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At what age did you learn to read? Were you younger or were you older? In “Superman and Me”, Sherman Alexie describes the importance of learning how to read at a young age and how reading saved his life. Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me” uses rhetorical analysis effectively to show that by reading he became an example for Indians at the reservations by beating and conquering all of the stereotypes that were against Native Americans. Throughout the story “Superman and Me”, by Sherman Alexie, The author describes the scene of the family and the young boy in an Indian reservation where the main priority of the young children is not to receive an education but to work to help their families financially. Although that was
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The author, Sherman Alexie, is extremely effective through his use of ethos and ethical appeals. By sharing his own story of a sad, poor, indian boy, simply turning into something great. He establishes his authority and character to the audiences someone the reader can trust. “A little indian boy teaches himself to read at an early age and advances quickly…If he’d been anything but an Indian boy living in the reservations, he might have been called a prodigy.” Alexie mentions these two different ideas to show that he did have struggles and also to give the audience a chance to connect with his struggles and hopefully follow the same journey in becoming something great. By displaying his complications and struggles in life with stereotypical facts, Alexie is effective as the speaker because he has lived the live of the intended primary audience he is trying to encourage which would be young Indian …show more content…
The purpose of this story was to help other Indian children that are in the same position he is at to save their lives with reading. Why with reading though? Because reading is a basic skill of knowledge that will lead your to more and more intelligence. He shares in the last paragraph of his short story that there are two different students. The ones that are already saving their lives by reading his stories and fleeing to him when he comes to the reservations and those that have already given up and are defeated in the last row in the back of the class room. Sherman Alexie effectively states clearly “I am trying to save our lives.” He uses pathos, logos, and ethos effectively to describe his difficult life in the Indian reservations and how he persevered and strikes the world as an intelligent boy. Alexie says. “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike. We were indian children who were expected to be stupid.” Even though Alexie became and incredibly smart, he never became an of those things. He was known as an idol, trying to save the lives of young Indian children in the
Imagine growing up in a society where a person is restricted to learn because of his or her ethnicity? This experience would be awful and very emotional for one to go through. Sherman Alexie and Fredrick Douglas are examples of prodigies who grew up in a less fortunate community. Both men experienced complications in similar and different ways; these experiences shaped them into men who wanted equal education for all. To begin, one should understand the writers background. Sherman Alexie wrote about his life as a young Spokane Indian boy and the life he experienced (page 15). He wrote to encourage people to step outside their comfort zone and be herd throughout education. Similar to Alexie’s life experience, Fredrick
How White people assumed they were better than Indians and tried to bully a young boy under the US Reservation. Alexie was bullied by his classmates, teammates, and teachers since he was young because he was an Indian. Even though Alexie didn’t come from a good background, he found the right path and didn’t let his hands down. He had two ways to go to, either become a better, educated and strong person, either be like his brother Steven that was following a bad path, where Alexie chose to become a better and educated person. I believe that Alexie learned how to get stronger, and stand up for himself in the hard moments of his life by many struggles that he passed through. He overcame all his struggles and rose above them
Adjusting to another culture is a difficult concept, especially for children in their school classrooms. In Sherman Alexie’s, “Indian Education,” he discusses the different stages of a Native Americans childhood compared to his white counterparts. He is describing the schooling of a child, Victor, in an American Indian reservation, grade by grade. He uses a few different examples of satire and irony, in which could be viewed in completely different ways, expressing different feelings to the reader. Racism and bullying are both present throughout this essay between Indians and Americans. The Indian Americans have the stereotype of being unsuccessful and always being those that are left behind. Through Alexie’s negativity and humor in his essay, it is evident that he faces many issues and is very frustrated growing up as an American Indian. Growing up, Alexie faces discrimination from white people, who he portrays as evil in every way, to show that his childhood was filled with anger, fear, and sorrow.
In conclusion, Sherman Alexie created a story to demonstrate the stereotypes people have created for Native Americans. The author is able to do this by creating characters that present both the negative and positive stereotypes that have been given to Native Americans. Alexie has a Native American background. By writing a short story that depicts the life of an Indian, the reader also gets a glimpse of the stereotypes encountered by Alexie. From this short story readers are able to learn the importance of having an identity while also seeing how stereotypes are used by many people. In the end of the story, both Victor and Thomas are able to have an understanding of each other as the can finally relate with each other through Victor's father.
