Slow Dancing with Skeletons Essay -- Literary Analysis, Jerome Denucci

What role do memories serve? How do a person’s dreams influence the decisions he must make in life? What are in the messages that people receive from their inner voices? In â€Å"Slow Dancing with Skeletons,† Jerome Denuccio writes that one of Sherman Alexie’s characters, Thomas Builds-the-Fire observes, â€Å"Your past is a skeleton walking one step behind you, and your future is a skeleton walking one step in front of you†¦ these skeletons are made up of memories, dreams and voices.† (280). This passage interpreted could allude to the fact that a person’s dreams and memories will always be there for him, whether times are good or bad. These skeletons become a part of the human trinity, and unable to be extracted from considerations and decisions made with each step taken. Additionally, Alexie is saying that what happens in the past ultimately stays in the past; there is no altering what has already occurred. The use of memories, dreams , and voices are intricate and influential in allowing readers to understand the minds and motives of Alexie’s dynamic characters. â€Å"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,† centers on the death of Victor’s estranged father in Phoenix, and Victor’s attempt to recover the ashes and meager fortune that lies there. Moreover, the story builds on the memories that Victor and Thomas recollect as they journey to and from Arizona. At one point, Thomas recalls a dream that he has at the age of thirteen; the voices and visions in his dream summon him to travel to Spokane Falls over fifty miles away to wait for a sign. He expects to see a vision at the falls, but only encounters Victor’s father who feeds him and takes him back home. The memories, dreams and voices Thomas has are important, because the... ...ation of the old-world Indian with a more updated identity of a Neo Native American. In another instance, Junior recalls a time when Norma and he are sitting in the Powwow Tavern and Victor comes in drunk yelling, â€Å"’Somebody out in the parking lot kept saying powwow. And you know how I love a good goddamn powwow.’† (270). This memory is crucial, because it humorously depicts the importance of alcoholism and the damaging tolls it takes on the reservation. The constant drinking on the reservation also has a detrimental effect on the traditions and culture of the Native Americans. These Indians, so consumed with their drinking, lose all sense of themselves and their traditions. All of Alexie's characters are continually searching for the right way to balance their skeletons. The Native Americans of the Spokane Indian Reservation live in a world of lost dreams.

