Sherman Alexie s Flight - Flight - 1686 Words

Response Essay: Sherman Alexie Novel Flight Flight is a novel by Sherman Alexie that tell the story of a distressed Native American teenage boy, who has sadly stretched his breaking point after years of ill-treatment at the hands of adults, named Michael but prefers to be called Zits, â€Å"Call me Zits. Everybody calls me Zits. That is not my real name, of course. My real name is not important.† (Zits, p.1). Zits was left to his own devices at the age of six when his mother died of breast cancer and his father did not stick around much after he was born and left him. â€Å"I get into arguments and fistfights with everybody. I get so angry that I go blind and deaf and mute† (Zits, p.8)Zits is a violent person and takes out his anger on anyone because he has been in and out of the foster care system, none of which felt like family, with foster parents who only cared about the government cheque. He feels left out from the rest of the society mostly because of his half-Indian heritage and his abuse. Because of this, he is easily persuaded into committing crimes. Flight is saturated with violence at almost every turn. Violence can be said to be an effect without consent in respect to an individual or a group. There are various types of violence ranging from inter-racial and intra-racial violence, child abuse, sexual molestation, war, terrorism including others. Zits has developed an empathy for violence and fighting which is majorly owed to his father’s betrayal which caused him a lotShow MoreRelatedProfiling By Sherman Alexie s Flight Patterns1458 Words   |  6 Pagesget a clear view of who people are, which could be beautiful. Profiling causes people to become engulfed by other people s perceptions of who they are and becomes a conflict between racial heritage and human nature. Through the characters, setting, and tone of â€Å"Flight Patterns,† Sherman Alexie shows that profiling can lead to the misinterpretation of who someone is. Alexie shows a vivid picture of William, who is the main character of the story, he is a loving father, husband, and businessman whoRead MoreAn Analysis Of Sherman Alexie s Flight, The Joy Luck Club And The Glass Castle 888 Words   |  4 Pages Although the books Flight, The Joy Luck Club, and The Glass Castle all have different storylines, they have a common theme. Throughout each book, the characters all experience some sort of shame whether it s from one s appearance to the way one lives. In Flight, Sherman Alexie introduces the reader to a boy who is so ashamed of his appearance that he gives himself the nickname Zits. In The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan shares with the reader a story about the struggle of the mother-daughter relationshipRead MoreAnalysis Of Flight Patterns By Sherman Alexie899 Words   |  4 Pagesconsiders one s place in the world, it may be tempting to claim a single status to explain one s thoughts and actions. For instance, it is far easier to claim nat ionality as the reason behind one s beliefs about oneself and others. However, it is not one characteristic or experience that makes a person. This is especially true for individuals who are actively members of multiple societies, such as ethnic minorities. The quest for a reconciliation of multiple identities is at the heart of Sherman AlexieRead MoreProfiling Of Flight Patterns, By Sherman Alexie1518 Words   |  7 PagesThe Profiling of â€Å"Flight Patterns† Profiling people can cause a brick wall to be built between one another, a wall that cannot be easily knocked down. The bricks come down as the person doing the profiling sees beyond physical appearance. When the wall comes down a transparent window forms with a beautiful view. There is more to a person than their exterior, just like there is more to a room than walls. When profiling someone, people do not see past the brick wall; they build it higher and higherRead MoreFlight Patterns By Sherman Alexie1527 Words   |  7 PagesIn the short story Flight Patterns, Sherman Alexie describes how the protagonist, William, a Spokane Indian, struggles every day to escape the all too common stereotypes society places him under. This story takes place in Washington D.C. during the year after 9/11, which most likely justifies why racial profiling and stereotyping was extremely commonplace in the story around this time. It can be seen that Americans were brought closer together by this tragedy because they were banded by a commonRead MoreSherman Alexie s Childhood And Education1896 Words   |  8 PagesSherman Alexie’s childhood and education have had a profound effect on his writing and career. Being a Native American growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation, Alexie has had to fight stereotypes and certain negative influences such as alcoholism and poverty his entire life. The reader can gain a better understanding of Alexie’s struggles and negative influences in his life through one of his poems, â€Å"Influences†, where he discusses the negative influences he faced with alcohol from his ownRead MoreThe, The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls, And Flight By Sherman Alexie1466 Words   |  6 Pagesto be successful, to be a picture perfect family, and to be happy; these are the traits of the American dream. Although, in one s mind a specific picture forms when reading about the American dream this does not mean everyone is seeing the same landsca pe. A prevalent theme in The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and Flight by Sherman Alexie is the potency and prevalence of diversity on the American dream. In each of these compelling works, connoisseurs get a taste ofRead MoreDo We See The Same Way That We Think?1312 Words   |  6 PagesRobert’s shoes for a few minutes, as he shut his eyes while drawing. This showed that the narrator first viewed Robert in a terrible way by judging him before he even got to meet him, yet shortly after meeting him, everything changed. The narrator s mind was brought to Robert’s, as they both closed their eyes and drew a cathedral together. It is then realized that it is not all about what you can see, when the narrator speaks â€Å"But I had my eyes closed. I thought I’d keep them that way for a littleRead MoreThe, The Glass Castle By Jeannette Walls, And Flight By Sherman Alexie1441 Words   |  6 Pagesto be successful, to be a picture perfec t family, and to be happy; these are the traits of the American dream. Although, in one s mind a specific picture forms when reading about the American dream this does not mean everyone is seeing the same landscape. A prevalent theme in The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and Flight by Sherman Alexie is the potency and prevalence of diversity on the American dream. In each of these compelling works, connoisseurs get a taste ofRead MoreThe Movie Smoke Signals Directed By Chris Eyre1513 Words   |  7 PagesIn the story This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona by Sherman Alexie readers follow the characters Victor and Thomas as they travel to claim the ashes of Victors deceased father. The trip will take them from their Native American reservation in Washington state to Arizona. This trip is long and with Thomas the Story Teller it’s even longer. Life on the reservation is hard due to all the poverty, alcoholism and other problems that moder n Native Americans face. This trip is a way for the two