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Sherman Alexie's Superman And Me

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Analysis of “Superman and me” “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and me” is a very interested story written by Sherman Alexie. Alexie was a motivated 3 year old Spokane Indian boy from the Washington State reservation, who loved to read. He learn how to read from looking through Superman comic books and assuming the picture were meaning a certain thing. The little boy and his family grew up on an Indian reservation, and was label as middle class people in accordance to the reservation standards. Growing up on this reservation the little boy was told that Native American should be dumb and unintelligent. He never fell into that stereotype, he didn’t act like the other students when he was told to be quiet. He stated that “I am smart, I am arrogant, I am lucky, and I am trying to save our lives.” His Father loved to read his books, and his love for his father motivated him to read as well. From him following his Father step he later …show more content…

He knew from being a smart Indian he would be consider a dangerous person, but also knew it would make him an outsider. In order for him to be accepted by the Indians, he knew that he had to fail in life. Alexie refuses to accept that lifestyle, and states that “I refused to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky.” (Alexie, p. 585) Alexie wanted more for himself and didn’t want to be labelled as a dumb Indian, like everyone expected him to be. He wanted to learn and didn’t care if he had to fight his classmates every day. Another thing to take in this essay is, Alexie love for his Father. Alexie Father was a positive role model for him, and that made him want to be just like his Father. If his Father never had a love for books the way he did, then who knows where Alexie might have ended up. Maybe his expectations would have been a little different? Maybe he would have just been labelled as a dumb

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