Flight Patterns Alexie Sherman Summary

Stepping out of my first plane ride, I experience an epiphany of new culture, which seems to me as a whole new world. Buzzing around my ears are conversations in an unfamiliar language that intrigues me. It then struck me that after twenty hours of a seemingly perpetual plane ride that I finally arrived in The United States of America, a country full of new opportunities. It was this moment that I realized how diverse and big this world is. This is the story of my new life in America.

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, “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. “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 Patterns” by Sherman Alexie is a story about a man and his ride to the airport. The man is named William and he takes a taxi to the airport. His taxi driver starts making conversation and by the end of the story William has a lot to think about. “Flight Patterns” focuses heavily upon race and identity with the two main characters being people of color. Throughout the short story William and Fekadu reflect on societies preconceptions based on the skin color. Fekadu and William often found themselves trapped by other people’s ideas.

Beliefs and values are the characteristics in humans that help determine how one reacts to their surroundings. In the story, “Flight Patterns” by Sherman Alexie, William, being of Spokane descent and a constant target of discrimination, his beliefs heavily influence his behavior throughout the story. William’s value of family, heritage and his compassion can be seen as influencers in the story. As and the make to me by we are now saved in the touch I can wait.

Sherman Alexie is very well known for his takes on Native Americans in modern American society. His books and stories most often are inside thoughts of situations that are occurring or have already occurred. Two of his shorter stories highlight two very different situations but in a sense connect with another. “Flight Plan” and “Breaking and Entering,” although confronting Native American characters, reveal to the reader the important information about American life in general. “Flight Plan” is a story that involves an encounter between a Native American business man and an Ethiopian taxi driver. This story takes place in a taxi cab, revealing

Tiffany Woodrum Mrs.Morrow LAVCA 2/5/2016 The Impact of September 11 on America Thesis Today I am going to inform my audience about the practical, psychological and other impacts towards the United States after the attacks on September 11. The Practical Impact One of the most obvious changes since September 11 is that some of the Americans have faced after September 11 have been at the airport. Some of the things that have changed are: travelers must check in at least a few hours before their flight takes off, there are restrictions on what people can bring in their bags , some things have to be put into clear plastic bags and sealed tightly, you can’t bring food or water onto the planes , some random passengers are selected at random for

The story “Flight Patterns” is a short story in which Sherman Alexie, the author, presents Native American literature which is new around this time in age. William Cline, the main character represents your stereotype native American. This story takes place post 9/11; therefore, the level of security has been increased greatly along with the amount of hostility towards darker skinned people. William describes how he feels out of place because he has all the traits of a native American but he feels likes he needs to try in order to keep up with his culture. He points out that his wife, Marie, is the one that lives up to the title and has no cares in the world. Her culture comes natural to her and she is not self-conscious about her appearance unlike her husband. Their daughter Grace, has a little bit of both parents. She has the carelessness of her mother and yet she strives to be like her dad as well. William’s family lives in Seattle and they are one of the first native American families to settle there; therefore, racism is a very touchy subject.

In the world of literature, many characters go through mental changes. In T.H. White’s novel, The Once and Future King, the protagonist Wart shows examples of his evolution from childhood to manhood. His teacher, Merlyn, is responsible for this growth of wisdom that occurs as Wart is introduced to new lifestyles and customs as he embodies various animals and situations. Wart, also known as Arthur, gradually loses his naive ways in order to one day become a successful king.Wart’s innocence is lost when Merlyn transforms him into varying animals to learn of their unfamiliar habits. Although Wart does not realize he is learning valuable lessons from being a pike, goose, or even a badger, he is gaining the wisdom he needs to prepare for his most challenging role yet. These lessons provide the foundation of him becoming the future king.

Flight, written by Sherman Alexie was published on March 28, 2007. Flight is about a 15 year old orphan named Zits. Because of his past, Zits has a tendency to respond to situations violently. When arrested by officer Dave, a nice police officer, Zits is put in a jail cell with a boy named Justice who, later in the story, convinces Zits to fire in a bank overflowing with all sorts of people. After being shot in the head, Zits is transported back in time to several different periods of American history.

Profiling people can cause a brick wall to be built between one another; a wall that cannot easily be knocked down. The person that is doing the profiling has to take the bricks down one-by-one as if each brick reveals information, beyond physical appearance. Once the wall is down a transparent window forms with a beautiful view. There is more to a person than their exterior and class, just like there is more to room then walls. When profiling someone, people do not look past the brick wall; they build it higher and higher. When someone takes the time to get to know someone else the wall comes downs; at that time, people get 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 “Flight Patterns,” Sherman Alexie shows that profiling can lead to the misinterpretation of who someone is.

The story “Flight Patterns” by Sherman Alexie features a Native American of the Spokane Indian Tribe that faces troubles with post 9/11 attacks. Alexie concentrates his story with remarks expressing the emotional feelings of the American view of people with a medium to dark complexion. Alexie brings contrast between two worlds. William, the main character, demonstrates the American view of people who are perceived as a terrorist. Then, Fedaku, William’s taxi driver, whom demonstrates the view of a foreigner with a different life.

When one considers 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 nationality 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 Alexie 's short story, “Flight Patterns.” William Loman is a man struggling with his identity not only as a husband and father, but also as a member of the Spokane Nation, the American Nation, and greater humanity.

After having to read about a novel by Sherman Alexie I have come to conclusion that the novel is a really good book. The book evolves around a character named Zits and how he is living his life at the moment. His name is Zits which helps him define himself as a person in the beginning of the book “I’m ashamed of being fifteen years old. And being tall. And skinny. And ugly” (Alexie 4). By the end of the story he realized why his father had left him at a young age and the crime he was going to do was not only going to affect him, but other people as well.

In the book Flight, by Sherman Alexie, aggressive teen Michael finds his identity. This angry 15 year old not only hates the world, but he also hates his worst features - like his acne. Michael's zits symbolise the worst parts of himself and his life. Many times throughout the book, he states his feelings about the acne. Michael says that his “… zit-shame is killing me.” When talking about his father, he mentions that he “… inherited his ruined complexion…” These statements show how much Michael hated his zits – and how much he hated his father for giving them to him, among other reasons. For example, Zits, as the character called himself, also hated his father's alcoholism. Michael's father left him “around two minutes after I was born.” As

The novel “Flight” was a very interesting story about a young boy who seems to be lost in life and has an identity crisis which leads him down the wrong path and makes the poor decision to shoot up a bank. To have the boy come to the conclusion what he was doing was wrong Sherman Alexie sends him to different places and times to show teach him something more, almost like the Scrooge and the many ghosts he encounters in “A Christmas Carol”. I will discuss a few of his “flights” analyzing each flight and his journey from Zits to Michael through emotional encounters and tough lessons.