Refer to explorations in literature for a complete version of this poem. how do the mice serve as a symbol in "my father's song" by simon ortiz? the mistreatment that thomas endures on the reservation lets alexie suggest that storytelling is a dangerous practice that should be avoided when possible. by depicting thomas as less intelligent than victor, alexie shows that even the best storytellers do not always understand the full meaning of the tales they tell. by showing that thomas does not have a job or a family, alexie demonstrates that people who spend their time wrapped up in stories are likely to be unprepared for the struggles of real life. the stories that thomas tells and his desire to be listened to allow alexie to show that telling and listening to stories is an important way people shape and understand their lives.

I think you got your question and answer choices mixed up.

For the actual question, the answer is: They represent the next generation of children and suggest the need for protection.

For the correct answer out of the choices: The stories that Thomas tells and his desire to be listened to allow Alexie to show that telling and listening to stories is an important way people shape and understand their lives.

I took the test and got 100% so I know both answers! lol

They represent the next generation of children and suggest the need for protection

quite an interesting way to teach topic sentences, because the answer to this question is the best definition of a topic sentence that one can present, it is as if answering the questions taught you how to do it, this is some real teaching, it is terribly well-done.

the topic sentence in this paragraph is:

topic sentences writers stay on track and keep a paragraph from becoming an aimless collection of sentences about an idea.

which incidentally tells you what a topic sentence should be.

"it's more of an essay than story, but perhaps it is best described as a mood-piece: it uses a lot of musical imagery, not to mention sea imagery, religious imagery, and any other imagery that suits his purpose."