Analyzing Sherman Alexie's Poem 'The Limited'

The protagonist of the poem is Rosa Parks, a seamstress and an active member in the local NAACP, who refused to give up her seat for a white man. Parks was arrested, which led to a boycott against Montgomery bus system. As a result of more than one year of boycott, the segregation law was announced unconstitutional.

First, In the memoir by Alexie the overall purpose was to indicate how being able to read afforded him the ability to overcome intense social and cultural pressures that were imposed upon him merely because of his race. I believe Alexie was able capture the aforementioned purpose of his work in a clear and impactful way. For instance, early on he stated that how he had discovered what a paragraph was even before being able to read. Moreover, he stated that “[t]he words inside a paragraph worked together for a common purpose. They had some specific reason for being inside the same fence.” (Alexie 1). Thus, the statement by Alexie was designed to invoke the thought process of the reader and guide them through his experience in

Sherman Alexie the author of the essay "The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me" was born and raised on a Spokane Indian Reservation. Growing up, his family did not have a lot of money, yet today Alexie is known as one of the most prominent Native American writers. Alexie reminisces on his childhood when he first taught himself how to read. In the essay "The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me" Sherman Alexie suggests, that for Native Americans reading is the key to education and education is the key to prosperity in life.

Alexie precisely provides his reading process to the audience. On the other hand, it also proves that he breaks the block of lacking knowledge. In fact, “the Superman” refers to himself. Alexie asserts his point that he transforms his destiny from poverty to success by reading, and he retells his experience to other Indian boys to save their lives instead of enduring in a tough situation. Accordingly, he regards himself as hero, for he saves both those Indian boys’ lives and his own life. Moreover, when Alexie repeats the sentence of “breaking down the door”, it relates to he attempts to break through the obstacle of education. He does not obtain a decent education background; however, he can change this circumstance by reading.

Individuals have been brought to believe that the only way to end their griefs and sorrows is to end their lives. Though suicide has become a detriment and devastating issue, it has not been presumed to be an effortless or painless act. In society, people become their own threats as they tend to isolate themselves from others which often increases this devastating issue of unsubstantial pain and long-suffering. In the poem, Tuesday 9:00 am, by Denver Butson, individuals are unable to speak and move because of their own specific problems which are burdening them and their ability to help others. The poet is enforcing the idea that individuals need to open up their eyes and be aware of others relentless despair and their struggle to reach out.

The Poem “Introduction to Poetry” is by Billy Collins, an English poet, and it is about how teachers often force students to over-analyze poetry and to try decipher every possible meaning portrayed throughout the poem rather than allowing the students to form their own interpretation of the poem based on their own experiences.

As he grew up to become a writer, we see pain in the story he tells. “I loved those books, but I also knew that love had only one purpose. I was trying to save my life” (pg.18). Alexie wanted to be someone greater than what others expected him to be. People would put him down constantly, but he fought back just as much. He tried to save himself from the stereotypes of being just another dumb Indian. He had more determination to prove others wrong when it came too exceeding in reading to further excel in his daily life.

Alexie wants to show how he is affected by racism in his time and how even though there have been laws passed not to discriminate against people. Whenever police brutality is a main issue in today's era, then that means that racism has not been resolved. Alexie is proving the issue and proving that it has permanently scarred people to where they can’t fall asleep knowing they will be okay in the morning. Whereas the people that are causing this to people of colored decent, sleep as if nothing had happened to them and they are not even realizing how much hurt they are causing other people.

In the novel Reservation Blues, Sherman Alexie uses a great deal of symbolism. What may come across as just an object actually has a meaning. From specifically Robert Johnson’s guitar to the vast population shown dealing with alcoholism, Alexie creates a deeper meaning of the novel. The most well represented symbol in the novel is Robert Johnson’s guitar.

Alexie also refuses to capitalize the first word of each new line, thus further abandoning the poetical structure of the so-called "enemy." In other words, Alexie's verse is free and independent of classical traditions. Like his people, upon whom he meditates in the poem, Alexie's words are unruled by any of the conventions of the white people whom Alexie

In the final paragraph, Alexie revisits his former school. Now a successful writer, he comes back and assists the kids that are in the same place he was in

There is dark humor in this essay. He does this to make it be serious and have people see his pain from his memories. Alexie leads his humor on people who make his life miserable. “Betty Towle, missionary teacher, redheaded and so ugly that no one ever had a puppy crush on her made me stay in for recess fourteen days straight ( Sherman Alexie)” Then he describes her as a witch when he draws a picture of her. Bringing back this memories calms the pain he felt and it also adds a humorous feature of his teachers. In first grade he describes the names his bullies would name him “Cries Like A White Boy” which brings a dark humor. His humor involves on his life being Native American.

I chose Tillie Olsen for my posting. She received wide critical acclaim for her style and as a spokeswoman for the poor, the oppressed, and the “detested” people of America. She wrote about the lives of immigrants, coal miners, Midwestern farm laborers, sewer workers, slaughterhouse workers, and more. She also wrote about people she knew and lived with. Tillie was born in Nebraska from Russian immigrant parents. Her education stopped at the eleventh grade, but Tillie went to the public library to continue her education. Then, at eighteen years old, she began to write. Tillie wrote poems and short fiction stories about the rough lives of workers, African-Americans, women, strikers, the poor, and more. Moreover, she won recognition for those

Ted Kooser, the thirteenth Poet Laureate of the United States and Pulitzer Prize winner, is known for his honest and accessible writing. Kooser’s poem “A Spiral Notebook” was published in 2004, in the book Good Poems for Hard Times, depicting a spiral notebook as something that represents more than its appearance. Through the use of imagery, diction, and structure, Ted Kooser reveals the reality of a spiral notebook to be a canvas of possibilities and goes deeper to portray the increasing complexities in life as we age.

The phrase that Alexie repeats is, “I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky. I was trying to save my life.” Alexie first introduces this point when he is talking about how he was growing up on the reservation and wanted to succeed in life and was trying to escape the depressing life on the Native American reservation. The constant pressure of the society setting ridiculous standards and typical expectations, the author is impacted throughout his childhood whether he should follow every other Indian child. Sherman Alexie knows he has the power to fulfill his dream, but struggles whether to use the power and come out of the emblematic way his people are looked at. “Where they are expected to fail in the non-Indian world. Those who failed were ceremonially accepted by other Indians and appropriately pitied by non-Indians.” The author was impacted to live either a pitied life just like every else, or to make a decision to stand up, and make a turnover the tradition of failure. Later in the story he goes to a Native American reservation and attempts to make a breakthrough with the students. At this point he repeats the same phrase, however, he changes it to, “I am smart. I am arrogant. I am lucky. I am trying to save our