Straw Into Gold Analysis

196 Words1 Page

In both personal narratives, "Superman and Me" by Sherman Alexie and "Straw into Gold" by Sandra Cisneros both convey the same theme: reading and writing are powerful tools that can help you overcome the stereotypes, boundaries, and expectations set by society. Both Alexie and Cisneros were discouraged by stereotypes and low expectations, but with the use of reading and writing they changed their future.
In Alexie's case, he was constantly judged in school by his peers for attempting to do well. Alexie describes the low expectations of Indian children in his community, that most decided to believe and lived up to. Alexie states, "We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid. Most lived up to those expectations inside the classroom,

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of The Scalpel And The Silver Bear

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    Alvord explains every Navajo was strongly discouraged from drawing attention to him or herself and was taught very early on to be modest and not to boast. This becomes very problematic for her in classes where she is expected to participate and be competitive. In Navajo culture it is even considered rude to look someone in the eyes. So, Alvord would sit in class, staring down at her desk, trying to make herself invisible. Many of her teachers took her avoidance and lack of participation as signs of

    Read More

  • What I Ve Learned From Writing Shaunna Singh Baldwin Analysis

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    Literature is a powerful force, allowing the writer to express their opinions through their own perspective. In the source, “What I’ve Learned From Writing,” the author Shauna Singh Baldwin, portrays the idea of literature as a non-violent socially-acceptable weapon. Someone like this can influence the views and ideas of readers by conveying emotions. Personally as an athlete, I feel as though I can change the perspectives of individuals, and my interests give insight to others without any boundaries. Along with the author, I admire her courage from within, and we learn to pursue our passions and interests in what we believe and love in ways such as originality, hard work, and confidence.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Indian Education By Alexie Sherman

    1085 Words  | 3 Pages

    How White people assumed they were better than Indians and tried to bully a young boy under the US Reservation. Alexie was bullied by his classmates, teammates, and teachers since he was young because he was an Indian. Even though Alexie didn’t come from a good background, he found the right path and didn’t let his hands down. He had two ways to go to, either become a better, educated and strong person, either be like his brother Steven that was following a bad path, where Alexie chose to become a better and educated person. I believe that Alexie learned how to get stronger, and stand up for himself in the hard moments of his life by many struggles that he passed through. He overcame all his struggles and rose above them

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Sherman Alexie's The School Days Of An Indian Girl By Zitkala

    1344 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alexie was grew up in the Indian culture but unlike Sa he willingly leaves. Alexie specifically showcases the changes in his life throughout the structure of his text; through the idea of education. He wanted a chance to have more opportunities then what was given to him on the Indian Reservation. The structure of Alexies piece was specific and purposeful due to the fact that it truncated his life into years; the years of education. The audience is aware of the thematic shift in the seventh year when he “...kissed the white girl”(Alexie). The shift between his time on the reservation and his resilience through taking matters into his own hands despite the backlash he received through growing up. Alexie knew that he didn’t want to leave his culture willingly behind but it was something that he had to do in order to change his life and take charge of it like an “Indian” would

    Read More

  • The Danger Of A Single Story Essay

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    Chimamanda Adichie, in one of her eye-opening speeches, The Danger of a Single Story, provides the audience with a new insight into the negative impacts that can occur as a result of viewing a story from a single perspective and not putting in an effort to know it from all available viewpoints. Adichie in her simple, yet well-grounded speech, filled with anecdotes of her personal experiences effectively puts across her argument against believing in stereotypes and limiting oneself to just a single story using a remarkable opening, the elements of logos, pathos and ethos, repetitions, as well as maintaining a good flow of thoughts throughout the speech.

    Read More

  • A Comparison Of The Joy Of Reading And Writing: Superman And Me?

    1446 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although the greater picture is that reading is fundamental, the two authors have a few different messages that they seek to communicate to their audiences. “The Joy of Reading and Writing” depicts how reading serves as a mechanism to escape the preconceived notions that constrain several groups of people from establishing themselves and achieving success in their lifetimes. “Reading to Write,” on the other hand, offers a valuable advice to aspiring writers. The author suggests that one has to read, read, and read before he or she can become a writer. Moreover, he holds an interesting opinion concerning mediocre writing. He says, “Every book you pick has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones” (p.221). Although these two essays differ in their contents and messages, the authors use the same rhetorical mode to write their essays. Both are process analyses, meaning that they develop their main argument and provide justification for it step by step. By employing this technique, the two authors create essays that are thoughtful, well supported, and easy to understand. In addition, Alexie and King both add a little personal touch to their writings as they include personal anecdotes. This has the effect of providing support for their arguments. Although the two essays have fairly different messages, the authors make use of anecdotes and structure their writing in a somewhat similar

    Read More

  • Straw Into Gold: The Metamorphosis Of The Everyday

    682 Words  | 2 Pages

    Born to a Mexican father and Mexican-American mother, the author Sandra Cisneros writes stories that she hopes will “make readers of all races aware of the complexities of straddling two cultures” (Meet the Author on pg. 1286 in Literature book.) “Straw into Gold” is an essay meant to explain why Cisneros started writing. In her essay, she doesn’t state why she started writing, but rather hints that her past is why she began to write poems and stories.

