Essay On The Joy Of Reading And Writing Superman And Me

Why did it used to be uncommon for a Native American child to be smart for their age? It used to be characterized as being rare for Native American children to be smart. People underestimated them and their talents. In the essay, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me”, by Sherman Alexie, the main character admires his dad who loves to read so decides to face challenges and teach himself how to read with anything that he could lay his eyes on. The main character learns that there are many obstacles to climb when trying to learn how to read, which shows how having a role model can make a person have unlimited dedication.
The main character has a constant drive in him to learn to read. His father loves to read and if he comes up with spare money he will spend it on buying new books. The main character really loves his father so is determined to

overcome the challenges and teach himself how to read like his father does.

“My father loved books, and since I loved my father with an aching devotion, I decided to love books as well” (16). Alexie uses repetition by using the word “love” three times. His determination of learning came from him being inspired by his father. The main character also slowly got to harder levels of books. He first used comic books because they had pictures and the dialogue made them easier to read. “In one panel, Superman breaks through a door. His suit is red, blue, and yellow” (16). Alexie uses imagery by describing the colors on the Superman's suit. The main character learned to read by connecting pictures to words. He shows drive by doing something that is very hard and not giving up while doing it. Lastly, the main character started to read more than just books. He used the little vocabulary he had to see if he could read signs, mail,

newspapers, etc. “I read the books I borrowed from the library. I read the backs of cereal boxes. I read the newspaper. I read the bulletins posted on the walls of the school, the clinic, the tribal office, the post office. I read junk mail. I read auto-repair manuals. I read magazines. I read anything that had words and paragraphs. I read with equal parts joy and desperation” (18). Alexie uses repetition again by using the word “read” nine times. He shows a large amount of devotion by reading everything he could to get better. All of the things he did to get better at reading came from the love and inspiration he got from his dad.
The main character loves his father and wants to be like him. He admires his father and his devotion to read, so is determined to teach himself. It wasn’t easy for him to learn, but he wouldn't stop trying. He had the drive to not give up because he wanted to read complicated books just like his father. It was inspiring to learn about his drive of learning how to read.