The story “Smoke Signal” written by Sherman Alexie and directed by Chris Eyre, published on June 26, 1998, is about the relationship between father and son and search for forgiveness through the reflection of the Native American culture. Sherman Alexie is a Native American poet and filmmaker and was born on a Reservation at Wellpinit, Washington. The story reflects Sherman’s childhood by showing how he was growing up in a reservation and his beliefs as a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene tribal member. The main idea of the film is that forgiveness is find through a journey. Sherman Alexie use metaphors and allusion with words such as fire and smoke, Sherman use this figure of speech to show and set in motion flashbacks throughout the story where it expresses …show more content…
The main characters go on a journey to pick up Arnold (Victor’s father) ashes and belongings in Phoenix, Arizona. Along their journey they meet different cultures and people such as a gymnast and the two cowboys that discriminates them for their appearance and culture. Through the journey, Victor embrace his feelings and beliefs with the help of Thomas. When they arrive at Arnold’s house, Victor learn that the reason of the fire that killed Thomas parents is his father, which reflects at the beginning of the movie where Arnold said to Thomas Grandma “I didn’t mean too” (Arnold Joseph, Smoke Signal, 1998). On their way back to the reservation, they get into an accident which they were blame by the real culprit of the accident. The cop asks Victor if he drink and he says, “I don't drink, never had a drop of alcohol in my life, not a drop”, (Victor Joseph, Smoke Signal, 1998). This conversation reflects to Victor’s childhood where he’s father asks him to drink his beers and he did. In the end of the story, Thomas asked Victor why he’s dad left, and Victor said “He didn’t mean too, Thomas” (Victor Joseph, Smoke Signal, 1998), and this is a metaphor of Arnold saying the same thing from the beginning of the
Smoke Signals I thought was a good movie. This movie can touch my heart. Victor and I both have some very similar experiences, so I can understand his feelings very easily. At the end of the movie, Thomas was reading a poem how do we forgive our father; I was listening carefully and asking myself the same question. Victor regards his father with both deep love and bitter resentment and dislike. Victor and I both have some very similar experiences, so I can understand his feelings very easily. At the end of the movie, Thomas was reading a poem how do we forgive our father; I was listening carefully and asking myself the same question. Victor regards his father with both deep love and bitter resentment and dislike.
Sherman Alexie grew up in Wellpinit, Washington as a Spokane/Coeur d’Alene tribal member (Sherman Alexie). He began his personal battle with substance abuse in 1985 during his freshman year at Jesuit Gonzaga University. The success of his first published work in 1990 incentivized Alexie to overcome his alcohol abuse. “In his short-story and poetry collections, Alexie illuminates the despair, poverty, and alcoholism that often shape the lives of Native Americans living on reservations” (Sherman Alexie). When developing his characters, Alexie often gives them characteristics of substance abuse, poverty and criminal behaviors in an effort to evoke sadness with his readers. Alexie utilizes other art forms, such as film, music, cartoons, and the print media, to bombard mainstream distortion of Indian culture and to redefine Indianness. “Both the term Indian and the stereotypical image are created through histories of misrepresentation—one is a simulated word without a tribal real and the other an i...
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).
Characters May and Holden experienced the death of a loved one as teenagers. These catastrophes had a negative effect on their lives and caused them to have changes in their usual behavior, episodes of sadness, and suicidal thoughts.
Visual sovereignty and survivance in Atanarjuat and Smoke Signals are used to challenge the stereotype of “the Imaginary Indian”, yet redfacing is still a common mechanism used in Native American films that catalyzes this trope. Redfacing refers to the beginning of racist Native American stereotypes and drawings. In the case of the film industry, it also describes the bias the white producers, directors, and actors have against hiring real Native Americans to play Native American roles. Because of redfacing, there was an inaccurate display on film of how Native Americans looked in the past, and throughout the years the stereotype has gotten even more demeaning. Redfacing is disrespectful to Native American cultures as they are being misrepresented and Americans are given a false notion about the true sacredness and value behind the Native Americans’ lives. Thankfully, the method of redfacing had not been used in both Atanarjuat and Smoke Signals. Atanarjuat challenges these stereotypes by having an all Inuit cast and filmmaker and the writing, directing, and acting entirely in Inuktitut. Since historical accuracy
Norman Maclean's book, Young Men and Fire, recreates the tragedy of the Mann Gulch fire. His ambition to have this lamentable episode of history reach out and touch his readers triumphs in extolling the honor and respect deserved by the thirteen smoke jumpers who died. This book is a splendid tribute to the courageous efforts of such men, as well as a landmark, reminding mankind to heed the unpredictable behavior and raw power of nature.
