“Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie is a brief passage describing a personal experience of the author’s childhood – specifically, how he learned to read and the impact it has had on his life. He discloses that he is of Indian descent from his father. Sherman speaks of his father in admiring tones, of how he devoured books and was an educated Indian, of how his house was always full of literature and how he chose himself to attend catholic schools (he was one of the very few Indians who purposely did). According to Sherman, he learned to read through the use of a Superman graphic novel by imagining his own meaning to the different panels and deducing what the words meant by doing this throughout the story. Eventually, he ends up reading more and more, and he is signaled out in his …show more content…
The casual tone allows him to engage with his readers more effectively, for it feels as if it is a normal day-to-day conversation with the author. This can also relate to the intended target audience. Sherman is attempting to share his experience with school-age children as well as adults who may read his passage. This fact is evident in the way that he simplifies his sentences and yet uses mature enough language and grammar so that his passage can resonate with anyone who can read, young or old. For the kids, he attempts to inspire them by recounting how not being afraid to speak up in class and be the intelligent one among his classmates benefitted him in the long run – he pursued his love of writing, and achieved his goal of being an author. His message to children is that you can do anything, no matter what odds or challenges are stacked against you. For the adults, his message is that nurturing young children and encouraging them to read, write, and learn will produce a well-rounded individual later on, and that everyone is unique and has potential regardless of origin or
Superman and Me showed Sherman Alexie's willingness to learn. He “...learned to read with a Superman comic book” (Alexie 1). The picture acted as the dialogue
Generally, every individual’s learning experience has its own inspiring and meaningful stories; a learning experience that has its own unique distinctions, interpretations, complications, sacrifices, has its endless possibilities, and most importantly, a learning experience that has its own effective action and optimistic option for execution. For example: In “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” Sherman Alexie highlights his enjoyment of reading and writing. He claims that as a kid, he reminds himself that he is a “smart Indian boy” even though it is not recognized on a reservation or even when non-Indian teachers believe that Indian children are stupid. Similarly, in “Learning to Read and Write,” Frederick Douglass demonstrates that slaves are entitled to have the same rights to learn about reading and writing as any other Americans. He testifies that his masters, including his fellow slaves believe that slavery and education were not compatible. Moreover, in “On Keeping a Notebook,” Joan Didion stereotypes herself by constantly questioning her own writing due to her lack of confidence as a writer. She conveys that eventually, she masters writing through examining her own writing on a piece of a notebook about herself and other people. Likewise, in “Learning to Read,” Malcolm X expresses that books are his “Alma Mater” because he becomes proficient in writing in a course of copying every single word in a dictionary. He clarifies that he develops his skills in
“Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie first appeared in “The Most Wonderful Books: Writers on Discovering the pleasures of Reading.” Sherman Alexie is a well-known Native American writer that publishes short stories, novels, and poetry. Out of the three narratives, I found myself connect with this story more than the others. Alexie tells us about his childhood as an Indian boy that grew up on the Reservation. His father was a big reader so as a kid he’s always had an interest in books and eventually it became a passion. As he advanced in reading at an early age, peers would have difficulty with the content that he’s already achieved. Other kids would frown upon him because it was out of the ordinary for an Indian to be smart. Children on the Reservation were expected to be unsuccessful, but Alexie refused to let himself fail. Throughout his obstacles in life, he ended up becoming a writer and now, visits the Reservation to make sure children get as much education as possible. Reading saved his life and he believed it could save theirs as well. Sherman Alexie uses multiple techniques throughout his narrative to inform the audience about how he saved his life through literacy by tieing in his personal perspectives.
Sherman Alexie recounted in his essay “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” how his first ever read as a child was an unspecified Superman comic, and how he learned to read from this comic. At first, this seems just a minor detail he put at the beginning of his essay, but with further analysis, I will explain why this is one of the most impactful and important details in his message.
Education is something that is often taken for granted in this day and age. Kids these days rebel against going to school all together. In the essays “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie and “Learning to Read and Write” by Frederick Douglass, we learn of two young men eager for knowledge. Both men being minors and growing up in a time many years apart, felt like taking how to read and write into their own hands, and did so with passion. On the road to a education, both Alexie and Douglass discover that education is not only pleasurable, but also painful. Alexie and Douglass both grew up in different times, in different environments, and in different worlds. They both faced different struggles and had different achievements, but they were not all that different. Even though they grew up in different times they both had the same views on how important of education was. They both saw education as freedom and as a way of self-worth even though they achieved their education in different ways. They both had a strong mind and a strong of sense of self-motivation.
