Superman And Me Analysis

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

For example, “I can remember picking up my father’s books before I could read. The words themselves were mostly foreign, but I still remember the exact moment when I first understood, with a sudden clarity, the purpose of a paragraph.”(Pg. 16) Despite Sherman’s young age, he also recognized the reality and upcoming challenges as a result of his passion. Sherman goes on to explain, “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike. I fought with my classmates on a daily basis.” The challenges of being an accelerated child had been ever apparent, but that only further motivated Sherman, “I refused to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky. I read books late into the night, until I could barely keep my eyes open.” (Pg. 17) Furthermore, Sherman had continued the path and was determined to succeed regardless of what society decided for him because after all, he’d recognized how society saw him and others alike. “We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid. Most lived up to those expectations inside the classroom but subverted them on the outside.” (Pg. 17) A statement that didn’t settle well with him and he’d known this wasn’t the life for