[1] The silent film, With Daniel Boone Thru the Wilderness, was produced in 1926: a time of prosperity, an era without the skepticism of the modern American mind. People were not yet questioning the stories and histories they had been taught as children. The entertaining story told in this Robert North Bradbury film is loosely based on the life of an American hero. However, the presence of several insidiously inaccurate historical representations demonstrates how an entertaining film might not be as innocent as it initially seems. This film fails to question certain key issues concerning the Daniel Boone legend. In fact, it does quite the opposite. The creators of this film wholeheartedly bought into the many warped myths and distorted “facts” surrounding the story of Daniel Boone. Amazingly, the ethnocentric (read racist and colonial) ideals found in 19th century whites apparently still existed in 1926, and, to a certain extent, still do today. This essay will explore the factors that contributed to the twisted representations found in With Daniel Boone Thru the Wilderness. Hopefully, the work of this essay and many others like it will help the next generation of Americans (and filmmakers) to avoid the same injustices and societal pitfalls that have plagued mankind for ages.
The traumatic events in both Holden and Wills life changed the way they see the world and making friends with people. They could never connect with anyone because they can’t trust or get along with many
Sherman Alexie is an accomplished author who describes the lives of Native Americans through his writing. Due to his heritage and upbringing, he knows the struggles that Native Americans face because he also has experienced it. Alexie was born on October 7, 1966, in a reservation adjacent to Spokane, Washington. His mother, like Alexie, is a member the Spokane tribe, but his father is from the nearby Coeur d’Alene tribe in Idaho. Unfortunately, Alexie was born with congenital hydrocephalus, a condition in which the body cannot drain excess brain fluid. Not long after, he had to have corrective surgery at only six months old to prevent further damage to his brain. However, while the operation did not have an impact on his learning capabilities,
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,
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
Adjusting to another culture is a difficult concept, especially for children in their school classrooms. In Sherman Alexie’s, “Indian Education,” he discusses the different stages of a Native Americans childhood compared to his white counterparts. He is describing the schooling of a child, Victor, in an American Indian reservation, grade by grade. He uses a few different examples of satire and irony, in which could be viewed in completely different ways, expressing different feelings to the reader. Racism and bullying are both present throughout this essay between Indians and Americans. The Indian Americans have the stereotype of being unsuccessful and always being those that are left behind. Through Alexie’s negativity and humor in his essay, it is evident that he faces many issues and is very frustrated growing up as an American Indian. Growing up, Alexie faces discrimination from white people, who he portrays as evil in every way, to show that his childhood was filled with anger, fear, and sorrow.
“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.
In life, everyone experiences a time of hardship, and for the most part, those affected find methods of overcoming the adversity. The idea of getting through hardship is best reflected in; Sherman J. Alexie’s story “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” (274). In the story, victor whose father had recently died from a heart attack has to travel to phoenix Arizona to reclaim his father’s ashes and his truck. Victor is joined by his former childhood friend “Thomas Builds-the-fire”, who finances the trip to phoenix since Victor did not have the means. They drove back truck from phoenix to the reservation. Throughout the trip, Thomas is always telling stories mostly reminiscing about their childhood. It is through Thomas stories that we learn much about Victor’s father. Through the use of symbolism, and character development, Alexie conveys the idea that, when someone is experiencing an adversity, reconnecting and embracing the past may lead to a discovery of a brighter future.
Children who are fatherless are at a greater risk of drug and alcohol abuse (Consequences of Fatherlessness 3). If it was not bad enough, Tom was already at risk of becoming an alcoholic since the day his dad walked out the house. In the film, Tom is seen coming home late at night drunk. He leaves for long periods of times and comes back home really late and drunk. Amada notices and she asks him where he has been and he replies that he was out in the movies (Numen). When asked why, he says that the movies give him adventure which is something that he does not get to experience at the shoe warehouse. “The movies are a temporary escape from his boring daily routine at the Continental Shoemakers” (Pleasant Disguise 50). Amanda does not believe him and becomes afraid that Tom is becoming more like his father. Tom actually admits to being like his father when he is having a conversation with Jim the night he went over to their apartment. “I’m like my father. The bastard son of a bastard!” (Numen). He says this after he discusses with Jim his plans to leave his family in search for adventure like the people in the movies. Tom finally decides to leave them after Amanda yells at him for Jim’s engagement. This makes Tom furious because he was unaware that Jim was engaged. As he leaves he tells them that he is leaving to the movies, but this time is a lie because he never comes back