Omniscient Point of View in “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona

This is a major reason why we should be giving them better land instead of money. The reservation land that the government has given to the Native Americans is holding them back to live their life to the fullest. The people there only live for about an average of 50 years while an average American lives for about 78 years, that’s at least 28 years taken away from them. On top of that, the Native Americans living there only make about $7,000 a year, which is barely enough to make a living. Hence, giving them better land would allow them to live for a longer period of time and have a chance to earn enough money to provide for themselves and

The book “This Is What It Mean to Say Phoenix, Arizona” by Sherman Alexie illustrate friendship and care with both friends then she goes deep into Native American belief and culture. The way she show it in the book is Thomas show that he still cared for Victor though of what his father was going through in life and still wanted to keep a stronger friendship bond. The relationship between Thomas Builds-the Fire and Victor is intriguing. The trait that Thomas has of constantly story-telling is how history is passed on in many cultures, especially in the Native American culture. Even though their relationship changed over the years, he is still the one that Victor takes with him to Phoenix. I think the fact that Thomas had the money to go was

It is clear that the Native American community has, for decades, been struggling with heavy doses of this problem. The fact that the poverty rate in these reservations is not even just minimally higher than the national rate, but the fact that they are three times as high, is quite alarming. Additionally, “from 2007 to 2011, only blacks (25.8 percent) and American Indians/Alaska Natives (27 percent) had poverty rates that exceeded the U.S. poverty rate of 14.3 percent by 10 percentage points or more” (Crenshaw, 2014). It should garner attention the fact that nearly half of the children in these reservations are possibly going to sleep hungry, or are lacking of essential items. It nearly half of children were living under such extreme forms of poverty anywhere else, it surely would be featured in the first block of news

From its birth, America was a place of inequality and privilege. Since Columbus 's arrival and up until present day, Native American tribes have been victim of white men 's persecution and tyranny. This was first expressed in the 1800’s, when Native Americans were driven off their land and forced to embark on the Trail of Tears, and again during the Western American- Indian War where white Americans massacred millions of Native Americans in hatred. Today, much of the Indian Territory that was once a refuge for Native Americans has since been taken over by white men, and the major tribes that once called these reservations home are all but gone. These events show the discrimination and oppression the Native Americans faced. They were, and continue to be, pushed onto reservations,

“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

Native Americans on the reservations are at socially and economically disadvantage compared to persons who reside in metropolitan cities. Life advancement opportunities and individual accountability for better living standards are almost non-existence in many Native American communities. The environment that is around young adolescents are very

Mexican Americans and American Indians have been traditionally more disadvantaged than other Americans in regards to income, and education (Mitz). According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau report, 21.5 percent of Mexican Americans and 25 percent of American Indians live at or below the poverty level (Health). However, both groups have been able to maintain a large majority of their traditions when compared to other Americans. Their traditions and culture can be seen through religious beliefs, value systems, cuisine, and economic structures (Healey). Despite over a century of powerful attempts to Americanize both Mexican Americans and American Indians, both groups have successfully been able to preserve their heritage and traditions.

Being historically marginalized in American, even today not much is being done to credit the Native Americans for their discovery of America. Over 30% of these Indians live below the poverty level

Native American poverty is a social problem in the United States. For historic, political, sociocultural, and economic reasons, this issue affects not only those impoverished but American society as a whole. The most impoverished Native American communities are frequently within the boundaries of reservations. The rates of unemployment, low wages, and infant mortality are among the highest in the country on several reservations. Disease, mental illness, alcoholism, and fetal alcohol syndrome are also prevalent within the Native American population. To improve these conditions, strategies should be put into place to build stable economies in the otherwise isolated reservations.

Marginalization refers to the exclusion of others (Neufeldt et. al., 1998, p. 479). In this context, marginalization refers to the detachment of Native Americans from mainstream America. To not abide by the rules of “the white man” has forced most Native Americans to permanently reside on reservations, or land where those who have tribal affiliation are able to practice tribal traditions (Perry, 2002, p 233). Living on reservations is very oppressive and not as favorable as it may sound. This is because reservations are not as rich in resources as other area of the U.S. Consequently, Native Americans do not have as many pathways to success as groups that reside in more suburban areas in the world. This lack of opportunities has contributed to the powerlessness of many Native Americans.

W.E.B Du Bois once stated “to be a poor man is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships” (qtd. in Rodgers 1). The Native American culture is often overlooked by many people in the United States today. What many people do not realize is that about twenty-five percent of Native Americans are living in poverty (Rodgers 1). A majority of the poverty among Native Americans is due to the United States breaking treaties that promised funds for their tribes. When non-Native Americans first began migrating to North America, the Indians were slowly having their land stripped away from them, and being pushed to live on small, poorly kept reservations. As well as taking

As with many races and ethnicities, Native Americans have had the front row seat in social injustices related to gender and race from the social institutions in the United States. Native Americans faced much discrimination along with other groups when it came to educational institutions and businesses. In education, many young children had lower math and writing skills leading to fewer high school diplomas (Sarche & Spicer, 2008). In labor, Native Americans had high unemployment rates and a lower labor force than the rest of the demographic population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006). They also have problems with poverty since more than twenty-five percent of this group live below the poverty line (U.S. Census Bureau, 2006). Additionally, there are high rates of violent victimization and contributing factors such as childhood trauma that lead to overall high deaths. A major contributing factor to these deaths is alcoholism which exceeds the US rates by seven times (Sarche & Spicer, 2008). Many of these statistics indicate great injustice. Furthermore, according to the Indian Health Services, American Indians have lower health and life expectancy when compared to the rest of America (2015). These staggering statistics point out some prevalent inequalities in modern social institutions that exist with Native Americans.

The reservations in which Native Americans live on are impoverished and and suffering more and more as days go by. Finding jobs is strenuous and trying to provide for families has proven to be even more of a challenge. These Native American communities are barely getting by financially. As shown in novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time

They live the same, only poorer, as the rest of America. I need people to know how the Americanization of the reservations has hurt the Native Americans. Their culture has been slowly pulled away from them since they were moved onto the reservations and it upsets me greatly. It is our duty as Americans to help these people as we would not be here if it was not for their ancestors. We cannot reverse this extreme culture loss, but we can respect and preserve what is

Living on the reservation you may be surrounded by your own people, but you can still live other places and have a better life. They can still ride bulls if they really want too. They would rather much prefer a real less risky job out in the business world. The indians really get tortured even though they were promise land for their people. They are cut and striped of all the modern day necessities. Just for water they have to race to a well just to get water, if some don't make it their lucked out.