“Superman and Me” Essay In the essay “Superman and Me”, the extended metaphor that is used to connect Superman and Sherman Alexie is that they break down doors mentally and physically. An extended metaphor is a metaphor developed at a great length or occurring frequently in or throughout a piece of work. In Alexie’s essay, he is comparing himself to a fictional character, Superman, who breaks down doors grabbing the attention of the person he is trying to save; Alexie, on the other hand, breaks down the mental doors of other people’s mind grabbing their attention, so he can explain why reading and writing is important. “ The Indian children crowd the classroom. Many are writing their own poems, short stories, and novels.They look at me with bright eyes and arrogant wonder. They are trying to save their lives”(para. 8). Alexie already have the attention of the students paying attention; he is more concerned about the students who are apathetic. “ … the sullen and already defeated Indian kids who sit in the book row and ignore me with theatrical precision. The pages of their notebooks are empty. They carry neither pencil nor pen” (para.8). Alexie tries to get the attention of the “ defeated “ children. He believes they need to listen to …show more content…
“ … Superman breaks through a door. … The brown door shatters into many pieces “ (para.4;sent.3&5). Superman broke through the door to save a person that was in need of help. Alexie; on the other hand, broke down the mental doors of many people’s minds. “ I throw my weight against their locked door. The door holds “ (para.8;sent.27-28). Alexie tries to get the attention of the children that were not paying him any attention. The connection between Alexie and Superman is that they both broke down doors to get the attention of the people they want to