Superman And Me By Sherman Alexie Analysis

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

Fear plays an important role in how we act and what we do. There are many examples on ways that people react to fear irrationally. Fear is a great strategy if used right. The fact about fear is that if evidence is present, true or false, people tend to react and believe it out of impulse. They think and act before they use common sense. Sometimes without even thinking, people face their fears of a certain situations that lead them no choice but to be courageous in a feared situation.

In The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me, Sherman Alexie shares with his audience his story of when he learned to read at a young age through a Superman comic book. Through stories and memories of his childhood he explains how Indian children on reservations were expected not to try in school and fail in the non-Indian world. In order to successfully portray his ideas, Alexie uses many rhetorical techniques and ideas. By using these techniques the audience is forced to look more into the writing instead of just being giving the direct meaning of what Alexie is trying to share.

Based on the article “The Thematic Paradigm” by Robert B. Ray, there are two kinds of heroes that are America’s favorite. The official hero and the outlaw hero and, both heroes have mirrored the American significance in many ways. The official hero is the one who behaves within the law. The official hero includes the law in their tasks and, helps create new laws for the future. The outlaw hero is the type of hero who takes matter into their own hands. The fictional superheroes Superman and Batman are two classical examples that are in accordance to Ray 's meaning of an official hero and an outlaw hero. The Thematic Paradigm makes it simple to understand the characteristics Americans look for in their heroes, Superman as the official and Batman

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

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.

Since he was unable to read, all he could do was look at his father’s books and admire them. As a result, an epiphany occurred and he was able to clearly comprehend the meaning of a paragraph, even though he didn’t know the technical term “paragraph”. Alexie began to see his world as in relation to paragraphs. At the same time, he began looking at Superman comic books, which displayed pictures that described the actions that were written. He would describe what the figure was doing and “read” it as though those were the words that were printed. From that point forward, Alexie fell in love with

In the words of Steve Lopez, “You're only as good or bad as your latest attempt to make some connection with the world.” The novel, The Soloist, by Steve Lopez is an insight to Lopez’s time helping and connecting with Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless schizophrenic. When Lopez meets Nathaniel he is awed by his musical talent and soon discovers he once attended Julliard, a prestigious school of performing arts. Lopez’s story was transformed into a film produced in 2008. Lopez’s character in the book and film share similarities and differences in his personal life, attitude towards Nathaniel, and struggles that contribute to the overall theme of the novel.

By using anecdotes, ethos, and anaphora, Sherman Alexie convinces the audience that anyone can achieve their goals even if the odds are against them. He does so by placing the audience into his childhood to display how he has worked hard and surpassed the barriers that worked against him. Therefore proving, when people work hard they can accomplish marvelous

When Alexie realized what the purpose of a paragraph was, he felt delighted and experienced happiness. “I didn’t have the vocabulary to say “paragraph,” but I realized that a paragraph was a fence that held words…This knowledge delighted me” (Alexie 583). With learning the definition of the word “paragraph”, the author’s curiosity of reading increased. The author also began to see his family as paragraphs (Alexie 583). This demonstrates the nurturing in Alexie’s imagination. The logic of comparing everything to a single word allows readers to understand one of the ways in which the author taught himself to

The first time one is able to comprehend the meaning of a word is a momentous childhood moment that is forever engraved in one’s memory. Books and reading are significantly impactful to people’s lives; Mark Twain said that, “books are for people who wish they were somewhere else.” This statement is apropo for Sherman Alexie, who was a Native American living on a reservation during the time he learned to read. Sherman Alexie convinces his audience that an education is crucial to being successful by using personal anecdotes to captivate and create a connection with his audience and repetition to reiterate the importance of having an education.

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

This story is about a tall man who has tattoos on his right arm and back, who is skinny with black hair. He is very respectful and gets along with everyone. Also, he is very nice. He can make his own powers and has a sword on his back of his costume who has money to go to Six Flags at first, but then something happens to his friend and wastes the money on him, but at the same time helps his friend out by using his powers he made at his lab.

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.

I read books late into the night, until I could barely keep my eyes open… I loved those books, but I also knew that love had only one purpose. I was trying to save my life.” Being like Sherman Alexie meant he was neither accepted as a smart non-Indian boy, nor was he accepted as a dumb Indian boy. He was lost in the shadows, to never be welcomed into either group. Which in his case was a good thing, there in the shadows he had even more time to gain intelligence, he could read and increase his likelihood of forcing open the cement door that stood in his way. He refused to fail because he was brilliant and willful. “I cannot recall a single time that a guest teacher visited the