Resurfacing in Sherman Alexies Flight - Literature Essay Samples

2007 American literature novel, Flight, is the story of a foster kid with zero hope, however Sherman Alexie’s (Spokane/Coeur d’Alene) unique approach makes it anything but an ordinary bildungsroman. Unlike in a conventional coming of age novel where readers witness the protagonist gaining maturity with difficulty, time traveling forces readers to question their own prejudices and fundamentals to realize what is important. First person protagonist narrator Zits was birthed as a half-breed Native American, yet believes he has no race, no home, no family, which he considers are the main components of someone’s identity. Zits is sent time traveling to learn of Indian settlements in contemporary America, historically reliable thanks to Alexie’s understanding of life on a reservation due to being raised on one (Spokane/ Coeur d’Alene). Zits fails to realize in the moment that his travel education will shape him into a new person, or for a matter of fact, the person who he was inside all along. Zits transforms not only externally by getting rid of his acne that gave him his name, but he also emerges from the time travels independent of who he was on page one. His time-treks bring Zits into contact with violence from people of mulitple skin colors, into how such anger is stemmed from misconceptions of people, and further into how Zits has been wrongly identifying the people around him, as well as himself. The ability to see conflicts from both sides- American and Indian- opens the door to the idea that no one is defined by their cultural identity, but moreover by their actions and behavior during their life. This shows that there is not such a big difference between Indians and Americans, which is crucial for Zits to determine what type of life he is going to live. Flight is a narrative with a community of different voices, each of whom embodies a different representation of the past that Zits initially lacks accurate knowledge of. The first authentic account takes place in the mid- 1970s, where Zits is in the white body of a FBI agent on the Red River Indian Reservation. Since Alexie selectively chose historical occasions that would sound familiar to the reader, it would not be out of the ordinary for him or her to link the first encounter with the infamous battle between IRON, the Indigenous Rights Now! Movement, and HAMMER, the traitor tribal government officials who later teamed with the FBI. In this section, Zits acts as Hank Storm and witnesses his fellow agent’s racist attitude towards Indians: â€Å"I wish Custer would have killed a few more of these damn tepee creepers† (43). Zits is confused to see that his partners are friendly with Elk and Horse, two Indians supposedly part of IRON. These two pull an Indian named Juni or out of the trunk of their car and long story short, Hank Storm’s partner shoots Junior without blinking when the captive refuses to speak. What is significant about this scene is that Zits does not witness the death of Junior without taking a hit himself. The white man wants to leave the dead body out to rot, while Elk advocates the morally right action that he was taught: â€Å"He’s a traditionalist†¦ his soul won’t get to Heaven if we don’t bury him the Indian way† (52). Basically, Elk and Horse torture and kill Junior and then moments later give him a just burial. Zits learns how closely related violence and compassion are, but is bewildered by it. It is normal for the narrator to feel nauseous from watching someone die, yet it is a sign of maturation in his journey that he pinpoints how unnecessary violence is even though it is still carried out by many. It is interesting to see both Native and white sides shine through Zits in this sce ne, as he watches Native burial culture while feeling the guilt of a white man after a killing an Indian. Zits is the role of good and evil- of compassion and violence- attaining the guilt necessary for understanding where racial inconsistencies accrue from, and diminishing the gap of the us versus them scenario which has been restraining him form identifying himself. Zits learns of the violence capable of all people, but time traveling dives deeper into this concept by suggesting that misconceptions are often the cause. To say that Zits is the average teenager would be unfair, given his divided struggle between Native ethnology and the unsympathetic white world. His Irish mother died when he was young, his Indian father left the son before they met, and as Zits became more aware of the atmosphere he lived in, he began to actively resent the whites that constantly stereotyped him. He was stereotyped for an Indian race that he did not even believe to be his, because he linked the abandonment of is father with the abandonment of Indian identity. Given his frustration derived from mislabeling, Zits’ anger stems from misconceptions in contemporary America about Native Americans technically like him, which are prevalent throughout history. By way of illustration, one of his body-migrations is into a thirteen-year old Indian boy, presumed to be a midst Custer’s Last Stand at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. At the end of the battle, the Indian boy’s dad pins down a young white soldier and insists that Zits wants revenge on him and must give the white soldier what he deserves; what he deserves for rough actions of a totally different white man on the Indian boy. Generalization comes into play here as the Indian boy’s dad associates all white people as enemies. The innocent young solider did nothing directly towards the Indian boy, yet the sight of his white face inflicts the desire for revenge in the dad, causing Zits to question, â€Å"Is revenge a circle inside of a circle inside of a circle?