‚ has not only lost his job but his father as well. With the aid of Thomas he will travel to collect his father’s remains and estate. This story is neatly structured in a standard plot line format‚ built around
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