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Both Beatty from Fahrenheit 451 and Sherman Alexie, author of "The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me," have strong feelings about the value of books. This can be seen numerous times throughout each story. Beatty despises books and wants them destroyed in Fahrenheit 451.It is stated in the text that “Let's not quibble other individuals with memoriams forget them”(Bradbury 57). This demonstrates how Beatty thinks books are offensive and that remembering the past brings back unpleasant feelings, so he simply says to burn it. Another piece of proof that would support Beatty's opinion of books is”colored people don't like little black sambo…Burn the book.serenity,Montag.peace,Montag”(Bradbury 57).This shows how Beatty feels that books are
The story of his life in “Superman and me” by, Sherman Alex, expressed deeply of himself on how dedicated and content he was during his youthful life. As a young impecunious Indian boy, he grew up on the sides of Eastern Washington state following the path of his father’s dedication in the love of reading and writing. He self taught his way up to be an overachiever reader by constantly reading everything he saw in sight. Later in life, acting as a life saver, he taught those who lacked in reading and writing. He’s proud and prudent to this day, leading those who are inspired by his novels, poems and short stories.
Sherman is attempting to save children’s lives by teaching them the importance of education and not all students take advantage of that. In the story Superman and Me Sherman mentioned, “They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help.” These students may feel different when a non-indian teacher asks for things because it might be out of their comfort zone. Also, Indian children are expected to fail to be accepted by other Indians in school.
Alexie, Sherman, “Superman and Me: The Joy of Reading and Writing.” Los Angeles Times, 19 April 1998. Sherman Alexie shared how his childhood of reading helped him become a better reader and a leader for others. He first read a Superman comic and then went on to bigger and better books. Alexie explains that in his Native American reservation it’s okay for children not to excel in school.
Instead of practicing CPR for hours, he practices his pin-point dive repeatedly for a race at the sectional meet. Instead of memorizing the steps of drowning, he memorizes the derivative of sin and cosine. It is the same qualities, but different setting. He’s the same person, but different name. Few recognize Clark Kent as Superman.
In the text, “Superman and Me,”One main quote that explains everything you need to know about this article is when Sherman Alexie says, “I wasrefused to fail. I was smart. I was lucky.” Many people that have read this choose to believe that this quote is just an irritating repetition of how he felt about himself, however, closer examination shows that it actually develops his main claim and central idea, refines his claims, and shows the purpose of this text all in one quote. Alexie was a young, Indian boy who just wanted to know how to read in write in the aspiration of becoming emotionally closer to his father because he loved him so.
Love, a complicated state of mine one can be in, making it difficult to grasp the hard-held truth that comes with it. In Andre Dubus’s The Intruder, Kenneth a boy of wild imagination and a fondness over his sister Connie makes efforts to protect and retain her. As Connie’s boyfriend Douglas decides to sneak out and meet with her, Kenneth hears the footsteps and an attempt to defend him and his sister, he grabs his gun and shoots, for who he thinks is a prowler. The harsh action that Kenneth makes, is a result of the jealousy and deep affection that he has for his sister Connie.
Waiting on Superman follows the struggles of Anthony, Francisco, Bianca, Daisy, and Emily, where Emily is the only white student from a well funded suburban neighborhood (Guggenheim). The others come from communities where “failure factories” are common. Because of financial burdens, most of them cannot attend a private school so they rely on charter schools to get good educations (Guggenheim). Their cases exhibit the disproportionate rate at which good schools are available for their differing neighborhoods. The film only shows only two are accepted to their perspective charter schools;
Gifted with incredible endurance and super strength, the ability of flight, and an impeccable moral compass, Superman is the quintessential superhero that Americans of all ages have admired and looked up to since his conception in 1938. In Brad Bird’s 1999 feature animation The Iron Giant, the fifty-foot metal protagonist is no exception. Hiding out in a barn, he peers at an issue of the Superman comic book like an amused child with his eyes wide and mouth agape. His closest human companion, nine-year old Hogarth, sits before the giant and explains to him, “Sure, he’s famous now, but he started off just like you! Crash landed on Earth…he only uses his powers for good, never for evil.”
“I refused to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky. I read books late into the night, until I could barely keep my eyes open” (Alexie 17).
In the story the joy of reading Superman and me Sherman Alexie tells an emotional story of both hardship and success. He shares his struggles of being a poor Indian kid destined to fail, but he had a desire to be persevere he wanted to be more than the stereotypical uneducated Indian on a reservation and was determined to do so. He was inspired by his father to love books, and with the love for books came the ability to escape from the boundaries of the reservation and the dream to be more. Alexie shares how he taught his self to read with a superman comic book and with his witty metaphors how it shaped his life. I found Alexis story to be emotional, but yet very interesting.
If the odds are not in one’s favor, it does not mean that he or she cannot accomplish his or her goals. Sherman Alexie proved this by overcoming the barriers and the doubts to become a writer. In his essay Superman and Me Alexie conveys anyone can accomplish their goals, he does this by using the rhetorical devices anecdote, ethos, and anaphora. Alexie utilizes personal anecdotes throughout the essay to demonstrate how he has overcome the odds. In the beginning he discussed how he was introduced to reading, then conveys the extent of his effort towards reading and how it has assisted him in becoming a successful writer.
Alexie uses repetition, metaphors and imagery to convey these feelings and support the main idea. Alexie teaches himself to read by interpreting a Superman comic book. Although he cannot remember which exact comic book it was, the plot of the book, or the means by which he obtained the book, he does remember a specific panel that resonated to him (Alexie 582-583). Alexie writes about a panel where Superman is breaking a door down. “Because he is breaking down a door, I assume he says, “I am breaking down a door” (Alexie 584).
Since he was unable to read, all he could do was look at his father’s books and admire them. As a result, an epiphany occurred and he was able to clearly comprehend the meaning of a paragraph, even though he didn’t know the technical term “paragraph”. Alexie began to see his world as in relation to paragraphs. At the same time, he began looking at Superman comic books, which displayed pictures that described the actions that were written. He would describe what the figure was doing and “read” it as though those were the words that were printed.
Superman, an iconic superhero, saves people by his superpower while Alexie saves people by reading. “I am smart. I am arrogant. I am lucky. I am trying to save our lives.”