† (77) The pressure from the dad â€Å"to be a warrior† forces Zits to face his own sentiments about revenge (78). After the distress that whites caused on Indians historically, such as the theft of perfect lands and uncanny brutality on them, Zits virtually could have taken this as an opportunity to retaliate. But no. He hesitates and the scene ends with him at a cross roads about what to do, where he eventually closes his eyes and is transported out. Alexie suggests Zits does not kill this solider for the sake of the guilt he would have. Given his life-long hatred of whites and his destructive intentions early in the novel at the bank, readers initially would have predicted Zits to have no regrets killing this guy. However, the guilt Zits endures from simply considering the murder motivates him to measure the value of revenge when solving predicaments. In the end of the novel, Alexie reevaluates how the costs of revenge outweigh its benefits and now inclined to this analysis, Zits wants to live a life unmotivated by the resentments of people before and around him- a life renouncing violence. The final person Zits embodies is his father, at the same time as when the novel started, and it is here that time traveling proves to Zits that everyone has their own inner conflicts- everyone is not so different after all. Through the eyes of Hank, Indian boy, Gus, and Jimmy, he gets a taste of being white and being red skin, but while he is in his father’s body, everything he has learned meshes together. A homeless, alcoholic man on the streets near Seattle, Zits knows that his man blames whites for his condition. This is exemplified when he grows angrier and angrier as a kind white woman offers help to him and again when he hates fellow homeless people who do not pay any attention to him. Zits does not know who the man is exactly until seeing what is in his pocket- a picture of five-year-old Zits. Given his lifelong disgust for the man who left his mom and him at birth, he has an urge to kill the body but decides to pry information from it instead. The memory is revealed o f the hospital waiting room fifteen years prior. Nervous and upset while awaiting the birth of his son, Zits’s father had an anecdote of his own in mind: when he was a young boy he was unable to satisfy his dad and therefore forced to repeat, â€Å"I ain’t worth shit† (155). This was repeated so often that he was traumatized so badly that he believed it. All he wanted was to be loved and forgiven. This in mind, while pacing the halls of the hospital, he does not feel worthy of being a father so he runs away. All Zits’s life he thought that his dad was simply shallow and did not care about Zits or his mom. In reality, he cared too much to let them suffer with having a dad who â€Å"ain’t worth shit†. Serving as a resolution to his hatred for his dad, traveling in time to this point shows Zits the potential life he could have if he does not take responsibility for the resentments he has, such as to white society and for those who have a nicer complexion than him. Zits applies his newly obtained perspective in the concluding chapters of the novel. This novel is a pleading model that we are all the same people- no matter what color skin, we are all capable of violence, we are all capable of forgiveness. Being able to understand his dad’s thoughts allows him to forgive and relate that everyone has resentments of their own, so the results of those should not be what defines a person. Instead, it should be how people handle those that determine the type of person someone is. Zits takes this to heart, as seen within the walls of his final foster house. The whole novel has the narrator identifying himself by the surface as â€Å"Zits,† a red face with much shame attached to it. In a smile-jerking scene, Zits’s newest foster mom, Officer Dave’s loving sister-in-law, teaches him about face-clearing products and when she promises that he will have clear skin, he cries. With this, he introduces his new desire to be called his real name, Michael. Having an acne-free face in the positive atmosphere of warm pare nts, a new beginning is underway, both literally and symbolically. Now able to look at people and not feeling the need to hold grudges for things out of his control, are weights off Michael’s shoulders. Time traveling has forced Zits to confront his feelings of violence, anger, and identity and by determining that they are relatable for everyone, it is revealed that the difference between whiteness and Indianness is not as great as he- or most of contemporary America- has thought. Even after the resurfacing of a clear face, there will scars left behind, but that is okay, per Zits. Red scars represent the Indian culture from his father that he will always have and value. He is satisfied being in his white American home, but does not want to abandon his heritage, so Alexie uses Zits’s habit of thinking of his new foster mom as being Indian to reassure readers of this right away. No matter what, he is living a life of duality- he has a form of amalgamation of lessons learned from time-trekking in both white and Indian bodies. Time traveling achieves what no therapist and no single experience could. Zits, or Michael as a matter of fact, resurfaces in the end of Flight to acknowle dge the people and struggles of everyone, especially his own. Works Cited Alexie, Sherman. Flight: a Novel. New York, Black Cat, 2007.

