This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona by Sherman Alexie

It is inevitable that we will all die it is a fact that everyone must come to terms with. There comes a time in everyone’s life that they must face death; a friend’s tragic accident, a family member’s passing or their own battles with diseases. When faced with the idea of death people will act in different ways some may find it therapeutic to apologize for the negative they have done, some may want to spend time with loved ones to ease the future pain, and others may decide that their life was not what they believed. The story Death Constant Beyond Love tells us about a man named Senator Sanchez who is living a happy life with his wife and five kids. That is until he is told by doctors that he only has a short time to live. Death is

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time.” (Mark Twain). This quote from the famous American writer is the basis for what became one of the hardest ideas to comprehend, death. Death has always been a complex term, causing one to struggle with what the true definition is. It is also hard to wrap your mind around what does it truly mean to die. These are the questions we long for the answer. Whether we acknowledge it or not, death has always been feared by many. Death remains an impossible question, one that has been unexplained since beginning of time. Even though dying is a natural, we as a human race still fear it. What can be done to defeat this never-ending battle? According to Montaigne’s “To Philosophize is to Learn to Die” and Cory Taylor’s “Questions for Me About Dying” we can overcome this by living to the fullest, living with no regrets, living a legacy, and lastly not fearing the inevitable. If you want to conquer the question of life, live in the moment.

You’ve probably heard the old saying. “Only two things in life are certain: death and taxes” It’s true: at some point, we all will die. Although you may think death is an unpleasant subject, it is something that everybody must cope with. People are different all over the world, but death is one thing that everyone has in common. ( Stair, choosing a career in mortuary science and the funeral industry 6)

Benjamin Franklin once said, “In this world nothing can be certain, expect death and taxes”. (www.brainyquote.com). Death is something a lot of people are scared of, even though it a natural life cycle and it happens to everyone and everything. Everybody agrees death happens, but not everyone agrees what happens after death. Different people have different views of what happens after death, but one thing they all agree on is that it happens to everybody and there is no way around it, you don’t know when or where it’ll happen but it will always happen.

In the story, “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” by Sherman Alexie the two main characters are Victor and Thomas Builds-the-Fire. The story is about Victor and Thomas who are childhood best friends that went on a trip from their reservation to Phoenix, Arizona to collect Victor father’s savings account. Throughout the trip, they experience many flashbacks of when they were friends such as when Victor stepped into a wasp nest. The character I choose to analyze is Thomas Builds-the-Fire. Thomas Builds-the-Fire is a storyteller. Even though the Native American culture is dying, Thomas Builds-the-Fire still values the culture and helps

Death is something that people must deal with every day in our world, and there are several aspects of death that sometimes the living do not consider. For example, how does one celebrate or remember passed loved ones? What happens to you when you die? How would you like to be remembered? There are multiple ways to answer these questions, and examining differing points of view can be enlightening.

Alexie Sherman uses a narrative point of view in his short story "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” . Clearly identifiable as the narrator, Sherman uses third-person limited narration to tell the story. Although Sherman can observe all his characters, the knowledge that he shares with readers is limited or confined to the inner thoughts, opinions, and perspectives of the main character Victor. Through this technique, the reader learns about the life and personality of Victor through his own words; his past and current interactions and reminiscences; and, his observations of others.

“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss in life is what dies inside us while we live.” -Norman Cousins

When it comes to death the typical person is not that knowledgeable about or understanding of death. People are very scared when the topic of death arises. We all want to live forever with no fear of having to explore the aspect of us dying and having to plan a funeral or their own funeral. Death is never an openly discussed topic. With death and dealing with it we are lucky to have the book Final Gifts by Callanan and Kelley. They have provided a ton of information to help us to grow strong and at ease with the area of death. I will tell my feelings on the book and how it has impacted me.

In short story “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” by Sherman Alexie, characterization and symbolism played major roles to make the story appealing to the readers’ hearts. The author does well by creating two opposite characters and making them work together. Victor and Thomas are two characters that have a bit of a stranded past that seems to linger into their present relationship together.  The two don’t seem to get along very well at all during the first part of their journey but as they progress towards Phoenix Arizona storytelling; the thing that at first seemed to tear them apart was able to bring them together.  The element of storytelling evolves and these changes enable the characters to move from the memories and pain

“Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” -Norman Cousins

People die everyday all over the world. In United States, people use hundreds of different words to describe death. Generally, people that grow up in the United States tend to view death as a taboo subject and are seen as a topic that should be kept behind closed doors and contracted with an individual or family. A belief system that so many individuals hold to be true has been shaped over the past century. In this culture, death has become something that is enormously feared and as a result, some people stop living their lives to his or her highest potential because of their fear of dying. The effect that death has pertains to individuals of all ages, gender and ethnicities. But unfortunately, how death is viewed it has become more and

Death has a ripple effect. Having a loved character in die when in desperate times, is what The Outsiders by S.E.Hinton, and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck both prove this point from some of their main characters. Sadness, loneliness, and desperation connect all of these deaths together because it is something they all share. Guns are a symbol in these books that represents trouble for ones without them. The characters in both books primarily die from getting shot or acting gallant. A few of the deaths came from saving lives or standing up for themselves, but the deaths that came from others being killed are truly the most sorrowful ones. Dally, George’s heart, Bob, Curley’s wife, Johnny, and Lennie are the ones who died in these books

Death is a very controversial subject. Many argue that it is a terrible phenomenon in life, while others argue for its necessity. One kind of death, however, most would argue against. The death of a child. Something so dreaded it has become a sort of taboo to Western society. Death is a very curious thing, it may take some, while it leaves others. Sometimes it can be surprising, while other times expected. While death may be one of the most inexplicable and confusing phenomena that our world has to offer, there is one certainty, and that is that death is inevitable. As a child, I always knew this to be fact, though I never really saw the effects of it, until I was

My family talks about how they would want their funerals, tombstones, and what could happen after death. My mother has learned that it is important to discuss this subject extremely open because, she has learned that everyday may be your last. In the book, Tuesdays With Morrie, Morrie chats with Mitch about a little bird on everybody’s shoulders asking, “is today your last day on earth?” (eighty-one). Nobody knows what day will be their last day on Earth but, making sure our family knows what to do when that day comes is vitally