Summary Of Superman And Me
Something or someone that can save a life does not always have to be a superhero or a medical tool, it can be much simpler. Sherman Alexie, a Native American who grew up on a reservation in Wellpinit, Washington, relays the story of how he learned to read and how it changed his life in his article “Superman and Me.” Learning to read at a very young age from a Superman comic, Alexie inherited his passion for reading from his father. Books covered every room in his childhood home, and while reading these books he came to a breakthrough, realizing the purpose of a paragraph (78). Alexie blossomed into a smart, young Indian boy, pushing through the stereotype set by the Indian culture’s expectation that their youth should be unintelligent. Different
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Whether this means his own, the Indian children’s, or his audience, he believes reading is the key to success. The beginning anecdote about the Superman comic presents a parallelism with Alexie’s heroic mindset (78). Both figures want to save lives, and Superman, in comic form, gave Alexie his first glimpse at what reading is like, which in turn led to Alexie’s passion for others to experience it. Although the article is addressed to a main audience, the subject of Alexie’s aid is the Indian children stuck in the cyclic stigma held against them. Alexie describes them as those “who were expected to be stupid” (79). Alexie’s classmates acted so during school, but were proven to be clever and bright under different circumstances. The children are taught that failure is the standard, but Alexie “refused to fail” (79). Alexie demonstrates his deep determination to go above the stereotype by reading everything he possibly can (79). He reiterates how vital reading was to the development of his life; how it made him stand out. Aware of his outstanding accomplishments even at a young age, Alexie talks of such things in third person, as if it will humble him. Perhaps his slight humbleness makes him more approachable to the “stupid” (79) children he visits in the Indian schools. Knowing writing and reading is something the Indian culture has no time for, Alexie wants to be the one to help, because no authority figures visited his class when
Whether this means his own, the Indian children’s, or his audience, he believes reading is the key to success. The beginning anecdote about the Superman comic presents a parallelism with Alexie’s heroic mindset (78). Both figures want to save lives, and Superman, in comic form, gave Alexie his first glimpse at what reading is like, which in turn led to Alexie’s passion for others to experience it. Although the article is addressed to a main audience, the subject of Alexie’s aid is the Indian children stuck in the cyclic stigma held against them. Alexie describes them as those “who were expected to be stupid” (79). Alexie’s classmates acted so during school, but were proven to be clever and bright under different circumstances. The children are taught that failure is the standard, but Alexie “refused to fail” (79). Alexie demonstrates his deep determination to go above the stereotype by reading everything he possibly can (79). He reiterates how vital reading was to the development of his life; how it made him stand out. Aware of his outstanding accomplishments even at a young age, Alexie talks of such things in third person, as if it will humble him. Perhaps his slight humbleness makes him more approachable to the “stupid” (79) children he visits in the Indian schools. Knowing writing and reading is something the Indian culture has no time for, Alexie wants to be the one to help, because no authority figures visited his class when