Sherman Alexe's Superman And Me

Sherman Alexie shared how his childhood of reading helped him become a better reader and a leader for others. He first read a Superman comic and then went on to bigger and better books. Alexie explains that in his Native American reservation it’s okay for children not to excel in school. This is what pushed Alexie to go in school because he did not want to fail.

For Alexie, the connotation for superman breaking down the door would represent, his moment in life where everything would change. He broke down the wall that would limit his education and his ability to move up in this world. In comparison, Fredrick Douglas’s moment was not as glorious because he soon realized that he was a slave and that any hope of him being free where slim to none. Douglas lived in a different time where, even with the ability to read and write, a slave would still continue to struggle just because of the color of his skin. This is why he stated, “It had given me a view of my wretched condition, without the remedy” (Mcquade, Atwan, 109). Ultimately however, Douglas did obtain his freedom through the means of reading and

The story of his life in “Superman and me” by, Sherman Alex, expressed deeply of himself on how dedicated and content he was during his youthful life. As a young impecunious Indian boy, he grew up on the sides of Eastern Washington state following the path of his father’s dedication in the love of reading and writing. He self taught his way up to be an overachiever reader by constantly reading everything he saw in sight. Later in life, acting as a life saver, he taught those who lacked in reading and writing. He’s proud and prudent to this day, leading those who are inspired by his novels, poems and short stories. Not only so, but giving young students a chance to read and write towards a better

Children from as young as the age of 6 began working in factories, the beginning of their exploitation, to meet demands of items and financial need for families. In Florence Kelley’s speech before the National American Woman Suffrage Association in Philadelphia 1905, Kelley addresses the overwhelming problem of child labor in the United States. The imagery, appeal to logic, and the diction Kelley uses in her speech emphasizes the exploitation of children in the child labor crisis in twentieth century America.

of his father who he looked up to. Since he loved his father’s devotion, he picked up a book and there he first understood the purpose of a paragraph. “The words themselves were mostly foreign, but I still remember the exact moment when I first understood… the purpose of a paragraph…” (Alexie paragraph 3). When he discovered what a paragraph was, he started comparing his family to a paragraph. He stated that like a paragraph, his family works together to achieve one main goal. He explained that his family existed as a separate paragraph, but he can still connect some ideas to link them.

In the essays, “Reading to Write” by Stephen King, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie, “Learning to Read” Malcolm X, and “Learning to Write” by Frederick Douglas have three things in common. In each essay Reading has contributed towards the authors life leading to benefit from learning to read, allowing them to leave a legacy behind. In each essay the authors has thought their self how unlike Frederick Douglass.

In “Superman and Me” Sherman Alexie uses an extended metaphor to compare himself to Superman. It talks about his struggle to get to where he wanted to be and how he tried to help others when he got there. It also talks about how he became Superman but in his own way.

Well known author and journalist, George Orwell, in his essay, Shooting an Elephant, describes his experiences as a Policeman in Moulmein, Burma during European Imperialism. Orwell’s purpose is to convey the ideal that what is right and what is accepted don’t always align. He adopts a remorseful tone in order to convey to the reader the weight of his actions. By looking at George Orwell’s use of imagery and figurative language, one can see his strongly conflicting opinions on Imperialism.

In The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie, Alexie states “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike” (Alexie 364). I would have to disagree with this statement. He is making it sound like just because he is a minority that received somewhat of an education, he should be feared by others. I believe that anyone who is smart and forceful in a community is dangerous because they have the willpower to go to any lengths to uphold their beliefs. On the other hand, I also believe that just because you are smart, you don’t necessarily have to be feared. I understand the Alexie is stating that Indian’s are tough, but this does not equate to being feared in a community.

In “Our Zombies, Ourselves” author James Parker speaks to moviegoers and monster fans about that slow-moving creature of horror known as the zombie. In the essay, he attempts to uncover the reason for the zombie’s sudden and extreme popularity. To do such a thing he unearths the history of the zombies in film, literature, video games, and other media, and he sheds some light on their real origins – which all lead him to the conclusion that zombies are popular because of their “ex-personhood” (345). Throughout the essay Parker uses analytic language peppered with metaphors, description, and colorful references to some of the latest and greatest depictions of zombies, which help to bring the essay and the monsters to life and keep the audience’s interest.

