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Need an argumentative essay on This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona by Sherman Alexie. Needs to be 5 pages. Please no plagiarism.They part ways and return to their individual lives. On first

Need an argumentative essay on This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona by Sherman Alexie. Needs to be 5 pages. Please no plagiarism.

They part ways and return to their individual lives. On first reading, this narrative appears to be a simple, straightforward account of a road-trip and a friendship. However, on further study, further layers of meaning emerge from under the surface. “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” is an in-depth exploration of the themes of identity and rebirth. Alexie uses powerful symbolism to convey the complex nuances of his story. “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” is a tale of rebirth, symbolized by the title, the ashes, the names, the boys’ friendship and Thomas’s stories.

The title, “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” is one of the most important symbols in the story. Phoenix is the place to which Victor’s father heads after deserting his family. The title conveys the vast geographical and spiritual space which separates Victor from his father: Victor has to bring his father “all the way back from Phoenix” (Alexie, 7). The father is obviously a loner in Phoenix, as his death is revealed only by the foul odor emanating from his trailer “after a week in hundred-degree temperatures before anyone found him” (Alexie, 13). The title is also a symbol of rebirth. The Phoenix is a mythical, eagle-like bird with shiny feathers of red, gold and purple. It is reputed to have a life-span of at least five hundred years. At the end of its life, the old bird flies to Heliopolis, or the ‘City of the Sun,’ in Egypt. It builds a nest on the top of the Temple of the Sun with cinnamon twigs and resin. Lying in this fragrant nest, it breathes its last. Ignited by the sun, the bird and the nest go up in flames. A new Phoenix emerges from the ashes. The Phoenix symbolizes immortality and rebirth (Shumaker). Victor is alienated from his father and has not “seen him in a few years” (Alexie, 7). However, the bonds

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