Sherman Alexie's Iowa Review Interview

Alexie starts the interview off a little timid. he then loosens up and for the rest of the interview he seems to be open. He is definitely a funny guy, who enjoys writing and giving an accurate perception of Native Americans.

I thought that it was interesting how he thought about Indians and nature. he says that because of literature written by whites, people believe that nature is Native American literature. In reality it has nothing to do with the day to day life of Indians. And because of the constant connecting the two together is have become less useful.

Ending the interview he makes it known that he is still connected to his Indian roots even though he has branched out from the reservation. He is still in contact with his family and still witnesses the injustices of Indians.

This was a great and very informative interview.

Sherman Alexie's "This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona"

Victor and Thomas are two Indians living on a reservation. They were childhood friends or should I say they just grew up together. Victor's father moved from the reservation and ended up dieing a horrible death in his trailer in Phoenix. So Victor and Thomas traveled together to get his ashes to bring back to the reservation and also claim the cash that his father had in the bank. Victor didn't really want to be involved with Thomas because of his reputation in the reservation as the story teller that no one wanted to be involved with but because he had the money to fund the trip, he took him along. This sadden me because he was looked upon as different and was hurt a lot because of his gift.

They both ended up returning back with the ashes and returned to their regular lives, not being friends even though Thomas did seem friendship worthy.

Erdrich : Fleur

In this story it was said that Fleur was wed to a waterman named Misshepeshu. There had been so much gossip/talk about her that she moved from her hometown. After leaving her home she ends up working in a Butcher's shop with four men and a young girl. The men in the Butcher's shop were amazed with her talent in playing cards. The men were so fascinated that they didn't even notice her strange features, like the fact that she wore this green dress that clung to her, her sharp teeth, and the fact that she was missing some toes.

Once she defeated the men in a game of cards they went after her the following morning. During the mist of a tornado all four men end up missing, and mysteriously after hiding Fleur is alive and all four men are found dead. It mentions that after her survival of the tornado she was found living at Lake Turcot with her son, who was described as having penny color skin and blue eyes.

Of course the people in the town wondered/questioned who fathered her son. Fleur, who never let told the secret of her father child, continued to let everyone wonder about her and her child.

This was a weird reading. a few questions came top mind as I read.

Was she possessed with some kind of spirit /powers? Was she a witch ?Why was she so strange (with sharp teeth/missing teeth)? It seemed as if she like to be isolated from people and didn't have much to do with a lot of people as if she was loner .

Poems by Wendy Rose

The poems by Wendy Rose were a little difficult to fully understand. i feel like she really went in-depth in expressing her innermost feeling, and I believe to really understand her concept you have to image /put yourself in her position. The last one I read "For the White Poets Who Would be Indian" reminds me of "Notes to a Culture Vulture." Again the concept of whites wanting the knowledge of Native Americans to succeed at being a "well-known" writer /poet comes up again. Her last few lines ties up the whites seeking Native Americans roots for their benefits.

"You think of us only when your voices want for roots, when you have sat back on your heels and become primitive. You finish your poem and go back."

This is true! Once they got what they accomplished what they wanted they (whites) went back to living their normal lives as white Americans.

"Truganinny"

In this poem Wendy Rose writes about an elderly Australian women. Throughout her life she had witnessed many of her (last) people die. She feels that her time is nearing here on Earth and during her last days wants to be at peace. She feels in order to obtain this peace she must be at sea or in the outback. I can only image the pain she endured. Not only did she, but many other elderly Native Americans witness their people die right in front of their eyes. The hardship and suffering they witnessed will forever be remembered. If I was faced with this type of humiliation I too would be ready for a peaceful death.

Crimes Against Humanity

After reading Crimes Against Humanity I realized that Native Americans were demoralized and made fun of just because of some else's ignorance. It was shock to read about the multiple names of teams and schools that were named after or referring to Native Americans. No other race has the right to single out another. If one does not know much of anything about them then they shouldn't talk about who they are or what they really represent. If we do so we are lowing our standards and feeding into stereotypes as well. It sad how these young individuals were taking from their homes in an attempt to be made more like "Americans". I can only image they pain they endured. It's a disgrace to society and the last few sentences couldn't have summed it up any better. ...

"Know that it causes real pain and real suffering to real people. Know that it threatens our very survival. And know that this is just as much a crime against humanity as anything the Nazis ever did. It is likely the indigenous people of the United States will never demand that those guilty of such criminal activity be punished for their deeds. But the least we have to expect-indeed to demand is that such practices finally be brought to a halt. "

How to Write the Great American Indian Novel

In this poem Alexie talks about the depictions regarding both Native Americans and Whites. He starts off by talking about the physical features that all Indians must have. He then goes on to discuss how the hero is viewed. Alexie makes the statement that he will be half-breed,half white, and India from a horse culture.

He suggest that the Indian women are depicted as being beautiful and physically fit and all the white men are in love with her. Further on he talks about Native Americans having secrets and how they are slowly revealed. He mentions many other stereotypes that have been given to Indian men. Like the fact that all of them are storms who destroy the lives of all white women who choose to love them.

These are among the few stereotypes given by Alexie that one should notice when writing about Native Americans novels. Native Americans have been depicted as being/doing such things that this is all one knows when they write or make a movie about Native Americans. I agree with Alexie statement In the Great American Indian Novel, when it is written, all the whites will be Indians and all the Indians will be ghosts. This is true knowing that whites took everything they owned including their identity , made it their own, and left them with nothing as if they never existed.

Notes to a Cultue Vulture

In this poem Louis talks about Whites noticing Native Americans connection to the Earth making them want to be more like them, and in doing so they went on to do research in an attempt to acquire knowledge about these individuals striving to become well-known writers. I agree with Louis, whites did not want to be labeled as an Indian but at the same time they wanted to pretend they knew of the life /culture of Native Americans.

Cowboy: The New Yorker

This reading was quite interesting. It told the story of a cowboy who worked with this old man and his sister on a ranch. The two eventually develop a relationship as they tended the land and horses daily. The cowboy eventually opened up and told the old man how he ended up on the ranch. He had been paroled out of jail for robbing and shooting a store owner. Tragedy approaches and the old man becomes ill, so ill to the point where he could no longer remember who the cowboy was. Sad to say , but this was the end of their relationship. Authorities came in and kicked the cowboy off the land and used it for their benefit. Unfortunately, the cowboy was forced to leave and find work else where.

I felt sympathy for the cowboy, because even though he had done wrong in the past he was willing to make a change to better himself. We have all made mistakes and did things in our past that we are not proud of. Did he miss his opportunity to do so while on the ranch with the old man ? I hope not because everyone deserve a second chance in life.

Brokeback Mountain

This reading was about two guys who would meet up during the summer to look after sheep. During this time Jack and Ennis become very close to each other. After being together for a long period of time they soon became intimate and continued to have this intimate relationship. As the end of the summer approached they went their separate ways. The two both got married and had children.

Four years later the two reunited and embraced each other with love as they kissed and caressed one another. This was very suspicious for Ennis wife as she watched their behavior. Even though the two finally reunited they were still fighting to see each other because of the treatment they would face from others in society. One day Ennis comes to finds out that Jack had been killed in a MVA and was cremated. This was extremely depressing /heartbreaking. Ennis went to Jacks parents to get his ashes, so that he could spread them across Brokeback mountain, and they would not let him have them. Ennis discovers that Jacks was not involved a "accident" his suspense was that he was murdered for being a homosexual.

It sad that these individuals cannot live a peaceful open life in this world, but at the same time it's just not seen as a norm in society and most important of all it's an abomination against Christ!