Throughout the essay the author, Mike Downey, makes many first person statements, a powerful tool to be used in persuasive writing; however they can be easily exhausted and detract from the point. In the very first paragraph, he starts it with how he feels about the topic, then, as we progress he uses “I” in the same context. As you continue to read, he states something slightly hyperbolic and how he’s tired of it. Then, a short sentence with what it is, then how he is tired of it. This continues for five paragraphs.…
In "Superman and Me", personal stories and repetition are two solid writing tools used by Sherman Alexie. While both of these writing tools differ in many ways; Alexie creates a similar response from his audience that creates a connection between the audience and Alexie. His essay was not just informative, but also emotional and through his use of personal stories and repetition, he allows the reader to understand the emotional journey he faced growing up on a reservation.…
Sherman Alexie was a young Indian child that was driven to know how to read and right. He was determined to turn other opinions, that didn't matter to him, down and set out to do what he had the desire to do. Alexie didn't let the stereotype that ¨he was an Indian¨ slow him down either. Indians were expected to be at a lower education level, but Alexie wasn't willing to obtain that thought. Frustrated with the lack of change in his Indian community, Sherman Alexie sets out to defy stereotypes, and save the lives of those without equal chance through reading and writing.…
As and Indian Sherman Alexie, from eastern Washington, expresses how he uses reading as a way to “save his life”. In his short story “Superman and Me”, Alexie tells us how he uses his reading to teach himself to write. He then goes on to inspire other young Indians. This young man from the Spokane Indian Reservation shows us that no matter where we come from we are able to go above and beyond.…
1. Lois lane was introduced as a more adventurous woman compared to the stay at home wives.…
Have you ever compared yourself to someone or something that you thought was more inferior than you? In the story “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie, he creates an extended metaphor to show the reader the connection between Superman and himself. There are many ways in which Superman and Alexie are compared. Three ways that they are alike are they save lives of others, break down doors, and they are both smart and arrogant.…
In the story, “Superman and Me”, one idea Alexie explores is that stereotypes should never be an excuse for accepting failure. Sherman says that he read “Grapes of Wrath in Kindergarten when other children were struggling through Dick and Jane.” Sherman hints that in kindergarten, when sherman was expected to act like he knew almost nothing about reading, Sherman had shown his intelligence by reading better than all the other kids, often there are high schooler students that act like they are not smart, when really they are, they just don’t apply themselves, and there are also the kids that actually show their intelligence. Sherman states that “those who failed…
The exchanged roles that Bruce Wayne as Superman, Clark Kent as Batman play within comic #71 concede a direct correlation to the gender roles both men and women played at the time, for which consists of women in a submissive “housewife” role along with men in a control, dominant role. The comic provides many examples, both artistically and textually, of gender roles. Gender roles being defined as how the male and female interact in society and with each other. The comic prescribes to the entertainment factor with bright colors and vibrant schemes to exemplify some of the ideals displayed. It also relies heavily on textual undercurrents. There is an example of such on the second page where a summarization of the comic is present:…
Sherman Alexie’s essay “Superman and Me” is about how Alexie changed his life, and the lives of others, by learning to read. “Sherman Alexie, a Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, grew up on a reservation surrounded by poverty, alcoholism, and disease. . .” (About Sherman Alexie), though his family was poor, his father loved to read; and Alexie adopted that love of reading at an early age. Alexie soon started to see the world around him like paragraphs. He would read anything and everything he could get his hands on. Indians like him were not supposed to be smart. Those who failed were excepted, but Alexie refused to fail and soon became a writer, “His work carries the weight of five centuries of colonization, retelling the American…
In The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me, Sherman Alexie shares with his audience his story of when he learned to read at a young age through a Superman comic book. Through stories and memories of his childhood, he explains how Indian children on reservations were expected not to try in school and fail in the non-Indian world. In order to successfully portray his ideas, Alexie uses many rhetorical techniques and ideas. By using these techniques the audience is forced to look more into the writing instead of just being given the direct meaning of what Alexie is trying to share.…
read or write. Alexie refused to be labeled as such and states “I refused to fail. I was smart. I was…
In the next chapter the author further uses personal pronouns to position the reader (us) to identify with Aunty and her hilarious battle to win in the Tip Top Grocery Grab at Woolworths: “We saw her start to panic…You could see the dread…” Humour balances the awful reality that Aunty becomes a gambler and alcoholic.…
Do we all learn to read and write the same exact way? The answer is simply no, learning how to read and write happens differently for every person, some rely on parents or grandparents while others rely on themselves or teachers. After reading Sherman Alexie’s: The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me I saw how just how different people have it growing up in the education system. After reading his story I began to notice just how differently I had it growing up. Alexie, for the most part was self-taught, I myself had to rely on parents and grandparents. Learning something like reading and writing has a lot to do with the situation or environment a person grows up in, if they are expected to succeed they will be pushed to learn the concept. This is where Alexie and I start to travel in different paths.…
Mr. Northup wrote this book in a first person account. The language used is very different from today and required the reader to notice context clues in reading. Throughout the chapters, Mr.…
I nearly died today .I could not help but toss and turn in bed and think about how horrible my day had been . what would have happened if the Atomic Skull had hit me on my head.…