Quarantine In Relation to "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona"

              “This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” is a story of two boys named Victor and Thomas who live on a reservation. The short story in hindsight is about the evolution of the two children. How Victor and Thomas grew apart and how each embraced themselves. Victor conformed to other adolescents on the reservation because it was easier to fit in than be bullied for being different. Thomas took the other route he stayed true to himself and stuck to his stories and his imagination. Thomas has a greater understanding of the world when Victor asked him how his father died, he said “I heard it on the wind. I heard it from the birds. I felt it in the sunlight.” Thomas understands that there is more than just facts in the world but a story can invoke emotion. These were my initial thoughts of the story.

              

             However, with the Covid-19 pandemic happening and a quarantine being put in place I found other meanings that relate to this. Specifically, that Thomas is isolated in an already isolated setting. Reservations in the first place are already isolated from a “normal” society and as a generalization people on the reservation would prefer not to be there. It’s the same with the ongoing crisis now. We’re all in our own isolation and learning to cope with it. In the story the characters are isolated in our eyes but don’t feel that they are isolated. It’s as if the roles are reserved, we weren’t isolated before and now we are, and we have to find things to entertain ourselves. Like spending time outside and finding things to do without our friends. Thomas has his thing his stories, he tells stories even if no one is listening. It’s our turn to find what that is for us.

Alternative Title for "Mothers, Lock Up Your Daughters Because They Are Terrifying"

              If I were to change the title of a short story I would change the title of Alice Sola Kim’s “Mothers, Lock Up Your Daughters Because They Are Terrifying” to “Daughters Lock Up Your Mothers Because They Are Terrifying”.

             

              Kim’s story revolves around the journey of three girls Mini, Caroline, and Ronnie and how a supernatural being named Mom effected their lives. We learned the three best friends were longing for individual attention, a support system, and a relationship more than their friendship. When I first read this story, I never understood the purpose of the title as it made the daughters seem like terrible children. I deciphered the story as three girls who were struggling with family, school, and simply managing stress. The girls weren’t terrifying rather they were acting out because their parents weren’t fulfilling the position they needed.

            

             I switched the title to “Daughters Lock Up Your Mothers Because They Are Terrifying” because the supernatural being Mom was terrifying and should’ve remained locked up. Mom impacted the girls negatively almost causing a car crash and pitting the girls against one another. There life got “better” with Mom as it provided them a sense of importance. They had someone who almost aggressively but openly loved them. The girls enjoyed this until Mom made it a competition of who she loved most. When Mom was locked up again the girls finally realized how fortunate they were to have each other. Mom was the problem and the daughters were her solution. Mom was locked up for a terrifying reason and Mini Caroline, and Ronnie discovered that. She had the power of control and manipulation and held it over the girl’s heads. Even Ronnie who didn’t fall into the trap was forced to live with Mom in the end. The daughters should’ve never freed Mom and Mom shouldn’t have locked them up.