    Read More

  • How Does Sherman Alexie Overcome Stereotypes

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    Growing up on a reservation where failing was welcomed and even somewhat encouraged, Alexie was pressured to conform to the stereotype and be just another average Indian. Instead, he refused to listen to anyone telling him how to act, and pursued his own interests in reading and writing at a young age. He looks back on his childhood, explaining about himself, “If he'd been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called a prodigy. But he is an Indian boy living on the reservation and is simply an oddity” (17). Alexie compares the life and treatment of an Indian to life as a more privileged child. This side-by-side comparison furthers his point that

    Read More

  • I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the history of storytelling, there have always been storybook characters that inspire and motivate young readers to become more engaged and knowledgeable about the struggles that some people go through. Reading has always been a pastime of mine; while reading I collect new friends in wonderful places that otherwise I could only dream of. Each of these characters that I have befriended and connected with over the years, has shaped my personality in some way or another, and choosing just one seems an impossible task. Although women’s rights have skyrocketed in the past century, overall the world is still predominately male-orientated, but the world of books has no bounds for inspirational women. Countless authors have written books with strong female leads, most of them fiction, but nonetheless inspirational. When choosing the most influential to me, I could start by writing about the character that first allowed me to immerse myself in the world of the written language, Nancy Drew. Or I could write about the character that allowed me to feel comfortable with being unique and intelligent, Hermione Granger. But I won’t go into those clichés, the book character that has inspired me more than the heroines starring in the hundreds of books that I’ve read is real life Super Girl, Malala Yousafzai.

    Read More

  • Trap Of Gold Analysis

    885 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Trap of Gold”, Louis L’Amour develops the theme, “ greed and ambition can be harmful”, through the use of Wetherton and the mountain. First, Wetherton loves his family greatly and values them above all things. He had been gone from Horsehead and his family, his wife Laura and his little boy Tommy, for some time looking for gold before he found any trace of it. “Wetheron had been three months out of Horsehead before he found his first color” (L’Amour 149). Later, as the story progresses and Wetherton continues to mine, he becomes aware that greed and the need for gold is controlling him, and the base of the structure is weakening, putting himself in more danger with every chunk of quartz he removed with his pick. “Now the lust of gold was getting to him, taking him by

    Read More

  • Sherman Alexie's Indian Education

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    Adjusting to another culture is a difficult concept, especially for children in their school classrooms. In Sherman Alexie’s, “Indian Education,” he discusses the different stages of a Native Americans childhood compared to his white counterparts. He is describing the schooling of a child, Victor, in an American Indian reservation, grade by grade. He uses a few different examples of satire and irony, in which could be viewed in completely different ways, expressing different feelings to the reader. Racism and bullying are both present throughout this essay between Indians and Americans. The Indian Americans have the stereotype of being unsuccessful and always being those that are left behind. Through Alexie’s negativity and humor in his essay, it is evident that he faces many issues and is very frustrated growing up as an American Indian. Growing up, Alexie faces discrimination from white people, who he portrays as evil in every way, to show that his childhood was filled with anger, fear, and sorrow.

    Read More

  • This Is What It Means To Say Phoenix, Arizona: Stereotypes

    1195 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, Sherman Alexie created a story to demonstrate the stereotypes people have created for Native Americans. The author is able to do this by creating characters that present both the negative and positive stereotypes that have been given to Native Americans. Alexie has a Native American background. By writing a short story that depicts the life of an Indian, the reader also gets a glimpse of the stereotypes encountered by Alexie. From this short story readers are able to learn the importance of having an identity while also seeing how stereotypes are used by many people. In the end of the story, both Victor and Thomas are able to have an understanding of each other as the can finally relate with each other through Victor's father.

    Read More

  • Personal Narrative- My Love of Reading and Writing

    1398 Words  | 3 Pages

    Reading and writing has always played a vital part in my life. From toddler to adult, pre-elementary to college, I’ve managed to sharpen both skills to my liking. However, even though it significantly helped, schooling was not what influenced me to continue developing those skills into talent. Many different things shaped and influenced my learning, and now reading and writing have become the safety net of my life. I know that even if I have nothing else in the future, I’ll still have my talent and knowledge. To ensure my success, I hope to further develop those skills so that I may fulfill my wishes.

    Read More

  • Reading And Reading: The Importance Of Literacy

    1784 Words  | 4 Pages

    John Steinbeck stated that “Learning to read is probably the most difficult and revolutionary thing that happens to the human brain, and if you don 't believe that, watch an illiterate adult try to do it.” (142). The first time a child really understands the concept of reading it becomes an introduction to a whole new world. When one thinks of literacy the first thing one thinks of is the ability to be able to read and write. But literacy is much more than that, to me literacy is the key to all forms of knowledge as being literate opens up the doors to all forms of learning and continued learning. Building confidence as a reader, writer, listener and speaker is transformational in a person 's life. These core abilities are used every minute of every day to live in the world. Even in society a large degree of importance is placed on literacy. The in-class text by Sylvia Scribner states “I want to depict that is, the tendency in many societies to endow the literate person with special virtues”. (16) Throughout my life literacy has played a very important role, and has evolved and manifested itself in different styles, from my introduction as a small child

    Read More

  • Importance Of Literacy Essay

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    Literacy is also gained through an education, and this is shown through Shannon Nicholas’s narrative about her taking the standardized writing proficiency test. Education teaches you to be literate, but how much you learn depends on you. In the case of Nicholas, she repeatedly failed the test and began to believe she was not a good writer, even through she was told she was a good writer and received passing grades in all other writing assignments. Nicholas realized how differently her writing could be judged by different people and this is true for all writing. The ability to change viewpoints can also be used as a tool in

    Read More

More about Straw Into Gold Analysis

Open Document