The Joy Of Reading And Writing : Superman And Me, By Sherman Alexie

Through the course of reading nonfiction, I found that the greatest lesson I have learned is from Sherman Alexie. In his essay, “Superman and Me” he reflects on how reading has impacted his life from early on. Although he experiences great difficulty of growing up with a Native American heritage and possessing great intellect, Alexie refuses to be classified as a failure. He faces struggles throughout his childhood, but his passion for reading served as an escape from his issues. The lesson of Alexie’s essay is to not let the negative voices of our peers to affect the positive views we should have in ourselves and our capabilities. Our potential is not defined by what people think, but rather it is ultimately how we utilize their criticism

“I am smart. I am arrogant. I am lucky.” Wise words from a Spokane Indian boy named Sherman Alexie, who was not provided the same educational rights and opportunities as most Americans. He was born in Washington state on a Spokane reservation. People expected him to be dumb just because he was an Indian. Well that wasn't the case. He refused to be the stereotype Indian that society labeled him as. So at the age of three he taught himself how to read and write by analyzing a superman comic book. He faced tons of difficulties when trying to get his education. Difficulties such as teachers on the reservation refusing to teach him at the level he could learn at. Alexie was persuasive when informing his target audience that Indians should

Most of people think that writing and reading can just be learned in school but that is not always the case. Effectively, “Malcolm X” proves this in his essay titled “Prison Studies”, where we can experience a war that started between him and ignorance. In fact, he informs us in his essay that after he felt envy of Bimbi’s stock of knowledge, he decided to study, even if it was not maybe the right or the best place to do that.

“Learning to Read” by Malcolm X is an explanation of how Malcolm gained an education as he went from a criminal on the streets into a world admired speaker for African American civil rights. And by doing so, Malcolm’s writing in this piece is a transition of his life as the complexity of his writing transitions from everyday, easy to read vocabulary into convoluted expressions. The beauty of his writing seems as a timeline of his life as it allows the readers to follow Malcolm X through the overall structure of his piece and the choice of words.

Generally, every individual’s learning experience has its own inspiring and meaningful stories; a learning experience that has its own unique distinctions, interpretations, complications, sacrifices, has its endless possibilities, and most importantly, a learning experience that has its own effective action and optimistic option for execution. For example: In “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” Sherman Alexie highlights his enjoyment of reading and writing. He claims that as a kid, he reminds himself that he is a “smart Indian boy” even though it is not recognized on a reservation or even if non-Indian teachers believe that Indian children are stupid. Similarly, in “Learning to Read and Write,” Frederick Douglass demonstrates that slaves are entitled to have the same rights to learn about reading and writing as any other Americans. He testifies that his masters, including his fellow slaves believe that slavery and education were not compatible. Moreover, in “On Keeping a Notebook,” Joan Didion conveys that she masters writing through examining her own writing on a piece of a notebook about herself and other people. Likewise, in “Learning to Read,” Malcolm X expresses that books are his “Alma Mater” because he becomes proficient in writing in a course of copying every single word in a dictionary. He clarifies that he develops his skills in reading and writing despite the fact that he is an African-American prisoner.

In the the short story “ The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me”, written by Sherman Alexie, he goes to explain how he taught himself how to read by looking at comic book pictures. He would create the story by looking at the pictures and assuming that’s what it said. Alexie was a young boy living on an Indian reservation in Washington State with his family who were not as fortunate as others. His father had a desire for books, but soon Alexie had then gained a desire for books too. School on the Reservation was not as easy for him, he had to use whatever he could find in order to reach an education. He was motivated during the time of life when he was looked down on, and expected to fail. Alexie was smart, and did not want to live

Is success a coincidence or just destiny? For Pele, "Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do". In “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie, he illustrates his perseverance and hard work towards his love of reading and learning to read in order to be successful in his career as a writer. Through his use of past experience of learning to read, Alexie demonstrates his intelligence and use of determination in order to create an ethos of a writer to evoke motivation towards his audience.

This quote makes me think about the time that my English college professor at SAC had us read Native Son, by Richard Wright. Our professor would go over the reading with us in class and ask students how the book related to their lives. These discussions actually got me more interested in the book and now Native Son is my favorite book. I think that all teachers should try to have the students connect some way to the reading because that would make the reading even more enjoyable.

However, the memoir also makes it clear that in his life, learning and experiencing how to read and write has the greatest role in shaping who Wright becomes as a person, even more than the first-hand racial oppression and terrorism he experiences. Learning to read and developing a habit of turning to books, newspapers and magazines, expands his knowledge and understanding of his world, enables his imagination and mind to think beyond solely his current state of living, and gives him the determination and strength of mind to keep moving and working towards a better future, even in the worst possible times of his life.

Reservation throughout the United States are designated spaces for Native Americans to maintain their traditional lifestyles. Americans, have never been very accepting of Native Americans or more frequently referred to as Indians. Sherman Alexie, an author of many short stories, novels, and poetry is himself an Indian and writes about his experiences in Superman and Me. Alexie writes of developing a love for reading that set the difference for his progress. In both the Indian and non-Indian worlds there is a pattern of ridicule, but that does not halt the progress of an individual with determination and diligence.

Essays and poems shape, provide connections to and give us ways we are all connected by telling stories about what people experience. When authors tell their stories were able to make connections and think about how it relates to others. Despite the fact that we are all very different coming from different ethnicities to the region we came from. As people, we face similar problems about who we are and what others may feel. Although weʻre not alone because others are in similar scenarios as well.

An autobiography is completely unlike any other type of writing, and it is this style of book that author Richard Rodriguez bravely chose to use in Hunger of Memory. Essentially, an autobiography is a book documenting someone’s life; full of their heartbeat and heartaches. Its raw authenticity is so refreshing in comparison to complex literary texts full of hidden metaphors and complicated symbolism. Through this sort of writing, Rodriguez provides an authentic, honest account of his life while detailing how race played a role in it. In order to accomplish this, he examines specific aspects of his life and reveals how his culture and skin color affected these areas. Throughout the text it is obvious that the consequences of race are involved in every single part of people’s lives, specifically education, as revealed through the hidden curriculum, language, and religion involved in the classroom.

Before I even knew how to read, my mother would often lecture me about the importance of writing. She would incessantly tell me about the power of writing. To further prove her claims about the significance of writing, she would say things such as “An entire person’s life can be change by a single phrase” or “Being able to write makes you different from the average person.” At first, I was honestly not interested in what she was telling me, but today, especially as I am at the doorstep of college, I fully understand why she emphasized the value of good writing to me. My mother is the reason why I have become a good writer.

When I was younger, reading and writing interested me very much. I loved to read everyday. From reading in the morning to never putting my book down during school hours, to after school finishing the book; I loved reading all the time. My favorite books to read was fiction, the mysterious to the humor. As a child, “Junie B. Jones” was my all time favorite books to read because I related to her so much, she was mess and I was a mess, too. Writing on the other hand, was enjoyable as

For black readers in this time period, they may be awed by Malcolm’s discovery and consider to research black past. Furthermore, Malcolm reads a variety of other books, including encyclopedias, and notes how “he [has] never been so truly free in [his] life” (176) due to reading. Malcolm’s words encourage black readers to read so they can avoid the ignorance associated with their race and become successful. In the end, he believes that “[his] greatest lack [is] … that [he] [does not] have the kind of academic education [he] wish[es] [he] [was] able to get” (387) in order to pursue his debating and language passions. He inspires black readers to work hard to achieve their goals, as he was ultimately unable to follow his childhood dream career: a lawyer. By describing the advantages of education, Malcolm hopes to motivate black readers to gain knowledge for their own benefit.