Sherman Alexie 's Flight - Flight

Plenty of teenagers read books every day for entertainment and for school. But they don’t just read for amusement or that they need it for their classwork, they read because it is what they go to when things turn rough. Like what people said, books are a powerful thing, it can be hopeful and scary. Sherman Alexie is a wonderful writer, poet, and has published plenty of novels and short stories. Sherman Alexie’s purpose of writing is to give teenagers hope that things would work out alright, although it might be rough from time to time, and he also uses humor to entertain his readers. He provides teenagers things that they can relate to, and he addresses many crucial issues in his works. He uses numerous amount of stylistic techniques in his

A child’s journey to adulthood usually involves relatively small events, such as getting a driver's license or going to college. In the short story “Flight” by John Steinbeck, however, the main character Pepe’s transition is far more intense. Although he initially displays enough maturity to be sent off into town by himself, his independence is short lived. Once in town, a disappointing lack of self control swiftly leads to his downfall. He decides that he must kill a man to defend his name, and is forced to run for his life in order to escape the law. As Pepe goes on this journey, the theme of growth and maturation is conveyed through Steinbeck’s uses symbolic objects in Pepe’s life. The conflict with society that

In the book flight we follow a character that blames everything on the world. He gets mad at everyone and attacks people all the time using verbal threats or physical threats. Zits is believing in what he believes but in reality it's a very different story. Zits attempts to rob a bank because he thinks its the right thing to do at the world and doesn't care about what happens. When he thinks he gets shot in the head and dies he gets transported into different people in the past to see the emotions or the real events on what happen. It would then change his point of view in the world around him in the future.

The essay that I am writing stems from the short story by Sherman Alexie titled “Flight Patterns”. In this story it gives us some insight on even though people are subjected to discrimination, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

Violence is almost everywhere around the world. It is somewhat unavoidable in life. In the memoir A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, Ishmael experiences numerous severe and frightful demonstrations of violence in various ways. These cases of violence scar his life for quite a while, however there are some learning focuses that come extremely close to violence. A few things that stem from the effects of Ishmael's fierce encounters are, repulsiveness of memories, posttraumatic stress disorder and a loss of innocence.

Malcolm X once said, “To me, the thing that is worse than death is betrayal. You see, I could conceive death, but I could not conceive betrayal.” Betrayal is universal, and its effects can be ruinous. In his novel Flight, Sherman Alexie shows through Zits’ transformations that every human is capable of betrayal and that they have the tendency to hurt those who are the closest to them, which ruins their relationships. Additionally, he shows that betrayal is a cycle that has no solution except death.

Racism in America is like an epidemic that blinds society from common sense and brings out the cruelness and ruthlessness hidden within people. Since Alexie’s “Flight Patterns” takes place in a post 9/11 world, these cruelties are extremely prominent. Alexei uses this dramatic setting to distinctly point out the confining stereotypes that Americans have categorized minorities in. The main protagonist of this short story, William, is a Spokane Indian business man that is required to take many flights due to his job. Due to the recent events of 9/11, William is subjected to racist and cruel treatment. Whenever he takes a flight, there are always random pat-down searches. William said that he “figured he’d been pulled over for pat-down searches about 75 percent of the time” (Alexie, 60). This is due to the terrorism that had now become a new and fresh concern to the American people. William too finds himself also “looking around for suspicious brown guys” (63). This is ironic because according to the American society, he too is one of those suspicious brown guys. Another event, more cruel than a random pat-down that occurred to William took place soon after the events of 9/11. William explained that:

When I was in 7th grade, I learned to be religiously literate, through trusting God in hard times instead of being ‘medically literate’; I learned that letting go of things, and not letting my emotions take over at the wrong times, helped me to step up my faith. During 7th grade I had an experience that most people will never have or understand. I was great at hiding it externally, but internally, I was on my death bed. It all started with a physical, which, of course, was no big deal. Not until there appeared to be a big problem with my X-ray and I had to be referred to a spinal surgeon to double check my results. I ended up receiving a confirmation; I had scoliosis, and that there was nothing left to do, but wait for back surgery. Naturally,

Racism is something that is surrounding William yet he frowns upon it. This is very contradictory because, although he is so quick to clarify that he is Native American brown, not dangerous brown. William is self conscious about himself and does not want his color to define him, yet at the same time he claims he takes pride is his color. In “flight patterns” the story is told in the narrator’s point of view. This is important

Do people fly away to hide from others? In the narrative Flight by Sherman Alexie an Irish and Native American orphan named Zits confused and traumatized by his all his misfortunes is used by a boy named Justice to commit a horrendous mass murder. Afterwards, he is transported into a different bodies, experiencing different times and viewpoints of the world. By experiencing these different viewpoints, Zits is able to learn how to stop hiding himself from the world when he is hurt, lonely, or betrayed. Learning this Zits is impacted by the revelation which helps him reveal the theme of how to stop hiding and let those who appreciate and love him into his life.

Fear manipulates the life of a young boy named Amir to the point he has to seeks redemption for his bad deeds, forcing him to break his inner shell and to finally grow as a person in the realistic novel, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Amir was not born fearless. Trials and tribulations were inevitable for him to overcome this flaw in life. Opportunities were cut short and friends were lost because of this trait that he procrastinates to overcome. A prime example of fear manipulating Amir’s life is when his father neglected him as a child. He was not a bold kid like his best friend Hassan. That difference was disliked by Baba since he is a fearless man. Townspeople admired Baba’s bravery, but the only thing that Amir was seen as by Baba

When reading multiple stories from different authors it gives the reader a variety of opportunities to connect with the author’s. It helps the reader better understand what they are reading. I personally connected with two different authors’. My personal upbringing had a tremendous impact on mine, Joe Wilkins, and Sherman Alexie life. It has molded me into the person I am today, but has not limited me in the possibilities for the future.

Violence and war is notable throughout history. However, it is lazy to say that this proves humans are naturally violent. Rather than using nature as an excuse for those who chose to act violently it’s important we recognize that we have a choice to decide how we act. In Howard Zinn’s, “Violence and Human Nature” He shows that violence is not an instinct but that the environment in which they live in provokes them to act violently or peacefully depending on their choice (43). In City of God, a film concentrating on the gangs of Rio de Janeiro during the 1960’s to the 1980’s, specifically the township of Cidade de Deus, we are introduced to various characters who all make different choices under different motivations. Rocket, the little brother to a member of the Tender Trio, who are essentially the Robin Hood’s of the City of God, to act non-violently despite his environment and the influences around him.

Sherman 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, “Influences”, where he discusses the negative influences he faced with alcohol from his own parents. Sherman Alexie has had notable success as praised by Daniel Grassian, “…the picture of Alexie that emerges is one of a writer who is fiercely talented, intelligent, witty, and committed to helping readers understand contemporary Native

Violence is something that will always be there, whether it be right up in your face, on a battlefield, or creeping in the darkness, sowing the seeds of despair and resentment in humanity’s hearts, forever changing the landscape of your life to come. Violence has vigorously torn apart relationships that have lasted centuries, all because of a single gunshot, which has led to massive bloodshed, and the loss of many loved ones. Violence is a part of a cycle that is necessary in life, but would rather be avoided, which is why I am here, to help diminish that cycle of hatred, through the power of prevention through education, and self control.