ipl-logo

How Does Sherman Alexie Say I Read With Equal Parts Joy And Desperation

726 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Sherman alexie learning to read

When the quote, “I read with equal parts joy and desperation,” is stated in the document, Sherman Alexie had begun reading. He was reading very frequently. He was reading everything he got his hands on. In the article, it states, “I read junk mail. I read auto-repair manuals. I read magazines. I read anything that had words and paragraphs.” Even though Alexie was reading all these things for entertainment, ke knew that there was something deeper in his reading, which was he was “trying to save his life.” The previously mentioned quote, “I read with equal parts joy and desperation,” has an overall impact to an important part of the story, Alexie’s experience in learning how to read. Once he begins to read, Alexie understands how much more advanced …show more content…

“I ran to the bookstores and read bits and pieces of as many books as I could,” stated the document. This quote explains the joyful part of the ability to read in which Alexie had. “I loved these books, but I also knew that love had only one purpose. I was trying to save my life,” also stated Alexie. In addition to understanding his hardships, Alexie also understood, once he started reading, that he was trying to save his life. This can take part of the desperation part in the quote that has been frequently mentioned. Understanding your Indian setbacks and also understanding that reading is going to save your life play hand in hand. For example, since he knew that if he didn’t persevere in learning to read and continuing to do so, his setbacks could prevent his life from going anywhere, therefore he had to continue reading so he could “save his life.” Now, he may have eventually learned to read later on in his years, but it very well may have been too late for him, which is why he needed to get an early start on the learning

Show More
Related
487 Words | 2 Pages

In her autobiography, One Writer’s Beginnings, Eudora Welty illustrates how early memories of reading and books later inspired her to become a fiction writer. She uses intense diction, hyperbole, quotes, examples, and compare and contrast to support her purpose. She speaks in a reminiscent tone to a general audience. Welty narrates her love for literature and acknowledges the individuals that impacted her, ultimately conveying the intensity and value of these experiences.

Read More
486 Words | 2 Pages

In this way, they have differences how they view reading, but they also have a same love as well. Alexie shows that he loves reading by telling, “My father loved books, and since I loved my father with an aching devotion, I decided to love books as well.” So, what he is saying is that because his father loved books. Since he was achingly devoted with love for his father he was also willing to be devoted to reading. He explains in his article that reading and writing to him was important because he was

Read More
689 Words | 3 Pages

In the essays, “The Joy of Reading and Writing; Superman and Me” and Frederick Douglass’s “Chapter 7: Learning to Read and Write”, Sherman Alexie and Frederick Douglass write about their hardships and challenges they faced while learning how to read and write due to their social economic status. Despite the fact that Alexie and Douglass are incredibly different people, they both use education for freedom and a sense of self-worth. Alexie and Douglass both struggled to receive education and struggled mentally and physically because of their social economic status. Although, Alexie and Douglass both experienced these hardships, they saw the world through a totally different perspective. Alexie saw the world in a more positive manner than Douglass

Read More
161 Words | 1 Pages

Alexie not only read books, he also read cereal boxes, newspapers,

Read More
115 Words | 1 Pages

Alexie is an Indian boy, who grew up on the Spokane Indian reservation, but he was a very smart child. Alexie admires his father, so he starts to like the books like him. At an early age, Alexie could not read, but he tries to recall the story from the pictures of the book. He starts with superman comic book. Also, Alexie is picking up his father books.

Read More
881 Words | 4 Pages

In “Reading and Thought” by Dwight Macdonald, Macdonald raises the idea of reading deeply and how our society has changed its reading style. He points out that our modern society constantly reads irrelevant information in articles, newspapers, or magazines in our daily lives. A term called “functional curiosity” is a person’s interest in being amused, entertained or wanting to know what’s happening around the world. According to Henry Luce, the creator of Time magazine, “Functional Curiosity grows as the number of educated peoples grows.” Macdonald argues that being “functionally curious” is not functional because it does not help the individual function.

