Joy Of Reading And Writing: Superman And Me

PID: P100844691 In “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” (1997), Sherman Alexie uses his childhood experience with literature to exemplify how he defies the standards and stereotypes of his culture by connecting with education and reading at an early age. From the very beginning, Alexie provides a compelling opening sentence to grasp the attention of his audience, explaining that he “learned to read with a Superman comic book” (1,1.) The author also uses flashbacks of his childhood to demonstrate his conditions growing up in an Indian Reservation, and the difficulty of his parents’ economic status. Using this information, Alexie builds his main point of showing adversity in a society that encumbers American Indian families, “we lived on a combination of irregular paychecks, hope, fear and government surplus food.” (1,9.) Alexis also introduces the underlying conception of his love for reading, deeper than just his fascination for a famous superhero. He examines his father’s dedication to literature, despite his effort to make ends meet, thus correlating this experience the author’s own admiration for reading. Alexis even utilizes the ideas found in his father’s books to make connections and understandings about how the world works. Superman, however, also

This quickly becomes problematic, however, when he recalls the expectation of him and his peers to remain submissive and struggle with education, “as Indian children, we were expected to fail” (6,11.) This institutionalized idea placed upon the children of his reservation becomes a source of motivation to excel and continue pursuing his passion for reading, and eventually writing. Paying a homage to his roots, Alexie now uses his experience to teach and encourage other Indian students to expand on their literacy, too and ultimately exceed the expectations and standards engraved into their