Jenessa Bjork
Professor Mosher
English comp. 2
April 17, 2016
Paragraphs in one big long essay
“The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” written by Sherman Alexie and copyrighted in 1998 is a short story. The short story describes Alexie's life as an Indian boy and how writing and reading shaped his life into what it is today. This piece of writing talks about how he first learned how to read, and his intelligence as a young Indian boy, and Alexie as an adult teaching creative writing to other Indian children. In the first paragraph, Alexie describes that he first learned to read with one of the Superman comic book. Before he could read the comic, he taught himself about paragraphs, how they relate to the real world. He even thought
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of everything as paragraphs such as his reservation he lived on, was a paragraph to the United Sates, his family as an essay of paragraphs where each of his family members were being a paragraph. He then taught himself how to read the text by looking at the pictures and dialogue and pretending to say aloud what he thinks the story might be saying.
Alexie learned quickly compared to his Indian classmates struggled to read basic words and vocabulary. The words he used in his story where: "I refused to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky." Indian children were often stereotypically supposed to fail in the classroom, most did. Alexie was smart, and the Indians who weren't, scorned him. He goes on to say “Those who failed were ceremonially accepted by other Indians”, therefore those who excelled weren’t. Alexie loved to read so much that he would read everything he possibly could, even if some weren't books. He now visits schools to teach creative writing to Indian kids. Many of the children read his books and write their own, they want to learn and succeed. Unfortunately, there some of the children have already given up and sit in the back row and ignore him while he speaks. He is trying to open the minds and encourage the children who have given up to write. This short but powerful story explains the struggles Alexie and his Indian peers have encountered on the way to success in a non-Indian environment. Alexie surpasses all the …show more content…
stereotypes and refuses to fail.
He also applies this to real world situations and excels in being an author. I think Alexie talks a little bit about how hard it was growing up as an Indian in a non-Indian world and how he also surpasses the fact he is Indian and succeeds in being the author he is today. I’ve gained knowledge from Alexie through his story “Superman and Me” such as his methods of learning how to read, his "refusing to fail" attitude, took him far. I think Alexie's reading methods to teach young children how to read could be very beneficial. He first learned the essay structure by comparing everything to paragraphs. I think that children will learn more effectively about essays if they learned the structure of a paper before reading and/ or writing one. That way they may not as confused on what a paper should always look like. With that said, by understanding the text, he was able to look at the picture and guess what the person or persons was saying and/or doing. Also, the children should first learn the letters and what they mean before trying to guess the sentence. Strongly and unlike many of the other Indian children, Alexie refused to fail in school. I don’t think any child no matter their ethnicity should ever give up but instead keep a positive attitude and always have the type of attitude Alexie had
growing up. Everyone should be saying things such as Alexie did like, "I refuse to fail. I am smart. I am arrogant. I am lucky." When Alexie grew up he became a writer, possibly he thought he should give back to the Indian children who weren't as lucky as him. He graciously started to teach creative writing at Indian schools, and helped the struggling children push through. Even though many took advantage of the opportunity, some didn't. Alexie doesn't give up on the children as they have already given up on themselves. He obviously cares more than enough to wants them to succeed as he has. Alexie is truly a great author and teacher. I now have a new perspective on how reading and writing can/ has affect our lives. After all, we all are just paragraphs in one big long essay.
What if all of a sudden your life changed and the next thing you know you find out you have magic in you. What would you do? who would you trust? This is what happens to a fourteen year old boy named Zachary Harriman in Hero by Mike lupica. Hero by Mike lupica is full of twists and turns and is a really good book. It all starts when Zach’s dad dies in a mysterious plane crash. Zach begins to investigate about his dad’s mysterious death because even though the police have concluded it was an accident he thinks otherwise. Throughout this book Zach learns a lot and overcomes and fails some challenges but is stronger in the end. Hero by Mike lupica is a really great book because of three things
As I grew up learning to read was something I learned in school, yet for Sherman Alexie and Malcolm X can’t say the same. These two amazing authors taught themselves, at different stages of their lives, to read. In Sherman Alexie’s essay “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” and Malcolm X’s essay “Learning to Read” they both explain the trials and experiences they went through that encouraged them to work to achieve literacy.
Living in hard conditions, can make the person understand the world better. Being disabled, can create from the person a novelist. Hearing another stories, can help the person to live satisfy. Learning history, can teach the person to be unjudged. Embodiment the author to his real experience in some of his stories, consider as the most tentacles talk that can touch reader's heart. Because he lived, heard, learned, embodied, and according to all of his written, Sherman Alexie classified as the most successful writer who his words represent the reality. The story “Flight Patterns,” which was written by Sherman Alexie was representing some perspectives from his own life, like being Native American, and person with disability. The story also was about the severe problems people in this world have with profiling. It doesn’t matter if you’re White, Black, Indian, Spanish, Muslim, Jewish, rich, or even poor everyone does it. The two character I would like to focus on in this story is called William and Fekadu.