“ The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me”, is a short story written by Native American author Alexie Sherman. The reading focuses on what education is like for young Indian children living on the Spokane Indian Reservation in eastern Washington state.. As a child, Alexie was determined not to be like the kids of his community. Children were praised for their failure in school and Alexie did not want to be a part of that. Growing up, Alexie was basically born into a literature family. His father was an avid reader and filled the house with books.Throughout the passage Alexie uses rhetorical strategies to help the reader understand that he is trying to break free of the cultures belief of failure for children on the Reservation.
Throughout literature many pieces of work can be compared and contrasted to each other. In “Superman and Me,” Sherman Alexie discusses the challenges he faced as a young Indian adult, who found his passion of reading at an early age, living on the Spokane Indian Reservation. He challenged the stereotype of the young Indian students who were thought to be uneducated while living on a reservation. Likewise, in the excerpt from The Hunger of Memory, Richard Rodriguez shares his similar experience of being a minority and trying to break stereotypes of appearing uneducated. He shares the details of his life growing up learning a different culture and the struggles he faced becoming assimilated into American culture. In these two specific pieces of literature discuss the importance of breaking stereotypes of social and educational American standards and have similar occupational goals; on the other hand the two authors share their different family relationships.
In his short story, "The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me",novelist Sherman Alexies reflects how education saved his life. He recounts how reading was a significant part of his life growing up in the Spokane Indian Reservation in eastern Washington state, influenced by his father's passion for reading books. The purpose of this story is to inspire its audience to defy stereotypes and exceed the seemingly low expectations of others by educating themselves. Through his use of pathos, ethos, and metaphor, Alexie appeals to similar feelings and experiences in his Native American readers and persuades them to empower themselves through education.
Sherman Alexie was a Indian boy with a passion to learn how to read. Despite the fact that Indians were known to not be educated, he was one of the few that learned. He started learning to read at a very young age. He would read his dad’s books and everything else he could get his hands on. The first book he read was a Superman comic book. That comic book left a big impact on the rest of Alexie’s life.
In “Superman and Me”, Sherman Alexie depicts his childhood, growing up, and adapting to the new world of books and education. Alexie’s mind and intelligence are that of a deadly weapon. Education saved Alexie’s life. Being just that “Indian boy living on the reservation” (Alexie, 2) pushed Alexie to beat the odds, and he did just that. Knowing how to read advanced books in Kindergarten, Alexie greatly surpassed those in the same age group as him. The key source that kick-started Alexie’s passion for education would be his dad, and the love for books they both shared at a young age. Alexie faces and dominates many stereotypical barriers throughout his life and also the feeling of alienation. He considers himself an “oddity” due to the fact that he did not resemble those around him; however, he would not let the stereotypes of others
Through the course of reading nonfiction, I found that the greatest lesson I have learned is from Sherman Alexie. In his essay, “Superman and Me” he reflects on how reading has impacted his life from early on. Although he experiences great difficulty of growing up with a Native American heritage and possessing great intellect, Alexie refuses to be classified as a failure. He faces struggles throughout his childhood, but his passion for reading served as an escape from his issues. The lesson of Alexie’s essay is to not let the negative voices of our peers to affect the positive views we should have in ourselves and our capabilities. Our potential is not defined by what people think, but rather it is ultimately how we utilize their criticism
The short story “Superman and Me,” by Sherman Alexie is a look back into his childhood to point out how and when he began to read. He also uses it as an outlet to show where reading took him in life. In this paper, I will attempt to give an overview of his thoughts and experiences, while also sharing my thoughts on it. In doing so, I hope to point out how reading guided him throughout his childhood, and into adulthood. He explains that his love for reading was his way of trying to save his life (Alexie 3). Reading is an essential function, that when used can help anyone excel into a growth far from what is expected.
Ever seen a prodigy? You must have if you know Sherman Alexie, or Superman.Both are a type of hero. Sherman Alexie wrote “Superman and Me”. Though he was an Indian boy who in many ways acted like Superman on an Indian reservation camp. Many Native American children would often call him an oddity. For his”super powers”.
The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me, written by Sherman Alexie, tells a story of an Indian boy. Alexie, the Indian boy, has a pair of parents who loves him very much. Although the main stream of the society recognizes the Indians as stupid a clumsy ones, Alexie still proved to his classmates and teachers that Indians can behave smart and clever. In the essay, Alexie described his experience of reading and writing. Like the blacks, Indians own a base position, but Alexie’s parents and Alexie did not give up. Although no rich, his parents still bought as much as they can for Alexie, and Alexie treasures every chance he has and stood out from his colleague. How Alexie’s parents paid out all their efforts to cultivate Alexie touched
In Alexie’s story, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me, he talks about his time growing up on an Indian reservations where young Indian children were illiterate, and