superman and me
Superman and Me
“Superman and Me” is a brief overview of Sherman Alexie’s path in becoming a writer. Born on an Indian reservation with little to no money and three siblings, Sherman Alexie was not provided a bright future. He was expected to be un-sophisticated and un-social in school because that was the general discernment of Native Americans at that time. Alexie’s “Superman and Me” is indirectly intended for that same audience: the kids, on Indian Reservations, that are struggling in school and life in general and think all hope is lost. Sherman explains, “Then there are the sullen and already defeated Indian kids who sit in the back rows and ignore me with theatrical precision…’Books,’ I say to them. ‘Books,’ I say. I throw my weight against their locked doors. The door holds. I am smart. I am arrogant. I am lucky. I am trying to save our lives.” As you read deeper and deeper into this story, it is easy to realize a clear purpose in this piece. Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me” uses rhetorical strategies to present the argument that by reading he can become an model for Indians on reservation and fight the stereotypes associated with Native Americans.
Sherman Alexie uses rhetorical strategies such as, ethos, pathos, and logos, to appeal to the reader. Emotion, or pathos, seems to be the most consistent appeal that you will see throughout the entire paper. He says, “A little Indian boy teaches himself to read at an early age and advances quickly…if he’d been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called a prodigy.” He mentions these two ideas to show the reader the struggles there are with being Indian. Alexie wants us to know that it is not typical for a Native American to be well educated and to become as successful as he has become. It takes hard work and dedication to achieve these things. Towards the end of the essay he says, “I read books late into the night, until I could barely keep my eyes open.
“Superman and Me” is a brief overview of Sherman Alexie’s path in becoming a writer. Born on an Indian reservation with little to no money and three siblings, Sherman Alexie was not provided a bright future. He was expected to be un-sophisticated and un-social in school because that was the general discernment of Native Americans at that time. Alexie’s “Superman and Me” is indirectly intended for that same audience: the kids, on Indian Reservations, that are struggling in school and life in general and think all hope is lost. Sherman explains, “Then there are the sullen and already defeated Indian kids who sit in the back rows and ignore me with theatrical precision…’Books,’ I say to them. ‘Books,’ I say. I throw my weight against their locked doors. The door holds. I am smart. I am arrogant. I am lucky. I am trying to save our lives.” As you read deeper and deeper into this story, it is easy to realize a clear purpose in this piece. Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me” uses rhetorical strategies to present the argument that by reading he can become an model for Indians on reservation and fight the stereotypes associated with Native Americans.
Sherman Alexie uses rhetorical strategies such as, ethos, pathos, and logos, to appeal to the reader. Emotion, or pathos, seems to be the most consistent appeal that you will see throughout the entire paper. He says, “A little Indian boy teaches himself to read at an early age and advances quickly…if he’d been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called a prodigy.” He mentions these two ideas to show the reader the struggles there are with being Indian. Alexie wants us to know that it is not typical for a Native American to be well educated and to become as successful as he has become. It takes hard work and dedication to achieve these things. Towards the end of the essay he says, “I read books late into the night, until I could barely keep my eyes open.