Read More
1682 Words | 7 Pages

I like the quote said by Scout “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.”(pg) This quote means that people don’t know the value of things until they lose it. In this case, Scout began valuing reading only after she was in danger of losing it due to Miss Caroline lecturing her for being able to however by not her teaching. Scout interestingly compares how her love for reading grew when she was going to lose it to how people start to love their ability to breath when a certain situation arrives when they somehow lose it is an interesting comparison she made.

Read More
877 Words | 4 Pages

In the essays, “Reading to Write” by Stephen King, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie, “Learning to Read” Malcolm X, and “Learning to Write” by Frederick Douglas have three things in common. In each essay Reading has contributed towards the authors life leading to benefit from learning to read, allowing them to leave a legacy behind. In each essay the authors has thought their self how unlike Frederick Douglass. For Stephen King, reading has done a lot for him. King stated, “Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones” (221).

Read More
849 Words | 4 Pages

He wanted to develop himself and learn. From a young age, Dan loved to read. When he needed to do chores around the house, it was challenging for his mother and sisters to motivate him to do them when he was reading. He read to broaden his horizons and quench his thirst for knowledge (Yoder 22). Even as he grew older, Dan wanted to grow in knowledge and promote activities such as “the peace movement, the development of human potentialities, volunteer programs, and a self-help project” (Yoder 15).

Read More
161 Words | 1 Pages

Elizabeth Wyckoff concisely translates the text to give an understandable and straightforward interpretation of the literature. She utilizes complex sentences and well-put run-ons to develop multiple ideas through her paragraphs, which are reinforced, clarified, and tied together with simple sentences. She builds into these ideas as the section develops: “Language, and thought like the wind and the feelings that make the town, he has taught himself, and shelter against the cold, refuge from rain. He can always help himself.” Using a run-on sentence she pushes her ideas with examples that are compelling and related to the idea of helping yourself in order to convey her message.

Read More
1186 Words | 5 Pages

“Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” Serious matters are usually addressed very seriously in many works of literature, but the times that they are not, authors use humor to reach their audience. Comedy is usually reserved for things that are funny yet Sherman Alexie successfully uses it in his day-to-day writing and has become an influential writer. In “Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven”, Alexie focuses on very serious themes, such as racism and domestic violence, he is able to explore these themes by using humor. Alexie believes that he can speak to any audience of any political persuasion because he has the ability to make people laugh. Sherman Alexie’s literatures are almost always based on the Native American people and

Read More
155 Words | 1 Pages

He also wanted to find a book about a slave talking to his master, without getting hurt. He wanted to find out a lot of information on this subject because he wanted to have this happen in his life, so he could become free. That is why he said it was a curse to be able to read because he would not always get

Read More
498 Words | 2 Pages

This gives us the impression that he would read anything he could get ahold of. I think Alexie is trying to stress that his being able to read so well required a lot of effort as he was growing up. He had great obstacles to overcome. Being an Indian, he wasn’t expected to be smart or know how to read, so Alexie put a lot of time and effort into becoming

Read More
492 Words | 2 Pages

He supports this argument by citing a study conducted by students who have attended The University College London. The study proved to us that we no longer thoroughly read material, rather we just skim over most of what we read. From the convoluted works of the late 19th century, to the material of present day, the way we write and comprehend

Read More
778 Words | 4 Pages

his social status in his educational institution. Similar with TSOP, there are three significances described in TBD; as adaptation, power and also state of grace. In the TBD, literacy works as adaptation as it is used by Anthony to adapt with his grandfather pressure to work. By mentioning of the literacy practice which is writing, he is able to make his grandfather stop asking him to find a job. It was Anthony’s way in hiding his laziness toward his Grandfather.

Read More

More about How Does Sherman Alexie Say I Read With Equal Parts Joy And Desperation

Related Topics

Open Document