For this reading response, please read Sherman Alexie’s story "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona" (pages 473-482) and respond to the prompt below. You will type your response and format it according to MLA guidelines, then upload it to the drop box. This means: MLA header; title, spacing, formatting, etc. No first person, please (no "I"). This response should be 225 words minimum.

Our textbook defines theme as "the central idea embodied by or explored in a literary work; the general concept, explicit or implied, that the work incorporates and makes persuasive to the reader" (1375). For this reading response, please explain to the best of your ability what you see as the story's "central idea," or what the story seems to be trying to say, suggest, argue, or "make persuasive to the reader." Make sure to support your ideas and assertions with specific references to the story.