Nature and Nuture Essay - 713 Words

The question is this: How can we distinguish between the environmental causes of behavior and heredity causes? This question embodies the nature-nurture issue. John B. Watson argued that each is made, not born. He discounted the importance of heredity, maintaining that behavior is managed entirely by the environment. Indeed he boldly claimed: Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own special world to bring them up in and Ill guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select-doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief, and yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations and race of his ancestors. I am going beyond my facts†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, the work of behavioral geneticists and the theories of evolutionary psychologists have influenced developmental psychologists. Both behavioral geneticists and evolutionary psychologists have highlighted the importance of heredity in influencing human behavior. Clearly, the relationship between heredity and environment is far from simple. As a consequence, developmental psychologists typically take an interactionist position on the nature-nurture issue, suggesting that a combination of heredity and environmental factors influence development. Developmental psychologists face the challenge of identifying the relative strength of each of these influences on the individual, as well as that of identifying the specific changes that occur over the course of development. Developmental psychologists use several approaches to determine the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors on behavior. In one approach, researchers can experimentally control the genetic makeup of laboratory animals by carefully breeding them for specific traits. Although researchers must be careful when generalizing the findings of nonhuman research to a human population, findings from animal research provide important information that cannot be obtained by using human participants. Human twins serve as anotherShow MoreRelatedNature vs Nuture2099 Words   |  9 PagesPRINCIPLES OF FINANCE PRACTICE TEST 1 1. Finance can be defined as A. the system of debits and credits. B. the science of the production, distribution, and consumption of wealth. C. the art and science of managing money. D. the art of merchandising products and services. 2. Managerial finance A. involves tasks such as budgeting, financial forecasting, cash management, and funds procurement. B. involves the design and delivery of advice and financial products. C. recognizes funds on anRead MoreEssay about Causes of Homosexuality - Nature AND Nuture564 Words   |  3 Pages Many people cannot understand why anyone would want to get involved in homosexual activity. 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John Dewey, Friedrich Froebel, Maria Montessori, and Lev Vygotsky all understood the way children think and the importance of imaginative play. They also understood that children need to be active in nature. Also, we have discussed different forms of learning, such as project based learning, and outdoor classrooms. In my opinion, the education system should have minor changes that benefit the students more. Despite the various flaws, schools are extremelyRead More Human Nature in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Essay920 Words   |  4 PagesHuman Nature in Frankenstein by Mary Shelley In the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the relationship of external apperence and internal feelings are directly related. The creature is created and he is innocent, though he is seaverly deformed. His nature is to be good and kind, but society only views his external appereance which is grotesque. Human nature is to judge by external apperence. He is automatically ostracized and labeled as a monster because of his external apperence. HeRead MoreWho is the Villain in the Frankenstein? Essay714 Words   |  3 Pagesmonster) to be a kind, caring and loving creature, the way the villagers treated him and turned away in disgust when they saw the monster, was the reason that the monster became evil. The main themes in Frankenstein are the themes of Nature versus Nuture, in which we find out that the monster was not intentionally villainous and that it was the way that the villagers treated the monster that he became evil and bad-tempered. Another one of the main themes is Science versus religion. This isRead MoreGay Teens: Accepting the Unaccepted1199 Words   |  5 Pagesorientation is not a mental disorder. A persons sexual orientation is not a matter of choice. Individuals have no more choice about being homosexual or bisexual than heterosexual. Many people are arguing that it has to do with the whole nature vs. nuture debate. The nature side argues that homosexuals have different hormonal mechanisms, gene type, or brain structure. The nurture side argues that the environment writes on the developing child like someone writing on a blank piece of paper. As many potential

