Otherness in a nutshell is a feeling like one does not fit in for any number of reasons. Race, gender, sexuality, religion and appearance are just a few of the reasons. This is felt throughout life from childhood to adulthood. When you are in school it may be something as silly as your brand of shoes, you may not have the cool ones because your parents cannot afford them, so you get made fun of. Then here you are as an adult and it may be the car you drive or neighborhood you live in that gets you ostracized from your peers. The slight differences in people, as small as they seem, have separated people since the start of mankind. Otherness has led to seclusion, inequality and even hate.
I chose to read Sherman Alexie’s piece titled “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona.” This short story focused on the concept of otherness. The main character Victor has just learned of the loss of his estranged father. Victor, who is broke, needs to find a way to Phoenix, Arizona to claim some money and a pickup truck. After failing to come up with all the money, Victor runs into the town loony Thomas Build-a-Fire. Thomas was a childhood friend of Victor, but Thomas’s story telling put a rift in their relationship. Thomas agrees to give Victor the money only if he takes him along. The two then fly to Phoenix and exchange stories of their youth and put the past behind them.
Alexie puts otherness front and center in his short story. Alexie, I feel wrote this piece as an outlet to discuss how he has felt othered by society, mainly with being Native American. There are many levels of otherness, the first being that Victor and Thomas are Native Americans who throughout American history have suffered at the hand of our government. The otherness they feel is because of the oppression and segregation of the Native American people by our country. This is made obvious when they are celebrating the 4th of July as children and question why they are celebrating. They realize that they too are Americans but feel neglected and forgotten by the country they call home, just because of their heritage. Another instance of otherness is the deceased father and his yearning to get away from it all. Victor’s father felt as though he did not fit in with the family and was afraid of his own son.
The Essay on The American Dream Joe Money Hanneh
The America Dream is defined in general as a dream of a land that is better richer for everyone based on accomplishment and opportunity. This dream is usually sought after by people who have been deprived of their social and human values. People who have not been able to achieve this dream based on restrictions of their situations that plague their lives. These situations can be different for ...
Victor also tells of a time when he beat up Thomas just because he was different. The fight was then stopped by a woman named Norma Many Horses. They viewed her as a strong, courageous woman, a warrior of sorts. The two boys made reference about wanting to be warriors in another story from their pasts. The two boys did not feel on par with Norma and with what it means to be a “warrior.” This story shows that not only one person has to be singled out. Everyone in this story is experiencing some form of otherness. The deceased father, Victor, Thomas, all the Native American people and even the gymnast on the plane experienced it. We as the reader are also the others.
The majority of us do not know how it feels to be exposed to the reservation lifestyle; we do not know how it feels to not have any money for family emergencies. When it comes to being a teacher and identifying otherness in the classroom there are quite a few things I personally would do. Otherness is a big problem in the classroom with more and more students being bullied. It seems you hear stories of children killing themselves because they were tormented by their peers. Otherness is probably the biggest obstacle to overcome in the classroom.
A teacher always needs to be on the lookout and identify otherness as soon as possible to curb mishaps. Taking a note of your students’ backgrounds, ethnicities etc. would be an excellent idea. Knowing beforehand if there is something that will viewed as different by other students would be helpful and can be used to teach acceptance. The first step would be to keep a keen eye out on your students and see if you notice any of the students exhibiting tell tale signs of otherness. As a teacher I would look out for any student who is exhibiting any sort of decline in academic performance and changes in behavior. I would look to see if any of my students were acting depressed, lethargic or just generally withdrawing from classroom participation. A change in appearance would also be something to look out for.
The Review on Discipline and Improve Students Behaviour in Classroom Education
The problem of how best to discipline and improve students’ behaviour in classroom is of permanent interest. This review is oriented to searching different methodologies concerning students’ behaviour in classrooms, teachers’ discipline strategies and behavioural management. Different points of view and different examples for appropriate behaviour have been discussed referring to the topic. The ...
As a teacher I would need to be able to help a student feeling singled out. The first thing I would do is listen, listen, listen. I would be open to hear how my student is feeling. It also may take more than one meeting, so setting aside time to meet and give my student undivided time would also be important. Being non-judgmental is also important. A student wants to feel safe and secure with their teacher, not scolded because they decided to share their feelings. If I am not able to help the student I would locate any resource available to help them with their feelings. A student should not have to feel like they don’t belong in a classroom. In turn a student should also never make another student made to feel as if they don’t belong. Feeling comfortable in your surroundings is one of the most important things for success. Otherness is fully preventable and bullying should not ever be tolerated.
References
Alexie, S. (1994).
“This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona”. Retrieved June 15, 2013, from http://courses.csusm.edu/ltwr325bc/phoenix.html
