The Film Smoke Signals

Cinema Novo & Influences of it on this Film When one looks at this films aesthetic, it showcases itself to be heavily influences by other world cinemas. Although this film came some thirty years or so after the end of the cinema novo movement it does draw certain parallels with it. Such as it’s underlying tone for the want of social equality, a strong characteristic of this cinema, it can be seen many times throughout the films entirety. Case in point, when the character of Benny befriends and gives money to the middle class Tiago, to purchase him clothing.

In Sherman Alexie’s short stories (and poems), there usually three central themes that the story rotates. In this paper, I will be exploring how he (Alexie) explores the themes losing culture, a cycle of regret, and using drugs (mainly alcohol) to escape. In Indian Education, the short story, Alexie seems to show that whenever young Victor tries to express himself through his culture, he is punished. Take the section “First Grade” for example. In first grade, Junior (the main character and narrator) says that “The little warrior in me roared to life that day..” and makes comparisons to traditional Native American warriors, such as describing the brusies on the other boy’s face as “war paint” or how Junior chants “it’s a good day to die”, which is phrase typically associated with Crazy Horse, who was a Native American chief.

Conjuring Compatibility Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse and George Orwell’s 1984 display inherently similar themes despite differing vastly in context and story. Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese follows Saul Indian Horse on his journey of back-tracking into his past to heal himself. George Orwell’s 1984 follows Winston Smith, a man who struggles to cope with his desires to live freely in the totalitarian superstate of Oceania. Both Saul Indian Horse and Winston Smith use writing to survive in life, while authors, Richard Wagamese and George Orwell, use imagery to convey their protagonists’ emotional states to readers. However, the St. Jerome’s children in Indian Horse are innocent victims who suffer from threats, illness or suicide, whereas the children of 1984 are brainwashed government agents who carry out their government’s regime.

Once set off in the expectation of creating a quicker route to India by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, Christopher had reached a land that was thought to be the lands of India. Once arriving to the shores, he and his crew kept journals of their thoughts and observations about the new lands. Books containing collections of journal entries and other additions, such as Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen, really reveal the frightening foreshadowing of the explorer’s plans. “He ended his description of them with these menacing words: "I could conquer the whole of them with fifty men and govern them as I pleased." (Loewen 1).

The Role of Friendship and Its Effecting Nature Sherman Alexie’s Short Story “This Is What It Means to Say, Phoenix, Arizona” and the movie made about the short story, Smoke Signals, bring an insight to what life was like living on Indian reservation and what Indians like Thomas Builds the Fire and Victor had to go through. How does the role of friendship in the short story “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix Arizona?” and in the movie Smoke Signals work and how does it develop the way the story and movie go. The role of friendship in the short story comes into play when Thomas talks about ‘how he can lend Victor the money he needs but he must take Thomas with him and Victor says, “I can’t take your money I haven’t hardly talked to you in years and we’re not really friends Thomas says I didn’t say we were friends I said you just have to take me with you Victor says let me think about it” (875).

By the end of his "flights", Zits has discovered himself and other things that help him in the future. Throughout the novel, Zits learned more and more about himself and how his behavior and actions define his identity more than his race as he endured his "flights" through the identities of others. Zits ' first flight was in the body of an FBI agent that is involved in Native American history named Hank. Hank 's partner was talking bad about Native Americans and Zits thinks, "I wonder what this racist FBI man would do if he knew his partner was really a half-breed Indian.

He owned slaves, participated in slave raids and military expeditions. Bartolome eventually gave up his claims on his Indian serfs and went on several voyages to Spain hoping to find new towns where the Spaniards and Indians would be able to live together peacefully and in equality. Bartolome de Las Casas became a driving force behind the passage in 1542 of laws prohibiting Indian slavery and safeguarding the rights of the Indians. He devoted the rest of his life to speaking and writing on behalf of the Indians (Casas, 1542). Andrew Jackson was an American statesman and had been in the militia.

Similarly, “Naturalization” by Jenny Xie is the story of a family who recently immigrated to America going through gauntlet of assimilation. In this paper I am going to analyze, discuss, compare and contrast the authors attitudes towards their parents according to perseverance paternalism and passivity with society. In Martin Espada’s “The Sign in My Father’s Hands” the central theme to the poem is social justice. His father is fighting for equal employment opportunities.

The time of Manifest Destiny was a time of true American brotherhood and comradeship. With Andrew Jackson and James K. Polk being the leading presidents of the cause during this time, it not only led to continental expansion but homicide as well. While the Americans believed they were expanding into free land, Native Americans had already settled the land centuries earlier. This led to the dark side of Manifest Destiny. Native Americans were forced to pick up their homes and resettle in areas that were less than sufficient to meet their basic needs.

Alexie does a good job depicting the life of his people through the realness of his writing from the alcoholism to the relationships on his reservations. Although the story uses Pathos to create relationships and Logos to describe his Native culture, “This is What it Means to Say Phoenix Arizona” is filled with Ethos which allows the audience to engage and relate with the content easily. The story begins with the disheartening news of the main character, Victor 's fathers ' death. At just a young age Victor 's father left him and his mother to Arizona where he ultimately died.

As he grows up he has no choice but to identify himself as an American because of the way that the country was changing. The Ottawas slowly became involved with the American government as they signed more and more treaties. “March 28th, 1836, a treaty was signed at Washington, not with the free will of the Indians, but by compulsion” (Blackbird 23). From this statement it can be assumed that Blackbird is not happy with how the Indians are treated even though they are Americans themselves. Blackbird also describes in his book the intermingling of white culture into his tribe through weapons, liquor, and language.

Columbian Exchange The most important historical impact of the Columbian Exchange is human because they are the first to form settlement on the native land. According to Mr. Johnson 's history slide shows Columbus sailing from Spain wanting to trade with India, however traveled to another route instead. Once he arrived to the new land he greeted with the indian tribe and convince them to trade with him.

Pathos is another significant element in the film. Guggenheim shows pathos throughout by including Gores tragic life stories, word choice, and his various analogies. Guggenheim brings pathos into the film when Gore starts talking about his six-year-old son who was hit by a car chasing his friend across the street (25:50). This scene in the film allows the audience to feel sympathy towards Gore and allows the audience relate to Gore as some of the audience maybe parents. Gore then relates this story back to global warming by tying it in with how it changed everything in his life and he learned what was important to him.

Whitely, Peter, 2002, Ties that Bind: Hopi Gift Culture and its First Encounter with the United States The Hopi people had a unique culture of their own. They tried to fight against the Hispanics who tried to take their land and also tried to make peace with president. I am going to talk about who the Hopi are and where they live, the gender roles between men and women, and the Hopi’s idea of gifts.

The book “Dragonwings By Laurence Yep” that in the beginning that there’s a boy named “Moon Shadow” and he lived in the Middle Kingdom,and he lived with his mother, and he explains how his lifestyle in the Middle Kingdom. His mother and grandmother tells him about his grandfather and how he got lynched by white people or which in the case they call them “demons” after that incident,and that’s why the don’t talk about it that much, plus that his father in America to pursue his dream. In The Middle Kingdom a person named “HandClap” and he requested that Moon Shadow could go could to “Land of the Golden Mountain” after some disscussion that Moon Shadow did indeed go to the “Land of the Golden Mountain.” In “Land of the Golden Mountain” Hand Clap