Salazar 1 Rebekah Salazar Mr.

Newman English 101: Rhetoric 5 November 2013 Caught in the Act: Stereotyping

In my home, the scene where my mother is cooking dinner while my father watches the latest football game on TV and my siblings are scattered around the house searching for what might take away the boredom they feel, is not far off from other American homes. Life at this point in time creates a sense of comfort that no overpriced couch or massage chair can beat. Americans are so comfortable with the ways of stereotype that it comes so quickly to apply in their daily lives. Flight Patterns a short story by Sherman Alexie explains a certain moment in the main character Williamss life as he makes his way to the airport in a taxi cab. For the most part the message is clear that William has set himself up for a very uncomfortable ride as he exchanges conversation with the driver and listens to his questionable story. The seemingly insignificant moment where William recognizes his ownership of a twenty-first-century American mind (49) is proven to be a much larger aspect of stereotypes in the story as a whole, particularly as it relates to Americans. When Alexie mentions the 21st century mind he defies that as the way Americans have taken over their own stereotyping qualities like being afraid of strangers and being selfish for what they have. In the text, we discover Williams selfish ways in a matter that transfers his feelings toward his family and life. Alexie states on behalf of William that more than anything,

Salazar 2 he wanted to stay home with his fair and decent family, and continued to suppose that he would rather want the world to be fairer and more decent to his family (35). Here we can notice that William intentionally stands up for his family without noticing how selfish he really is about them. He exclusively sets aside his family from others when he directly mentions that his family is much more important and that they should be treated better. The message comes across that William couldve desired better treatment amongst all families in general instead of choosing to single out his own family as if they were the only ones in need of anything.

William continues to set his personal desires as his priority, but he shows them in a different light. Possibly without noticing, William admits to being a materialistic American when he shares a conversation with Fekadu, the taxi driver. Fekadu questions William with a well thought out strategy by complimenting on his attire first so that it would lead to Williams responses on being a businessman who makes a lot of money and has a big and beautiful home to share with his beautiful wife and daughter (55). As a reader its safe to conclude that financially struggling is a term that doesnt apply to Williams lifestyle. The fact that William admits to being a successful businessman with a home he can brag about is enough support to make the conclusion that he can be considered a typical materialistic American. Not only does he completely overlook the deeper truth in his responses, but he shares his personal answers with a stranger he just met. Ironically, the taxi drivers physical appearance connects to yet another proven stereotype in Williams life. For the most part William assures one thing to be true, that he was afraid of flying but not of terrorists (52). The statement itself doesnt prove much beyond a questionable proclamation on his behalf. William intends to back up his belief by stating that terrorists armed

Salazar 3 with a box cutter would be torn to pieces by all of the coach-class passengers and fed to the firstclass upgrades (52). This gives sufficient information to back up Williams belief of America continuing to be the most powerful country even after attacks like 9/11. Even as a reader, this statement is from the truth; almost any person can rationalize that assured protection does not exist under the power of any country. We receive more detail on the subject when William confesses he always scanned the airports and for little brown guys who reeked of fundamentalism (52). William is trying to convince himself of dishonest conclusions when in reality he knows the real truth on his classification as a racist American.

Home is known to be a place to comfort the people living within those four walls. Just like we can find comfort under the roof of our home, we too find comfort in the traditional ways of our nation. Because Americans easily guarantee American stereotypes to be true, it has grown so typical in many lives, including Williams. Although he is very much aware that his country has influenced his twenty-first century mind, he has shown this to be a greater matter than meaningless words in the moment. As an American myself, I find it difficult not to fall into the traditions of America too. However, its safe to say Im more aware than William of his stereotypical ways.

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Work Cited

Alexie, Sherman. "Flight Patterns." 2003. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Alison Booth, J. Paul Hunter, and Kelly J. Mays. 9th ed. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2005. 49-61. Print.

Rubric for Literary Analysis Purpose (33): Successful (A+ thru B): Demonstrates a superior understanding of Flight Patterns in that you analyze and not just summarize the story Shows a complex understanding of the Critical Lens/ Lit Device/Moment concept/Area of Interest

Genre (33): Successful (A+ thru B): Contains a thesis in the last sentence of the intro that effectively captures your argument Includes well-chosen support from throughout the text that supplements the thesis Analysis is academic in nature

Design/Layout (20): Successful (A+ thru B): Uses MLA format to skillfully weave quotes and paraphrases into the text Uses a 12-point, Times New Roman font with a double-spaced page Includes a creative title, appropriately placed headers, heading, and page numbers Includes a Works Cited page that accurately lists the text(s) used

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Audience (25): Successful (A+ thru B): Uses vocabulary appropriate for a college audience Assumes a level of intelligence and sophistication for the audience Grammar/spelling/punctuation should be appropriate for a college freshman

Stance (14): Successful (A+ thru B): Offers a convincing argument Includes a consistent tone that presents your perspective appropriately

Salazar Lit Analysis.mp3