City road

Drawing on what you have learned from the Making Social Lives DVD and Learning Companion 1, describe some inequalities on City Road. Contemporary Brutal over the last fifty years has come to welcome a wide and diverse community made up of nationalities, races and religions, none more so, as seen on City Road in Cardiff.This particular street is featured in the Making Social Lives DVD and Learning Companion 1 (LLC), from which it is evident that there are noticeable differences and inequalities within the community. These being; monopolizing of high street shops, secondly local businesses effected by community arrives and thirdly, a sense of security within the community. What follows will attempt to briefly describe and provide possible rationale for such inequalities to exist. Established themselves firmly along this road which happen to be In close proximity to smaller Independent supermarkets, consequently the monopoly which these shops hold mean they can afford to attract large n umbers of the community by using their buying power to host special deals, reduced items and stocks range of products all under one roof, this convenience for the individual can save the need to ravel to many of the smaller independent shops, such as the newsagent owned by Colon Butler, a family run business since the sass's.Colon Butler was interviewed by poet and artist Lloyd Robinson regarding how his business may have been effected by the larger shops to which he admitted â€Å"†¦ But that didn't affect me but it did knock out the newsagent next to him. † (the Street' 2009 Scene 1). Customers visiting Colon Butler are directly affected by this inequality, existing due to inflamed prices. However, It Is often that regular customers to such a local shop feel a sense of immunity split despite probably paying a premium.Furthermore, Colon Butler and his family business may be adversely affected due to the local council's plans to implement a bus lane along City Road. Whil st this aims to create a fast and efficient service for it's community, an inequality emerges for the local shops opposite the bus lane, as road markings will inhibit potential customers from parking and collecting goods too heavy to be carried on the bus. This is highlighted by a local business man, Jose Ramose Square stating â€Å"†¦ We are a small cuisines people, we earning our living here and we don't want to lose our customers because they, it's bad enough now people cannot park. (Making Social Lives DVD, 2009, Scene 5) It would appear according to the DVD, that some motorists may park outside their shop of choice. However, once said bus lane Is fully functional, no parking will be permitted by customers at any time Including the elderly or Injured who may view this as an Inequality. Educational establishments to name but a few. Some of these occur in daytime whilst others such as eating out would often happen after dark. The cover of which can to some residents seem uns ettling and unsafe.This sense of lack of security/safety is of course purely subjective, yet made ever more real by groups of younger people hanging around the bus shelter along the road, for instance a local police-officer, Pc Bob Keenan, argues that City Road â€Å"†¦ Is not a bad area†¦ If you apply common sense†¦ † (Making Social Lives DVD, 2009, Scene 6) conversely, a young female was interviewed at a pool hall along City Road expressing her frank feelings regarding the atmosphere in this local community at night time. Although this woman cannot recall any personal negative experiences, she talks of how this â€Å"†¦ Dead rough†¦ † (Making Social Lives DVD, 2009, Scene 8) area reminds her of Nottingham where she used to live. Coupling the female's view of City Road being an unsafe and dangerous place to be, are the sentiments of one male user of the Municipal Club, when asked â€Å"Is it safer these days? † He replied â€Å"No it's not safer, you walk top of City Road at night you're afraid to walk up there. † (Making Social Lives DVD, 2009, Scene 5) Why should these wow individuals and possibly more suffer the injustice of this particular inequality, being a sense of lack of safety?City Road, Cardiff describes to it's local community a myriad of inequalities some having been discussed. To some members of the local community certain inequalities will always exist whilst to others they may not seem so apparent. Should the local authorities fail to make parts of this neighborhood ‘feel' safer, the next result cold mean a reduction in socializing at clubs thus forcing a closure. Could such inequalities lead to a tear in the fabric of this local community? City Road When I began this course I always took for granted that inequalities were obvious things, but the more I learned on the subject and the further through the material I got I discovered inequalities can come in all shapes and sizes , obvious or inconspicuous and can affect all people differently. Through this paper I will first look at similar inequalities between ‘City Road’ and a street I know well, the street which I will use is Ballygall Road east Finglas Dublin 11, I will then look at some inequalities that seem unique to my street and why they are unique. The two main shared inequalities between Ballygall Road and City Road are private clubs and homelessness. In the very first film ‘the street’ we are shown a tennis club that because of its high walls and closed off areas gives people the assumption that it is a private club and would be unable to use its facilities . Although that is just an assumption in Ballygall Road there is a members only gym and membership can only be obtained if you are a resident of a particular apartment complex. This causes near constant tension between the other locals and the residents of the complex. In all of the films on the DVD there is a scene that is shown again and again it is the image of the homeless man sitting outside the shop. Homelessness is the most obvious inequality and there is no area that is free of it , in Ballygall Road there is two homeless people they are both originally from the area ,they are well known to all the locals and are treated with disgust and are avoided completely if possible . The two inequalities that are unique to Ballygall Road are council estates and a methadone clinic. Although council estates are not uncommon all over Ireland in Ballygall Road the council estate is seen as a thing to be ashamed of and that anyone who lives in one is lower class or ‘rough’ which is simply not true. There is one council estate in Ballygall Road and directly beside it is a private estate there is obvious distaste towards the people living in the council estate by other locals as a lot of the residents are un-employed and this is seen as socially unacceptable. A methadone clinic is a clinic for people for are trying to get themselves off heroin, there is one clinic is Ballygall Road and is possibly the biggest inequality as anyone seen entering or leaving this building is immediately labeled as a drug addict even though it may not be the case . A drug addict in Ballygall Road is on the lowest rung of the social ladder and are treated as such, there for the methadone clinic is used as a tool to label people in the area. In closing I would just like to state one observation that has been born from studying this module I believe there are two types of inequalities there are the obvious inequalities such as homelessness and being in a methadone clinic and there are inconspicuous inequalities such as private clubs or living in a certain estate. Although the obvious inequalities can affect and hurt people the inconspicuous ones can hurt just as much if not more so. These are the inequalities I noted in City Road and the inequalities in my street.

History Of The Army Corps - 957 Words

History of the Army Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) History of the Army Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) The Army NCOs have played vital roles in shaping the country’s history since 1775. The legacy for the NCO is genuinely full of customs and traditions. Senior Enlisted Leaders should understand the history of the NCO because the successes of the military define American history. This paper will cover the history of the Army NCO, contributions, and evolution of the Army NCO. History An NCO is referred as a military officer who is yet to earn a commission. The history of the NCO began during early 1775 after the inception of the Continental Army (Arms, 2007). The concept came about following the blueprint of the†¦show more content†¦In 1829, The Army published its first manual on Infantry Tactics. This manual formalized the role of the NCO and established the first training program to equip them with the necessary Soldiering Skills of this time period. The manual detailed that the SGM was responsible for educating seasoned SGTs and Corporals while newly promoted SGTs and CPLs were educated by the First Sergeant (Department of War, 1829). With this formal doctrine established the NCO would apply those skills to future military combat operations. Contributions Today, the NCO is a pertinent division of the U.S. Army with unparalleled contributions. The NCOs took part in some of the most defining moments in American History. Precisely, they participated in all major wars and conflicts. On the battlefield, the NCOs served to bridge the gaps stemming from casualties and encouraged the men to fight harder. Today’s NCO is the â€Å"Backbone’ of the Army, whose contributions cannot be ignored. NCOs like Sergeant Elijah Churchill who received distinct recognition for acts of bravery and heroism during the American Revolution to Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randy Shughart who received Medal of Honor for actions in Somali (Willbanks, 2011). Apart from being reminiscent of the genesis of the fight a revolution, this topic helps to acknowledge some of the major contributors to the American history. Their struggle, determination, perseverance and patriotism haveShow MoreRelatedWomen in World War II747 Words   |  3 Pagesopportunities. They could work outsides of the farms. The women had a choice where they wanted to work (Reynoldson 5-7). Women made most of the food for the men in the army that they were fighting (Reynoldson 5). The government was pleading for the women to join the army (Reynoldson 5-7). The government wanted women to join the army so they could help on the fields by being nurses (Reyoldson 8). 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