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
He says, “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 says this as an understatement to tell the reader the importance, but he actually is really smart. Alexie is a man who tells important events, but does not dramatise the events in his life and make people unable to focus on the true message of his essay, which is not how smart he
The main character of this book is Susan Caraway, but everyone knows her as Stargirl. Stargirl is about 16 years old. She is in 10th grade. Her hair is the color of sand and falls to her shoulders. A “sprinkle” of freckles crosses her nose. Mostly, she looked like a hundred other girls in school, except for two things. She didn’t wear makeup and her eyes were bigger than anyone else’s in the school. Also, she wore outrageous clothes. Normal for her was a long floor-brushing pioneer dress or skirt. Stargirl is definitely different. She’s a fun loving, free-spirited girl who no one had ever met before. She was the friendliest person in school. She loves all people, even people who don’t play for her school’s team. She doesn’t care what others think about her clothes or how she acts. The lesson that Stargirl learned was that you can’t change who you are. If you change for someone else, you will only make yourself miserable. She also learned that the people who really care about you will like you for who you are. The people who truly love you won’t ask you to change who you are.
In Sherman Alexie's “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” the focus is on his struggle growing up poor on the reservation. Many people would have assumed that he was a child prodigy because he taught himself to read at an early age through his hero Superman’s comic book. Reading was the escape from his life of fences on the reservation. Despite the expectations for the children by their tribal elders, he demonstrated his love of the learning process and used the opportunities of the schools to free himself from the reservation; this made him a dangerous Indian. He dealt with the bullies of the school who made sure every Indian child followed the creed o...
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
In the essay “Everything Now” Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers, author Steve McKevitt blames our unhappiness on having everything we need and want, given to us now. While his writing is compelling, he changes his main point as his conclusion doesn’t match his introduction. He uses “want versus need” (145) as a main point, but doesn’t agree what needs or wants are, and uses a psychological theory that is criticized for being simplistic and incomplete. McKevitt’s use of humor later in the essay doesn’t fit with the subject of the article and comes across almost satirical. Ultimately, this essay is ineffective because the author’s main point is inconsistent and poorly conveyed.
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.
Alexie was grew up in the Indian culture but unlike Sa he willingly leaves. Alexie specifically showcases the changes in his life throughout the structure of his text; through the idea of education. He wanted a chance to have more opportunities then what was given to him on the Indian Reservation. The structure of Alexies piece was specific and purposeful due to the fact that it truncated his life into years; the years of education. The audience is aware of the thematic shift in the seventh year when he “...kissed the white girl”(Alexie). The shift between his time on the reservation and his resilience through taking matters into his own hands despite the backlash he received through growing up. Alexie knew that he didn’t want to leave his culture willingly behind but it was something that he had to do in order to change his life and take charge of it like an “Indian” would
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian showed all of the problems that arose in Junior’s journey. From poverty and alcoholism to bulimic semi-girlfriends, he had so many excuses to stop, but the passion of his dreams pushed him forward. Like a hero, Junior continued, determined to do well and build a greater future for himself. An example that showed Junior’s passion for education and desire to achieve his goals was when he threw an old geometry textbook at his teacher: “My school and my tribe are so poor and sad that we have to study from the same dang books our parents studied from. That is absolutely the saddest thing in the world…My hopes and dreams floated up in a mushroom cloud” (Alexie, 31). Junior clearly understood his disadvantaged education and he was very upset about it. He longed for a better education. Junior was passionate about education, because it would allow him to achieve his goals and break the depressing pattern he was trapped in. Bravery and determination are caused by passion, and heroes are very passionate about their actions. Passion clearly drove Junior when he walked to school, since he said, “Getting to school was always an adventure…Three times I had to walk all the way home. Twenty-two miles. I got blisters each time” (Alexie, 87). Putting all of this effort into simply going to school, Junior must have had
Reading a book is a great entertainment, but more importantly, it gives you more knowledge to learn. In a short story entitled “Superman and me” by Sherman Alexie, he discussed how it’s like to be in a minority, or an Indian in a non-Indian world, and how reading helped him get through it. Growing up, his father influenced him into reading books. Due to this he started to teach himself how to read and gained more knowledge. Though he is smart, it was hard for him to be noticed, “Indian children were expected to be stupid,” because of this he worked hard and proved the majority what he is capable of. Alexie’s passion in reading had helped himself and his fellow man rise against all the discrimination and be accepted by
Although the greater picture is that reading is fundamental, the two authors have a few different messages that they seek to communicate to their audiences. “The Joy of Reading and Writing” depicts how reading serves as a mechanism to escape the preconceived notions that constrain several groups of people from establishing themselves and achieving success in their lifetimes. “Reading to Write,” on the other hand, offers a valuable advice to aspiring writers. The author suggests that one has to read, read, and read before he or she can become a writer. Moreover, he holds an interesting opinion concerning mediocre writing. He says, “Every book you pick has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones” (p.221). Although these two essays differ in their contents and messages, the authors use the same rhetorical mode to write their essays. Both are process analyses, meaning that they develop their main argument and provide justification for it step by step. By employing this technique, the two authors create essays that are thoughtful, well supported, and easy to understand. In addition, Alexie and King both add a little personal touch to their writings as they include personal anecdotes. This has the effect of providing support for their arguments. Although the two essays have fairly different messages, the authors make use of anecdotes and structure their writing in a somewhat similar
For as long as man has walked the earth, so has evil. There may be conflicting moral beliefs in this world, but one thing is universally considered wrong: serial killers. Although some people may try to use insanity as an explanation for these wicked people, they cannot explain away the heartlessness that resides in them. As shown in The Stranger Beside Me, infamous serial killer Ted Bundy is no exception to this. Even though books about true crimes may be considered insensitive to those involved, the commonly positively reviewed book The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule handles the somber issue of Ted Bundy’s emotionally destructive early life and the brutal crimes he committed that made people more fearful and aware of the evil that can exist in seemingly normal people well.