Alexie uses parallel sentence structure, utilizing “I cannot remember the plot,” “I cannot recall which particular Superman comic book.” Alexie then puts the reader in a heightened state and says, “What I can remember is this,” insinuating what’s about to be said is tectonic. The author then discusses how poor the boy is through ambiguous rhetoric about the family’s financial situation, using “most”, “usually”, and “irregular,” although in the last sentence the author excludes ambiguity, and displays precisely what situation the boy is in: “We lived on a combination of irregular paychecks, hope, fear, and government surplus food,” he states. The boy discusses how he is proud of his father and how he strives to be like him someday. He insults the Indians intellect, saying his father was one of “the few indians who went to Catholic school on purpose.” He implies that if Indians went to Catholic school, it was a mistake. He discusses how his father is obsessed with and devoted to reading by using enumeratio; the boy chops and breaks down every aspect of what his father reads, how his father buys his books, and how his father stores his books using a laundry list of

“I ran to the bookstores and read bits and pieces of as many books as I could,” stated the document. This quote explains the joyful part of the ability to read in which Alexie had. “I loved these books, but I also knew that love had only one purpose. I was trying to save my life,” also stated Alexie. In addition to understanding his hardships, Alexie also understood, once he started reading, that he was trying to save his life. This can take part of the desperation part in the quote that has been frequently mentioned. Understanding your Indian setbacks and also understanding that reading is going to save your life play hand in hand. For example, since he knew that if he didn’t persevere in learning to read and continuing to do so, his setbacks could prevent his life from going anywhere, therefore he had to continue reading so he could “save his life.” Now, he may have eventually learned to read later on in his years, but it very well may have been too late for him, which is why he needed to get an early start on the learning

There must have been visiting teachers. Who were they? Where are they now? Do they exist? I visit the schools as often as possible. The Indian kids crowd the classroom. Many are writing their own poems, short stories, and novels. They have read my books. They have read many other books. They look at me with bright eyes and arrogant wonder. They are trying to save their lives.” Although Sherman Alexie’s success seems as if it has only opened up doors for himself it did not, it opened up doors for other Indian kids that are still on the reservation. When Sherman Alexie wrote his books and poems the kids on the reservation read them. They gave them hope, he gave them a reason to fight for their lives the way he did. Those kids too started to write their own short stories and found the same joy in learning that Sherman Alexie did. Sherman Alexie would go to the school and share stories, making learning fun. He has now opened up doors to millions of other kids, even kids who are not on the reservation. In “Superman and Me” Sherman Alexie reached his maximum potential by breaking down the doors that stood in his way. Just as in real life and “Superman and Me” there are many closed doors, blocking the paths of kids all over the

The anecdote drew in my attention, not because of a personal connection, but because of the story’s strange plot. The nature of the story tempted me to read on; a boy describing how he connected letters on a page to visual diagrams. I have never read a story about someone describing their first experience with reading, maybe because nobody recalls how or when they first learned how to read. After one receives the skill of reading it becomes second nature. However, my attention was lost in the extensive detail. While the example, the anecdote, was aimed to build a connection to the reader, I found myself anticipating the end of the story rather than enjoying its imagery.

Superman’s Song, written as a eulogy, expresses more than respect for a fallen Superhero; it voices Robert’s grief, thereby creating pathos, at the passing of a great man: “And sometimes I despair the world will never see another man like him.” Roberts expresses not only his own “despair” but the “world's” despair of having lost Superman. Honest men are rare. Rarer yet are men of virtue, men of integrity, and men of compassion. Superman was such a man. He had the “strength” to “smash through any bank,” but would not. His morals remained intact. Instead, he strove to help those around him and worked selflessly to fight against the evils. It would be almost impossible to find someone that selfless today. Everyone is so indulged in getting the best for themselves, and wanting to see themselves on the top, that they tend not be compassionate in the way Superman was. Therefore grief and sorrow are depicted over the fact that the world would never see another Superman, especially with all the good men going into hiding.