Racial Profiling And The United States - 944 Words

Ever Since being forced to the united states as slaves blacks have been exposed to racism and legal discrimination citizens of African descent in the United States living threw things like Jim crow laws which were laws set to legally separate blacks like they were lesser to white citizens, or dealing acts of terror by groups like the KKK or other racist whites. And most importantly going through slavery which heavily set blacks back. Black men as a whole in society are believed to have the toughest time. They are often portrayed by society to be hoodlums or thugs when in reality that’s a small percentage, society lets a small amount represent the larger body. According to the Washington Post â€Å"African Americans are 13% of the country s population, but they are 62.7% of convicted drug users/dealers. Caucasians are 80% of the country s population, they are the majority of drug users/dealers but only 36.7% of them are locked up† this is a direct result of racial profi ling and discrimination. We as a society need to improve and bring awareness to the topic of male males being profiled and discriminated against. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding 3 recent national events going on dealing with black males being innocently murdered. The Males murdered where Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Gardener all three unarmed and killed by the police. Trayvon Martin, a Miami native, was visiting his father in Sanford. That evening, Martin walked out to the nearby 7-Eleven to getShow MoreRelatedRacial Profiling : The United States Essay1326 Words   |  6 PagesRacial Profiling The United States of America, a country founded on diversity, remains ingrained with hypocritical ideas with respect to its very foundations of freedom and independence. America shows no mercy in the prejudice actions towards its minorities. The United States of America contributes greatly towards the injustice of minorities and giving privilege towards its â€Å"native† people yet not all â€Å"natives† are greatly loved in the country as Neil Foley, author of Becoming Hispanic: MexicanRead MoreRacial Profiling And The United States1348 Words   |  6 PagesIn today’s world we deal with multiple cases of racial profiling seemingly on a daily basis. Turn on the television, check the internet, or simply have a discussion with someone and you’ll hear about it. Racial Profiling describes discriminatory practices by law enforcement officials who target people for suspicion of crime based on their ethnicity, race, origin, or religion. The term first came about during the War on Drugs in the 1970’s and 1980’s when law enforcement were accused of pullingRead MoreRacial Profiling And The United States1111 Words   |  5 Pagesbrutality on these individuals solely based on the ethnicity they possess. Racial profiling can be said to be synonymous with stereotypes. In fact, as Gross states, â€Å"In 1999, 81 percent of surveyors in a national poll agreed that racial profiling was an issue in the United States. â€Å"From Samuel R. Gross, â€Å"Racial Profiling Under Attack†, (June 2002): 1413. However, there is no end in sight, 16 years later, and the United States is still the same. On September 11, 2001 America was in shock because ofRead MoreRacial Profiling And The United States1465 Words   |  6 PagesRacial Profiling Racial Profiling is just what it is. Targeting individuals for suspicion of a violation determined by the individual’s race, ethnicity, religion or national origin. Race and location are the supreme characteristics law enforcement visually examine when engaging in this type of profiling. African-American males are the primary victims of racial profiling in the United States. The phrase â€Å"driving while black† derive from African Americans protesting that they are pulled over by policeRead MoreRacial Profiling And The United States1657 Words   |  7 PagesThe 11th of September, 2001 was a momentous day in American history. 19 members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 United Airlines Flight 175, and crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Hijackers crashed the third plane into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth jet, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a field near Shanksville, Penn sylvania. