“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance”, as said by Aristotle. Dictionary.com lists the definition of hermeneutics as “the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation…”. Hermeneutics is the interpretation of a literary work through the reader’s point of view, and only focuses on one aspect of the literature. Appearance vs. reality is the idea that things are not always as they seem, and is a major component of literature and society. Sherman Alexie uses a postmodern literary theory of hermeneutics as a way to analyze “Can I Get A Witness?” and “Lawyer’s League” through the sense of appearance vs. reality; modern times refer to this comparison as a “conspiracy theory”.
Alexie’s …show more content…
reality through stereotypes of both black and white men. Richard appears to be a different kind of black man, but is exactly like the stereotype when he won’t make a move on Teresa (###). Teresa is a white woman, and whites and blacks getting married would not be viewed highly by society. Although the times would make it difficult for them to be together, the reader is left initially thinking that he is different and will make a move on her. It appeared as if Richard and Teresa were different, and although Teresa was, Richard turns out to be just like any other black man. He lets her get away because of a stereotype, and this is his inner reality. Also in the work, Big Bill appears to be a decent man, but his actions in the basketball game prove otherwise (###). He refuses to be beaten by a black man, so he makes up a bunch of bogus rules and calls fake fouls, which damages his outward appearance and highlights the reality of his character. When Big Bill is first introduced to the story, his perception is that he is modest, like the other lawyers in the league; however, his true character is soon reveals itself. In reality, he’s merely a racist crybaby, which would not be assumed about his …show more content…
NORAD was told to stand down and not shoot down the planes (2). Now, they had enough notice of the hijackings to do so, yet the government ordered them not to. The government claims that they do whatever possible to protect American citizens, but their actions show otherwise. Also, the Pentagon attack doesn’t add up (3-4). First off, the attack on the Pentagon could have been stopped because of the military power the United States possesses. If a plane flies in unauthorized immediately after a terrorist attack occurs, many would believe that the plane would be shot out of the air, but it was not. Also, the holes in the building that were left were too small for the plane that crashed into it. Next, the hijackers are still alive (4-5). Passports were found amongst the ruins as evidence that point towards a terrorist attack; however, all that was left was rubble, so passports (made of paper) would most likely be burnt up and vaporized. Additionally, 4,000 Jewish people called off of work on September 11th, 2001 (8). This may be a coincidence, but when taken into account with the other fallacies, it can serve as indisputable evidence that the government is trying to cover up the fact they may have been at fault for attacking their own country. The attacks appear like they were done by
Alexie’s …show more content…
reality through stereotypes of both black and white men. Richard appears to be a different kind of black man, but is exactly like the stereotype when he won’t make a move on Teresa (###). Teresa is a white woman, and whites and blacks getting married would not be viewed highly by society. Although the times would make it difficult for them to be together, the reader is left initially thinking that he is different and will make a move on her. It appeared as if Richard and Teresa were different, and although Teresa was, Richard turns out to be just like any other black man. He lets her get away because of a stereotype, and this is his inner reality. Also in the work, Big Bill appears to be a decent man, but his actions in the basketball game prove otherwise (###). He refuses to be beaten by a black man, so he makes up a bunch of bogus rules and calls fake fouls, which damages his outward appearance and highlights the reality of his character. When Big Bill is first introduced to the story, his perception is that he is modest, like the other lawyers in the league; however, his true character is soon reveals itself. In reality, he’s merely a racist crybaby, which would not be assumed about his …show more content…
NORAD was told to stand down and not shoot down the planes (2). Now, they had enough notice of the hijackings to do so, yet the government ordered them not to. The government claims that they do whatever possible to protect American citizens, but their actions show otherwise. Also, the Pentagon attack doesn’t add up (3-4). First off, the attack on the Pentagon could have been stopped because of the military power the United States possesses. If a plane flies in unauthorized immediately after a terrorist attack occurs, many would believe that the plane would be shot out of the air, but it was not. Also, the holes in the building that were left were too small for the plane that crashed into it. Next, the hijackers are still alive (4-5). Passports were found amongst the ruins as evidence that point towards a terrorist attack; however, all that was left was rubble, so passports (made of paper) would most likely be burnt up and vaporized. Additionally, 4,000 Jewish people called off of work on September 11th, 2001 (8). This may be a coincidence, but when taken into account with the other fallacies, it can serve as indisputable evidence that the government is trying to cover up the fact they may have been at fault for attacking their own country. The attacks appear like they were done by