This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona Stereotypes...

â€Å"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 â€Å"good† Native American, Victor comes across as the â€Å"bad† Native American. Through the use of this binary relationship, Alexie is able to illustrate the transformation of these characters as†¦show more content†¦Here, by talking about the â€Å"wind,† â€Å"birds,†and â€Å"sunlight,† Alexie plays on the stereotype that Indians are nature-oriented (Alexie). Stereotypes are shown in the story through the binary depictions of Victor and Thomas Builds-the-Fire. The most important binary that is emphasized by Alexie is the stereotypes that Victor is â€Å"bad,†while Thomas is good. Victor is portrayed as the negative views of Indians. â€Å"Victor was really drunk and beat up Thomas up for no reason at all† (Alexie). In this situation, Victor is shown as the typical drunk Native American. Other stereotypes that are presented by Victor are that Indians are lazy when he fails to be persistent to try to get more money to get to Phoenix. When Victor beats up Thomas as a teenager, this depicts Victor as the bloody savage. Thomas Builds-the-fire, on the other hand, is portrayed as the more positive view of Native Americans. The romantic portrayals of Native Americans include the idea that they are noble savages. Indians are characterized as gentle and connected to the world. For example, instead of being captured as a bloody savag e as Victor, Thomas is seen as the noble savage as he appears to be more connected with the environment and nature. Being connected with the nature and the world shows that Thomas-Builds-the-Fire is is not a selfish person. Also, instead of being viewed as lazy, Thomas Builds-the-Fire appears as diligent. This is because Thomas continued toShow MoreRelatedIntercultural Competence Worksheet Essay1151 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿University of Phoenix Material Intercultural Competence Worksheet Part 1: Short Paragraph Instructions: Respond to each question below with at least 150 words, using complete sentences. Additionally, include an example from the reading materials that supports your position. 1. What does â€Å"intercultural† communication mean to you? Intercultural communication to me means many things. 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