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives on 9/11 due to the terrorist attacks onRead MoreRacial Profiling And The United States1160 Words   |  5 Pagesby police and many other people for committing crimes. This is called racial profiling, and it is an issue going on around us. Some considers racial profiling a new phenomenon, and it is important to examine it because it is a foundational aspect of law and law enforcement in the United States. Glover in the book Racial Profiling: Research, Racism, and Resistance defines racial profiling in contemporary times â€Å"as the use of racial and or ethnic status as the determinant factor in decision to stop motoristRead MoreRacial Profiling And The United States2227 Words   |  9 Pagessociety. This is the mind frame of the average American in the United States. Every African American individual in this country who has traveled, walked to the store at night or simply going shopping, either knowingly or unknowingly has been a victim of some type of racial profiling. People need to realize that racial profiling happens very often to innocent people that are targeted based on race and sometimes religion. Racial profiling can be defined as when an individual is stopped or detained becauseRead MoreRacial Profiling A nd The United States1949 Words   |  8 Pages Racial Profiling Post 9/11 Rusat Ramgopal CRJBS 101 John Jay College Professor Gary Wright August 4, 2016 Racial Profiling Post 9/11 On September 11, 2001, nineteen hijackers associated with the terrorist group Al-Qaeda attacked the United States. They flew two planes into the World Trade Center and also attacked the Pentagon resulting inRead MoreRacial Profiling And The United States2903 Words   |  12 PagesRacial profiling still exists in America. Racial profiling refers to law enforcement strategies and practices that single out individuals as objects of suspicion solely on the basis of mainly their race. Prejudice and racial profiling of law enforcement is responsible for many false arrests, convictions, and countless deaths of blacks in the United States. This is one of the main difficulties of life and obstacles minorities have to face in their life because for one they are a minority and twoRead MoreRacial Profiling And The United States1883 Words   |  8 PagesRacial profiling remains a dormant issue in the United States. It is the act of the authority, mostly, police officers linking minority sta tus to criminal behaviour (Glover, 2007). Several police officers in the United States target specific groups because they don’t display characteristics of typical Caucasian individuals (Glover, 2007). To put history into context, before 9/11, not many police officers profiled individuals based on their ethnic backgrounds but after the attack, there was an increase

Shakespeares play MacBeth is based on various different sources Essay Example For Students

Shakespeares play MacBeth is based on various different sources Essay Shakespeares play MacBeth is based on various different sources. There was a king of Scotland called MacBeth in about 1040, who was exposed to violence and torment from an early age when his father was murdered by his cousins. He then married Gruach, who was the granddaughter of a High King of Scotland. However there is no evidence that she had a malign influence on MacBeth, which is contrary to the portrayal of their relationship in Shakespeares play. Another source for the play arose from Holinsheds chronicles. Previously Shakespeare had used these chronicles to develop various other stories. These chronicles may have affected the tone of Shakespeares play MacBeth as Holinshed was uncritical of the historians he relied upon and he opposed all kingships other than that of the Tudors. Clearly Shakespeare altered and adapted the sources he relied upon to write the text as he had to make if dramatic to entice audiences to come and see his plays at the theatre. In order to be a successful playwright this meant making his plays as gruesome and shocking as possible, hence the emphasis on murder, madness and conflict. The text is therefore stylistic of much literature, aimed to entertain and please the audience. It is believed that the play was performed in front of King James in 1606. There are therefore many parallels between the life and rule of King James and the story that unfolds in the play MacBeth. Fundamentally the murder of Duncan had to result in the untimely death of his murderer. This is because it suggests that attempts to seize power in such an oppressive manner result in misery and more distress. This is shown in the play because MacBeths efforts to become an established monarch of Scotland are quashed and remain futile. This was important to please the king especially since King James loathed regicide. This was not surprising given the failed attempt at his assassination in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, which is also referred to in the play. A catholic priest, Henry