The personal challenge faced by Sherman Alexie in “Superman and Me” can be described as a hardship to change the view on the American Indian, or better yet educate his people towards the path of the pursuit of knowledge despite their circumstances. Against the odds of being born in an Indian reservation and the constant struggle of poverty Sherman Alexie surpassed the stereotype, he succeeded his dream and became a successful author. Overcoming the bondage of class and the place of your birth is a common theme in my life. Coming from Latvia to the USA, a country where I didn 't speak the language and didn 't have the know how of the education system has set me behind a lot in life but I persevered and have found success in my life step by step
American Indian students make up less than one percent of college or higher education students, and less than one third of American Indian students are continuing education after high school. In his memoir essay The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me, Sherman Alexie recalls learning to read, growing up on a reservation where he was expected to fail, and working tirelessly to read more and become a writer. Sherman Alexie had to overcome stereotypes in order to be accepted as smart and become a writer, which shows that it is harder for people who are stereotyped to be successful because they have less opportunities.
The pressures of society and many factors against us can at times seem impossible to overcome, however, these limitations are only the ones we place on ourselves. Whether it’s during the adolescent years as Sherman Alexie explained in “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me”, about the struggles of overcoming the stigma bound by his culture where “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike”, as well as having the courage to break free for his own benefit. In addition, this theme was also explored in the later years of adulthood as demonstrated in Malcolm X’s essay, “Learning to Read” where he’d become so frustrated while kept in prison, unable to quite express himself as he did
Growing up on an Indian reservation, Alexie knows how it feels to be expected to be undereducated and arrogant. Therefore, when he has the opportunity to help change that for the children currently living on the reservation, it is important to him that he succeeds. This quote shows just how hard he is trying even though they don’t want to lear. Alexie tells us about the children who just don’t care about education, “Then there are the sullen and already defeated Indian kids who sit in the back rows
In Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me”, the author discusses that with passion and motivation, one can succeed without talent. He was born an Indian with “irregular paychecks, hope, fear and government surplus food.” (Alexie 1) What allowed him to become more than an just an Indian was determined by the fervor of his “love [for] books.” (Alexie 1) He learns to read and understand “the purpose of a paragraph” (Alexie 1) and discerns everything into paragraphs. His refusal to “fail” (Alexie 2) led him to become a writer that goes to schools, teaching them something “beyond Indians.” (Alexie 3) Furthermore, he was faced with discrimination and overcomes it. The “sullen and already defeated Indian kids” (Alexie 3) is the effect of people without
The article “Superman and Me” took me back to my childhood years. I started questioning my-self. At what age I lost the interest to read and write? Where my professor encouraging their students to read? Was reading and writing mandatory to pass grade?
In the excerpt from Sherman Alexie’s novel, Alexie adopted the persona of an young boy named Junior. Junior’s blunt phrases such as, “What a bastard, huh?” demonstrate his comedic awkwardness but serve a greater purpose for the reader. Alexie’s use of Junior’s shocking remarks are meant to destigmatize Junior’s exposure of prejudice. Therefore, despite Junior’s blatant awkwardness, his sayings work to fulfill the writing’s ultimate purpose: to show the unfair treatment towards Native Americans.
In this novel the main character, Arnold but also goes by Junior, "betrays" his reservation by going to a "white" school but he is bullied because he had a big head and a little body. Since the novel is semi-autobiographical it shows what Alexie went through as a child. He was bullied by everyone, even the adults of the reservation. Alexie widely bases his writings on race and also makes an effort to include the stereotypes that play along with each race, such as in the poem Go, Ghost, Go. Within the poem Alexie calls a white professor rich and unjust while calling Indians red men and also stating brown people will attack other people. (Alexie, Pg 21) Alexie largely bases his writings on his past, especially the parts in which he spent on the reservation. (Poetry Society) Another reason for his style of writing may be the fact that he wants his readers to know about Native American
During the interview with Sherman Alexie, he states, “I had no idea that my small life could appeal to anybody.. And it was because of all the Native writers that came before me that made me realize that my story might be important”. As you can see, the Native American life can seem so insignificant and make so many feels as if they have no impact on the world. Born into an undersized Indian Reservation, Sherman Alexie felt as if he couldn't go after his dream of becoming a pediatrician, as he states in the KCTS9 interview. He knew that he had to leave the reservation and go to the white school so that he could go after his desires in life. Alexie was going to be making a big choice and understood he would be “playing against his own siblings
Sherman Alexie discusses throughout his article that reading saved his life. He was fascinated with books at a young age and this assisted him being jump started in his education. As and Indian child on a reservation, he was expected to not be very unintelligent because of the stereotype that
Sherman Alexie’s hobby guided his future, just like one of the hobbies I enjoy could guide mine. Sherman Alexie taught himself how to read after being inspired by his father. He said “ My father loved books, and since I love my father with an aching devotion, I decided to love books as well.” Sherman did not follow the trend that indian children were supposed to be stupid. Sherman said “ I fought with my classmates on a daily basis. They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-indian teachers asked for answers, for volunteers, for help.” When Sherman alexie says “ Our house is filled with books.” He is describing to the reader his passion for his hobby. As Sherman Alexie turned his hobby into a career as a writer, I hope to turn my hobby of