Waiting For Superman Ethos

Many children will be born in poor regions and low income areas around the world and may not ever be presented with the opportunity for a decent education. Sherman Alexie brings this fact to the reader’s attention on a personal level in his short story “Superman and Me”. This story follows a young Indian boy into his struggle of illiteracy and acceptance from his peers and friends. Alexie was able to focus the reader’s attention and convey much of his feelings into his written words because the story was about him and his own personal experiences. “Superman and Me” projects a message to the reader, that when faced with adversity, and when all odds are against you, willpower and determination can overcome even the toughest of obstacles.

After reading “Superman and Me,” the reader may realize that the story is an account of the affect reading had on Alexie’s whole life. In turn this leads to the discovery of the story’s theme. The theme of Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me” is that education is valuable, and culture or background do not correlate to

During the 1960's, Black African Americans had to face multiple social conditions and attitudes. Many were living in poverty or low-income communities, with either no education or very limited education. This certain community during this time period was neglected, rejected, and disrespected by the American society. In Martin Luther King's book "Why We Can't Wait", he uses rhetorical strategies and devices like parallelism, repetition, imagery, and rhetorical questions in order to seek social change in the United States.

There is one major problem with them though; there are never enough enrollment slots to accommodate all children. Therefore as stated earlier, most of these children’s futures are determined by luck alone. The finale of the film is a heartbreaking scene. The viewer watches as all five children along with their families wait to see if their numbers are called in the lotteries for a place in the charter school. Futures are determined by the drop of a ball rather than hard work and effort.

In the beginning of the essay, Alexie talks about how knowledge is a power that opens a window to success by using an anecdote about his personal experience with knowledge. As Alexie talks about his childhood in the beginning, he says, “We lived on a combination of irregular paychecks, hope, fear and government surplus food...” (Alexie). When Alexie discusses the conditions his family lived in, he is setting this frame of pity that makes the reader understand that education wasn’t the first thing on their mind, but what they we’re going to eat next. Later on in the beginning, Alexie explains how his father surrounded him with books and how his love for books started. His love for books was sparked from the love his father had for books. Alexie states this when he says, “...My father loved books...I loved my father...I decided to love books as well...” (Alexie). Alexie also explains how he didn’t understand at first when he first picked up a book but soon learned that “The words inside a paragraph worked together for a common purpose...this knowledge delighted me. I began to think of everything in terms of paragraphs...”(Alexie). This could be seen as a power because although he doesn’t understand, he’s learning how to understand what he’s reading and this could count as one of his first steps to success. As Alexie explains his personal experience with knowledge, he proves how he is an example of

Guggenheim's use of pathos in the film is horrible. Horrible in the sense that the audience is sucked into a black hole of empathy for these five families. There is Anthony the boy who lost his father to drugs. Bianca, the little girl who couldn't graduate. Daisy, the girl who has the brains but not the school. Francisco, so adorable it breaks you’re heart he can’t receive proper education. Emily, the one who is almost out of time. It’s not a coincidence all of these children have at least one challenging condition they live with everyday. Nor is it coincidence that every

Rhetorical Superheroes may be all around the world, but if you take a deeper look at all of them, some might stand out as a little more “super” to you. When I think about Rhetorical Superheroes, there is one off the top of my head that is important to me. His name is Jason Ren and he is currently a student at Harvard University. He was someone who made an impact in the community I group up in through powerful language expressed by his actions volunteering and helping others. I was fortunate enough to know Jason personally as he was a good friend of mine who I played soccer with for many years. We would hang out a lot and have shared many good memories with each other.

Educational systems in America are impaired, and the very educators that are meant to teach are the one’s pulling it down. That is the apparent message that Davis Guggenheim attempts to convey in his documentary “Waiting for Superman”. He uses many strategies to get his message across. Some of these include cartoons, children, and those reformers that are attempting to pull the system out of the ditch that it has found its way into. He makes his point very well, and uses facts and figures correctly. He does leave out some of the opinions of the opposing views, but it does not take away from his point that the educational system in America is in need of repair.

Within the article, Robert Coles shares experiences and quotes from a college junior who once told him, “I want to help kids I know.”(Robert Coles, pg.94) Cole believed he seemed both voluble and impassioned. As the college junior tutors in the ghetto, he teaches the children that there is a better life outside of the world they are currently living in, provided they study hard and receive a good education. The junior has a remarkable sense on what

“The Dark Knight,” a movie directed and produced by Christopher Nolan, depicts the way a system of justice deals with terrorism. If an archetype is defined as a symbol that exists instinctively in the collective consciousness of the human race, the terrorism in Batman The Dark Knight represents an archetype through the violence, murder of the innocent, mayhem and mass destruction. Governments often lay down laws and procedures for a country to function, and to avoid anarchy. The laws promote wellness, equality, and justice, but sometimes even these entities of justice are forced to break the law for a greater good. In contemporary U.S. history, President Barack Obama, the head of one of the most powerful

When the word school is mentioned, often, we first think about students and teachers. These two groups roughly describe the educational system. This assignment will focus on teachers as stakeholders in public school districts.

Waiting for "Superman" is based on different ethnicity, living environments, and the resources available to them for their education. Many of them are living in poverty, their parents might not have enough money to give them a great education. In the movie, we have five main characters. Their names are Daisy Esparza, from Los Angeles, Francisco Regalado, from the Bronx. We have Anthony, he is also from the Bronx, and lastly, Emily, who is from a suburb in California called Redwood City. They are trying their best to keep them on track in school and help them maybe one day get into college. This starts by the simple face, of taking consent care of them and putting attention on their children. It also shows how many teachers don't care about their student's such as the teacher that Francisco had. Her mother tried to get in contact to see Francisco's progress in reading. The teacher wouldn't answer any calls or any offices call from her. It shows the importance of tenure, which is a contract for teachers that had been there for ten years. They can't get fired over political views, and

In Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson,” she encourages Sylvia to look society in the eye and change what is expected of her. She exposes the inequality present within the United States’s society through the perspective of young African American children. Often, many are unwilling to acknowledge that they are a victim of poverty, leaving them in a state of ignorance, that will not promote any change. The story revolves around Sylvia, a young black girl, who finally has her eyes opened to her disadvantaged economic status. Real learning often occurs after a state of discomfort and confusion. Bambara takes Sylvia through a journey enlightening her through an uncomfortable juxtaposition of Harlem and Manhattan, her and her friends, and who she actually is and who she wants to be.

Michelle Rhee sees what the camera sees. She notices and acknowledges the current state of education systems in America and is actively advocating for education reform. In Davis Guggenheim's documentary, Waiting for Superman, the camera focuses on the emotions of a few students and their families to show the frustration and hardships they live through every single day. Geoffrey Canada represents one of many kids that grew up and are growing up in the ghetto that have high hopes of Superman sweeping down and rescuing them from the deepest depths. He shared a personal experience about if he had gone to one school, he would not be here today because the school was that bad. Rhee and Canada are credible sources for the documentary and they share, from some of their experiences, the struggles of parents trying and failing to get into great public schools. Also, the camera crew does a great job utilizing Pathos to resurface and emotional appeal multiple times throughout the documentary.

In the American public school system students are failing and society is doing nothing but taking a blind eye to the injustice. In the film, Waiting For Superman, director, Davis Guggenheim, investigates the various ways these schools are producing failing students in the United States. By following the stories of five children throughout the documentary we, the viewers, begin to take notice of the corrupt public school system as the children experience the inequalities of a low income school first hand. Guggenheim uses audio and pop-up animations to effectively argue his claim and motivate the audience to change the way public schools are being operated.