Wyatt Earp Paper

I've been thinking about what I could possibly write about. There are a few things that are present throughout the movie and also occurred alot throughout the West. The first idea was about how the movie did a really good job at portraying Wyatt Earp's life as a whole, instead of just showing his time in Tombstone and what happened at the legendary O.K. corral. The movie is very detailed and from what I have researched is fairly accurate.
The next idea was the theme of a family unit in the west. Wyatt kept his family at a higher standard than anyone else and would do anything for his family, even kill. That kind of bond is present in the movie and was present in Wyatt's life. His family moved together as a whole and stayed together. Everyone else were just strangers.

Wyatt Earp

With my presentation on Wyatt Earp its hard to tell what it is def. going to be about. The movie is basically a documentary in some ways about Wyatt's life. So possibly I could talk about how the movie portrays a person who was possibly one of the best lawmen in the west during the 19th century, but also how he was a devout pacifist. It is still up in the air, but it will be somewhat like that I guess.

The movie is very action packed, and with Doc Holliday around it adds some comic relief. Doc is dying of TB so he is constantly ready to die and looks as if he is on a constant alcohol binge.

Writing Topic

I think I'm gonna write about the idea of the Native American struggle against the white man and how it is portrayed throughout Smoke Signals. There were many instances where Victor and Thomas came across white people, and they often acted differentely towards them than you see them act towards other Natives. But that is just an idea. I think that is a pretty stable idea and it happens more than once in Smoke Signals

Iowa Interview

I really enjoy reading/watching things associated with Sherman Alexie. He is a brilliant minded guy and it shows greatly in his writings. In this interview there were many things that really caught my interest. I thought it was sort of ironic when he was talking about Natives and the idea of environmentalism. It is very strereotypical to think of Natives as "one with nature" or something along those lines, but hearing the idea of a Native American littering is often thought of as farfetched. Alexie's views on the matter shed a little reality to this common stereotype. I really love Alexie's views of white men in comparison to Natives. Overall the interview was interesting, and just adds more to the persona I would expect of Sherman Alexie.

Native American Movies

This article was full of information. I didn't know half the stuff it says about the Native American film industry. One thing I found rather funny is when they said that the guy who played Geronimo had to put on make-up so he would look more like a white man, and less like a Native American.

It is evident that Smoke Signals is a historical breakthrough in Native cinema. I found it interesting how the whole movie was directed, written, and everything else by Natives. And it's a good movie so far. The article mentioned the acting roles being a little thin and not up to par, but I don't see why they should be, or why they should be like any roles played by any other ethnicities. I think that the actors/characters acting roles are up to interpretation and judgement by the person watching the film. Since every viewer is different, they may like great actors, they may like people who aren't the greatest actors.

With the release of the movie I think people who see the movie won't view Natives with war paint and feather headresses. They see the real aspect of Native life on the reservation and beyond it's borders.

Phoenix, Arizona/ Sherman Alexie

This story has been my favorite story we've read for this class so far. The story kept me interested, and it was so easy to read that I sort of wish there was more to it. I like how Alexie put in brief instances from these guys past in between the guys journey to Phoenix.

The story has a somewhat sad tone, but throughout there is alot of satire, and it adds a comical sense to the story. I found it sad how in the end the guys acted like they couldn't be comrades anymore, like they were when they were younger. Overall, it was a really good story, and I look forward to seeing more stories like this from Alexie.

Fleur

The story about the woman Fleur was somewhat confusing at parts, but still a good story. I like how in the beginning and throughout the story there is a sense of mysticism related to this girl. In the beginning people who associate with her mysteriously die and there is a sense of superstition. I think it is sort of ludicrous, but people in the story kept their distance. The question of her baby's daddy is interesting. The story doesn't give you closure, but you can somewhat assume what happened, but it is still open for interepretation.

The story is very detailed, and I'm glad it is. If the story contained less detail I wouldn't want to read. The imagery helps you get a vivid sense of the story and these details help you create the scenarios in your mind when reading. After reading the end of the story you are left with the same amount of mystery about Fleur as you are presented with in the beginning, and that is what I liked about the story.