Garnet was put on trial for his involvement in the plot and he admitted he had only told half of the truth. Ironically the play too is filled with equivocations, most prominently seen in the speeches of the witches. For example in act 1 scene 3 one of the witches says to MacBeth All hail MacBeth, that shalt be king hereafter. It is not said how or when MacBeth will be king it only says that he will be. Duncans murder is fundamental to the play for a number of reasons. It is the first act of treachery in the play and subsequently leads to the murder of the other characters Banquo, MacDuffs family and Young Siward. This is due to the fact that once Duncan has been killed and MacBeth named king, MacBeths ambition forces him to employ violent and ruthless tactics in order to remain in such a high position of power. It was  the case with MacBeth that absolute power corrupts and power corrupts absolutely. This ruthless ambition is a key theme in the play and it can be seen as the fundamental flaw in the characters of both MacBeth and his wife. This importance of this idea can be seen in the quote I have no spur, To prick the sides of my intent but only, Vaulting ambition. Here MacBeth becomes aware that he is driven by ambition alone. The murder of Duncan is important in bringing originality to the play, to gain the approval of the crowd. To conduct such a murder in Shakespeares time especially, was scandalous. The murder is evil because primarily Duncan was a guest in MacBeths house so MacBeth should have protected and cared for him, offering him security as he was his host. Despite this, MacBeth plots and plans to bring about his demise as he is overwhelmed by greed. It is not sufficient that Duncan has made MacBeth Thane of Glamis and Thane of Cawdor entrusting him with a large amount of power. In return Duncan wanted MacBeths respect, obedience and loyalty. At the beginning of the play MacBeth is regarded as a loyal and faithful man, fighting on Duncans behalf. It is ironic that he is heralded as being so worthy when later in the book he can be deemed as nothing but a traitor. Macbeth: Macbeth Is More Guilty By His Actions Tha EssayThis is  an element of her suffering as she is losing her sanity. She also suffers from lack of sleep. Blood appears to be a major theme in the play as the repercussions echo throughout. Another important theme is that of darkness. It is portrayed by the use of vivid words as the text as whole is full of imagery. Dark night strangles the travelling lamp and Come thick night are two quotes which portray this imagery. The language used in these quotes show hidden meanings similar to the way the dark night conceals murderous intentions. The use of the word strangle expresses this idea coherently. It is dark when Duncan is killed and his death results in lack of sleep for MacBeth and his wife. These themes are consistently present throughout the play and give it a certain level of complexity so that it is not merely a tale of murder. In conclusion the murder of Duncan is fundamental to the play. The committing of regicide is MacBeths first step on the ladder to his demise. In retrospect of the play, it sets in motion the death of one great man, Duncan, and the slow downfall of another, namely MacBeth. Arguably MacBeth was a good man, corrupted by ambition, power and principally the influence of his wife. She is evil and corrupts their relationship with her ruthlessness. Unknowingly she urges MacBeth to destroy all that is good, the fate of the country, the life of a good man and unintentionally their marriage. When he appears to be frightened and worried by the apparition of Banquo he finds he cannot even find solace in his wife which shows how much the support within their marriage has deteriorated. The murder of Duncan leads to a culmination of events which brings about the downfall of MacBeth and epitomises the evil in the play. The evil is emphasised in the scenes where the murder occurs, act 2 scenes 1 and 2 , by the use of darkness and blood. This is a prime example of Shakespeares diverse use of imagery. He frequently uses imagery and pathetic fallacy to convey themes and ideas. The use of soliloquies is important because they serve two purposes. They show a certain element of madness because the character is addressing themselves rather than the other characters, commonly seen as a sign of delusion in society. Secondly they allow the audience to know the exact thoughts of the character. This was used by Shakespeare to show that despite his actions MacBeth was not solely a butcher, he was also human and could express feelings of compassion and guilt. Without these crucial soliloquies where MacBeth voices his inner feelings, we may not have seen this side to him and the play would lose its depth and complexity.