Superman and Me vs. Bodega Dreams
1
Makeitha C
Mrs. Rogers
ENC 1102, 4:05
November 29th, 2011
Culture vs. Education
Culture is an essential element that can impact the way a person sees the world and processes information. “Superman and Me,” by Sherman Alexie and “Bodega Dreams,” by Ernesto Quinonez, examines the importance of education and the impact it has on cultures. In “Superman and Me” the narrator tells a story about an Indian boy who teaches himself how to read and write at the age of 3 years. Despite the challenges he was face with living on an Indian Reservation, he remained motivated and interested in gaining more knowledge in reading and writing. “Bodega Dreams,” by Ernesto Quinonez the narrator tells a story about two young Latino boys and their experience together in Junior High school. The young boys are in English and Science class together. Although the boys are not motivated about school, there teacher’s (Mr. Blessington and Mr. Tapia) try different methods to keep them motivated and focus in school. These two stories will debate how culture influences children view point in education. In the story “Superman and me” the narrator details methods he uses to learn how to recognize a paragraph and picture read using a Superman comic book. The narrator explains how he was very motivated about learning to read and write. The narrator seemed to be a very driven man who knew exactly what he wanted, and was willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals. The narrator expresses himself with self-confidence by stating, “I am smart. I am arrogant. I am lucky. I want to save my life (209-210).” Being an Indian boy who lived on a reservation, he felt many people were expecting him to fail in the non-Indian world and he was determined to prove them wrong. The narrator states, “I never was taught how to write poetry, short stories, and novels.” “I don’t recall a guest teacher visiting the reservation (210).
Makeitha C
Mrs. Rogers
ENC 1102, 4:05
November 29th, 2011
Culture vs. Education
Culture is an essential element that can impact the way a person sees the world and processes information. “Superman and Me,” by Sherman Alexie and “Bodega Dreams,” by Ernesto Quinonez, examines the importance of education and the impact it has on cultures. In “Superman and Me” the narrator tells a story about an Indian boy who teaches himself how to read and write at the age of 3 years. Despite the challenges he was face with living on an Indian Reservation, he remained motivated and interested in gaining more knowledge in reading and writing. “Bodega Dreams,” by Ernesto Quinonez the narrator tells a story about two young Latino boys and their experience together in Junior High school. The young boys are in English and Science class together. Although the boys are not motivated about school, there teacher’s (Mr. Blessington and Mr. Tapia) try different methods to keep them motivated and focus in school. These two stories will debate how culture influences children view point in education. In the story “Superman and me” the narrator details methods he uses to learn how to recognize a paragraph and picture read using a Superman comic book. The narrator explains how he was very motivated about learning to read and write. The narrator seemed to be a very driven man who knew exactly what he wanted, and was willing to do whatever it took to achieve his goals. The narrator expresses himself with self-confidence by stating, “I am smart. I am arrogant. I am lucky. I want to save my life (209-210).” Being an Indian boy who lived on a reservation, he felt many people were expecting him to fail in the non-Indian world and he was determined to prove them wrong. The narrator states, “I never was taught how to write poetry, short stories, and novels.” “I don’t recall a guest teacher visiting the reservation (210).
Cited: Alexie, Sherman. “Superman and Me.” Reading Literature and Writing Argument. 4th ed. Missy James and Alan Merickel. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print Quinonez, Ernest. “Bodega Dreams.” Reading Literature and Writing Argument. 4th ed. Missy James and Alan Merickel. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.