Intelligence is a tool a plethora of uses. It can be used to help people out or it can destroy humanity. It can also help a person in bondage find ways out of out. Ignorance is bliss but it’s easier to control a bunch of buffoons than a bevy of intellects. Reading rips open the doors to knowledge that can help break the shackles of ignorance in a way “saving lives.(paragraph 8)” In Sherman Alexie’s “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” he tells his story of his journey through life and how reading saved his life and made him dangerous to the authority higher than him due to being able to think independently from them. The reason “a smart indian is a dangerous person, (paragraph 6)” is that they can find out how unfair how society is to the native americans through reading articles, media and other Being in the bondage of ignorance prevents people from achieving what they want in life or even figuring out what they want to do with their life. Education opens up new options of different lives they can live. Sherman Alexie becoming a writer helps bring more reading material to another audience, in turn, contributing to saving lives through reading. Knowledge is power in society and to survive, you need at a bit to not be chewed out from society. When Alexie says, “I am to save our lives, (paragraph 8)” he is trying to motivate the readers to educate themselves and save their lives. He writes books to help contribute to the good literature out there saving lives. Giving people in society the tools of reading gives them an opportunity at knowledge and dangerous people in general due to being able to think for himself, but they are especially dangerous people in power who want to exploit people. Reading and becoming intelligent can break the ignorance bonds that the authority is trying to control them with and help that person to live a full
And that’s probably because this was something that was very emotional to talk about. He talked about the way Indian kids were treated and how they never really learned how to write. And writing was something that he loved to do. When Alexie was older he became a writer. And he talked about how he would go back and teach the kids how to write. And he said that they would pay close attention to him and they would read his books. In the text it states, “They are trying to save their lives.” And to me that means that they were just trying to basically prove that they were smarter than everyone had put them out to be. And that if they didn’t read they’d probably just be regular. But that’s not what Alexie wanted them to be, so he helped
Literacy gives courage and provides a positive influence in times of crisis.
Heroes and victims—these common roles are found in “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” by Sherman Alexie, and in Azar Nafisi's, “From Reading Lolita in Tehran.” Both Alexie and Nafisi were shaped by the societies into which they were born, turning to literature to escape from the confinements of their existence. Sherman Alexie is an Indian who works with students openly in the Catholic school system to help the students of the reservation find their own way into the world, while Azar Nafisi, a native of Iran, works with her most trusted and brightest students, taking them "underground" for lectures in order to conceal her educational efforts from her country’s regime. Together, these authors might be viewed as dangerous by their cultures. Each is an example of individuals who took the lot they were cast in life and used their abilities and educations to help others. In the world we live in today, the concept of personal freedom is a matter of perspective, and the society that an individual is born into greatly influences their reality.
Alexi disregarded everyone who told him to be average, read as much as he could, and as a result was able to become a writer regardless of stereotypes, essentially proving them wrong. Stereotypes are often untrue, but if enough people believe them, can be compelling in the affected people’s lives. When they start to disappear, however, many more people become motivated to pursue a higher education, decide on different careers, and discover new talents and
The article by Gerald Graff was written to inform the readers that reading is a key factor of becoming a more intellectual person. Reading text that fits ones interests is a great way to get used to reading. Eventually as ones reading skills improve then they will be able to read more difficult texts. Reading is an extremely important skill to have because it allows one to obtain information on topic that are in and out of their scope of interest. Consequently, reading broadens a persons perspective on the world. Nonacademic interests can be tied into academic interests that are learned in school. Reading on topics that interest a person will eventually lead them to start reading more on the topics that may not have interested them in the
Kipp Academy, what is it, how did it develop and why is it so important to Urban Education?
I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky,” stated Sherman Alexie in his story “Superman and Me”. Alexie grew up on a Native American reserve that was filled with community of like minded Native Americans who just like people back home were simple-minded and under the oppression of self pity. Everyone was scared to be different and strive to not only put themselves in a better position, but everyone that would follow behind them. Its crazy how not only did Sherman show that he was smarter than the rest of his peers & fellow tribe members; But he boasted it at times to somewhat challenge his peers to take a different route out of their comfort
Sherman Alexie illustrates through the short story, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” how he developed the same reading and writing skills taught in a classroom solely from a Superman comic book. Alexie’s situation was unique from not only non-Indians but Indians as well. Alexie’s family was not privileged, which was the case for most of the people who lived on the Indian reservation. They, Indians, had access to very limited resources which ceased any aspirations they had at being successful. Alexie, as a young Indian boy, was not supposed to be educated by the societal norms expressed of his era. However, Alexie refused to fall victim to a stereotypical uneducated Indian boy. As a product of an Indian reservation, Sherman Alexie informs his audience, mostly dedicated to Indian children that he did not fail simply because of the joy he had for reading and writing.
Andrew Solomon has some valid arguments in his article, and he tries to persuade the readers through logos, pathos, and ethos. Solomon wants the readers to understand the importance of reading, and how its decline can be harmful to the nation. To reinforce his arguments, Solomon shares a variety of examples, for instance, he mentions that reading helps improve memory and concentration, and the decline of reading is causing mental “atrophy.” He also calls upon the readers to take some sort of action to raise reading rates and help the society. This can grant the readers a form of power and control over the crisis that will lead to an em...
At what age did you learn to read? Were you younger or were you older? In “Superman and Me”, Sherman Alexie describes the importance of learning how to read at a young age and how reading saved his life. Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me” uses rhetorical analysis effectively to show that by reading he became an example for Indians at the reservations by beating and conquering all of the stereotypes that were against Native Americans.
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.
Award-winning American novelist Ann Hood states, “I was… an outsider growing up, and I preferred reading to being with other kids. When I was about seven, I started to write my own books. I never thought of myself as wanting to be a writer. “ Her statement is similar to that of Sherman Alexie’s life, where he was written off by society just because he was a Native American. Growing up he fell in love with literature, and ended up writing young adult literature. In his essay “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me”, Alexie successfully appeals to ethos, pathos, and logos while effectively employing several other literary devices in order to emphasize that one is capable of overcoming their individual obstacles.
Having the knowledge to read and write may take someone into a completely different universe, it allows to see reality or escape from reality. It gives a better understanding of what goes on in the world, that being good or bad depending on how he wants to see it. Malcolm X wrote a short story " A Homemade Education," about how, his experience in prison allowed him to gain knowledge and to grow as an individual. Learning to read and write showed him, how to be mentally alive in a way that changed his life forever. He took it as an ability to grow, to make a change for himself and possibly make a difference in the world. Malcolm X explained how it 's never too late to get an education, there is always time for one to change in life. It is
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
Nowadays, many people think reading is not necessary, since there are so many sources of information and types of entertainment, such as TV, cinema and the Internet. I believe they are wrong because reading is very beneficial in many ways.