Another Title for "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona"

"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona" by Sherman Alexie was an interesting story to read. The plot was interesting, especially with the author's choice to add flashback moments throughout the story that help explain the current narrative setting and relationship between the main characters. Although the entirety of the story is based on Victor and Thomas traveling to Phoenix to pick up Victor's ashes following his death, I never felt like Phoenix was actually important enough to be the title of the story. Rather, I think the small details characterizing Victor and Thomas' past and present friendship and the story of their relationship over time is the most significant aspect of this story.

After reading the entire story, another title that I came up with for this story is "To Tell A Thousand Stories". In my opinion, a recurring theme in this story is Thomas's connection with stories and what they mean to him. Each story that Thomas tells holds a special place in his heart because it represents something for him. His "dreams" also serve as these stories because he hopes to relay these dreams to anyone and everyone willing to listen. Even though these stories seem only significantly connected to Thomas and Victor is still a main character, I think there is still a connection between these stories and Victor because the flashback stories are about both Victor and Thomas and all Thomas desires is for Victor to listen to Thomas' stories.

That said, even though it seems as if Victor should be the main focus of this story, I actually think the title should reflect Thomas more because we learn more about his character and personality through the flashbacks and stories. There is also some component of sympathy towards Thomas as we are told that he gets beaten as a kid and doesn't have any friends because no one wants to hear his stories. Because of this, I felt for Thomas throughout the entire story, which is why I feel that a more fitting title would be "To Tell A Thousand Stories".

"The Machine Stops" In the Present

"The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster details a society characterized by complete social isolation where everyone lives underground and members are expected to follow certain rules/expectations. When we first read this short story in class, I had appreciated the creativity of the story's premise but also found the story to be highly unrealistic and impractical. That said, I was also intrigued by the blend of familiarity there was, such as how personal, face-to-face interaction was replaced by communication via video screens, which is parallel to us Facetiming or Skyping friends and acquaintances. Meanwhile, as each day passes during this COVID-19 outbreak, it seems as if our society is quickly slipping into one similar to that of "The Machine Stops."

One component of the story that particularly stood out to me was how people were essentially not allowed to have physical contact with each other. This seemed like such a bizarre aspect of the society because I never believed that an increased use in technology would completely eliminate personal interaction. However, the current climate due to COVID-19 has essentially caused this social isolation seen in "The Machine Stops" where everyone is "forced" to practice social distancing. The difference in our case is that there aren't a set of laws that punish people who don't practice this act, but rather they just get reprimanded or strongly advised by fellow community members to follow this act.

This mantra of "6 feet apart" has infiltrated our daily lives to an enormous degree because it is dictating the way we live our lives to almost every single detail. With our current living situations in mind, it changes the way I read "The Machine Stops," having more sympathy and curiosity for the characters who suffer through similar situations as us right now. Previously, I hadn't made much of the fact that all people are allowed to do to communicate is talk through technology but now that I am faced with the same situation, I find it incomprehensible how the characters in the story are able to thrive or even survive in that atmosphere. Overall, our society's current predicament has definitely altered my perception of "The Machine Stops".