Your job is to first watch the film Smoke Signals (Links to an external site.)(Links to an external site.). Students must then post a minimum of THREEparagraphs up to a maximum of FOUR in response to one or two of the discussion questions posted below. NOTE WELL: Three paragraphs is the minimum to pass. You will not be able to make an A if you do not post FOUR paragraphs. (remember, 1 paragraph contains 3-5 sentences on average.) Respond to at least one comment from a previous post, providing thoughtful questions, reflections or similar. (for example a response such as “great job!” will not suffice.) Responses must be a minimum of three sentences, reflecting on some aspect of the poster’s response.
I recommend reviewing your question options first and then watch the movie while taking notes with that specific question(s) in mind. (hint: DEFINITELY USE QUOTES AND EXAMPLES FROM THE MOVIE IN YOUR ANSWERS.)
*Note on Language: These days the term “Indian” is generally considered to be an anachronism and racially derogative when used by non-natives in reference to First Nations peoples of North America. You will hear the word extensively in the film because the plot deals with Native American experiences and identity. You may use this word when quoting from the film or referring to an instance when this word is used in the film, or when referring to legal or institutional titles (eg. “Bureau of Indian Affairs”). But when you are speaking for yourself, please be culturally respectful and use alternatives such as Native American, First Nations, indigenous, the name of the specific tribe, band or nation, or similar.
Choose 1 (max 2) of the following discussion question options:
Note on film context: Smoke Signals is notable for being the first feature length film written, directed, and produced by Native Americans, starring a cast of Native Americans and filmed on a Native American Reservation. In short, it is a film written and created by and for Native Americans but with the intent to be culturally shared.
Social Production of Space – Imagined Communities and Identity
In the reading and discussion of the key concept “Society”, we talked about the idea of society as an imagined community, meaning that members of a given society imagine themselves to share a set of values, characteristics or experiences with other members in our society. However, this also created imagined communities of “otherness” as well. Smoke Signals is a coming of age story told from the perspective of two highschool aged boys. Similar coming of age stories have been told many times before, however this one is unique in that it is one of the few stories told from outside the dominant culture of a given society. We are allowed to view the dominant settler culture in the US from the lens of First Nations people. Give examples of how this is done throughout the film and discuss in relation to the idea of imagined communities. How does the film (often humorously!) challenge dominant narratives of American history and society, as well as challenge/poke fun at dominant imagined stereotypes of First Nations people? How is it reconfiguring the imagined community of America by doing so? You may also discuss how ideas of these imagined communities influence the identities of Victor and Thomas, especially in relation to their (often differing!) ideas of what it means to be Native American.
Geographies of Personhood
There is alot of tension between the two main characters Victor and Thomas that hinges on the different experiences they each had with Victor’s father, Arnold Joseph. Victor had to deal with the everyday realities of Arnold’s alcoholism, which included emotional and physical abuse of Victor and his mother. Meanwhile, Thomas viewed him as the hero who saved his life as an infant and provided him with care and affection at several pivotal moments in his young life. Who was Arnold Joseph really and what kind of person was he? Why was it important for Victor to gain a fuller understanding of his father? Use quotes and examples from the film to discuss. Also, the film’s concluding scene is a poignant poem about the relationship between children and fathers. Reflect on what you think that poem is trying to say about intergenerational trauma and healing.
Nature
This course has discussed the idea that nature is socially constructed. That is, we understand nature and relate to it through the culture that we grew up in. Fire in particular plays a key role in Smoke Signals. Discuss the many roles that fire plays in this film, from the opening scene to the last scene we see Suzy in, to the title of the movie itself. What is the relationship between fire and the characters in the story? You may also reflect on the role other elements of nature played in the story as well if something sticks out to you beyond fire.
Landscape
One of the film’s great cinematic strengths is its landscape scenes. The film uses landscape to draw connections between past and present timelines of Victor and Thomas’s story. Provide a detailed example of how one or two scenes do so. What do they rely on to transition between past and present? How is the landscape significant to the story? Also provide examples of how landscapes are used to reflect upon current lived experience of reservation life. (or life outside the reservation if you want to focus on Arizona.)
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