Summary Of Superman And Me

Sherman is attempting to save children’s lives by teaching them the importance of education and not all students take advantage of that. In the story Superman and Me Sherman mentioned, “They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help.” These students may feel different when a non-indian teacher asks for things because it might be out of their comfort zone. Also, Indian children are expected to fail to be accepted by other Indians in school. He also said in the story, “Then there are the sullen and already defeated Indian kids who sit in the back rows and ignore me with theatrical precision.” The ones that have taken the path away from success are not accepting they they can make a comeback

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.

“Coming of Age in Mississippi”, a memoir by Anne Moody, details her life story from childhood through her years at college as a young adult in the prime of the civil rights movement in the rural southern United States. This book was first published by Bantam Dell Publishing in 1968, and has been deemed a classic in its recount of Moody’s personal and political struggles against racism as an African American female in the South. I believe this book’s subject matter is social in nature, and deals with many issues including race, class, gender and politics. With the above mentioned, it is my belief that this book is very relative to the social sciences field.

In the essay “Superman and Me”, the author, Sherman Alexie recalls the time he first learned to read. He talks about his Indian culture and the perception of people like himself. He also discusses his childhood and the outcome of learning to read. The reoccurring theme of the essay is the love of reading. The author used various literacy devices to express the feelings of empowerment, happiness and the necessity that came with learning to read. Alexie uses repetition, metaphors and imagery to convey these feelings and support the main idea.

Reading "Superman and Me" gave me conflicting feelings. Of course, the tale of a young boy striving to succeed in and environment where he is nearly required to fail is thrilling, yet it really makes you think of the environment itself. He was a young Indian child living on a reservation; however, he recognized that he was an intelligent person. Others around him tried to quiet him because Indian children were supposed to be dumb. Sherman Alexie wanted more out of life.Sherman Alexie used many different rhetorical devices throughout his story. The number one device that caught my attention was repetition. Throughout the whole story he used repetition, but the major one I discovered was in paragraph three. He used "the purpose of a paragraph"

Dorothy L Sayers once said, ‘Those who prefer their English sloppy have only themselves to thank if the advertisement writer uses his mastery of the vocabulary and syntax to mislead their weak minds.” Syntax is a set of rules in a language that dictates how words from different parts of speech are put together in order to convey a complete thought. In Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie, combines simple sentences and enumeration in order to initiate understanding of his difficult Native up bringing with his audience.

Alexie, Sherman, “Superman and Me: The Joy of Reading and Writing.” Los Angeles Times, 19

I agree with Michael Uslan where he argues that superhero characters are a modern mythology. Although science can help explain the background of the superheroes powers, superheroes are usually regarded as a Saviour rather than a science experiment. Since superheroes are much more unrealistic, it tends towards being a mythology instead.

The documentary relates to the United States in the way of that the public school system is broken. Government and political officials have repeatedly promised to correct the public school system and have failed to deliver. Programs such as the no child left behind act and standardized tests have been created to correct this system. But these programs and tests actually hurt this system since they are based on a narrow curriculum not measuring an individual student 's skills and talents. Other issues which are mentioned in the documentary and affect our country are teachers unions and tenure. Teachers unions refuse to reward good teachers who actually aid our nation 's students so they are able to succeed. The tenure system legislated by the American Association of University Professors in 1900, keeps teachers who hinder the education and performance of students from being fired. Which leaves students to fail and these teachers with no repercussions. Such as in New York, between 2006 and 2011 only 32 out of 132,000 teachers were fired for any reason.

Education has been a major influence on government policy and social standards concerning American youth. With hard work and education, one can better themselves and open up more opportunities for financial and social success. Waiting for Superman directed by Oscar winner, Davis Guggenheim, counters that the current education system is failing students by limiting their upward mobility, particularly among minority and low income groups. The documentary advocates for a radical change in the modern education system, modeled after charter school curriculums. Even though these successful schools produce great students many children, majority African American and Hispanic, are being left behind. In Maya Angelou’s

To Kill a Mockingbird is an important text worthy of all the recognition it received in the time following its original publication.

In Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie, Alexie’s father’s love for books grew to make his self-love books ending up in Alexie teaching himself how to read.

Life is full of doors, some are open and some are closed. There comes a time when sealed doors need to be broken open so everyone can reach their maximum potential and goals in life, just like Sherman Alexie did in “Superman and Me.” An example of Sherman Alexie breaking down doors is one of his quotes from “Superman and Me,” “this might be an interesting story all by itself. A little Indian boy teaches himself to read at an early age and advances quickly. He reads Grapes of Wrath in kindergarten when other children are struggling through Dick and Jane. If he’d been anything an Indian boy living on the reservation he might have been called a prodigy. But he is an Indian boy living on the reservation and is simply an oddity.” Sherman Alexie

In this book report I will talk about the book “The outsiders” written by S.E. Hinton, I will do a review of the story, the point of view, theme, symbols and my opinion about this book I really liked to read for the English class.

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.