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.
In Sherman Alexie's “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” the focus is on his struggle growing up poor on the reservation. Many people would have assumed that he was a child prodigy because he taught himself to read at an early age through his hero Superman’s comic book. Reading was the escape from his life of fences on the reservation. Despite the expectations for the children by their tribal elders, he demonstrated his love of the learning process and used the opportunities of the schools to free himself from the reservation; this made him a dangerous Indian. He dealt with the bullies of the school who made sure every Indian child followed the creed o...
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...he villains cannot be the victims, although I feel this is the case in both stories. For Alexie it is the very tribe he was born into and the bullies in his school, but for Nafisi and her students it is the crushing totalitarism of her country's strict military regime. Of all the characters in the books; I feel the greatest victims are the school bullies and the men of the militia for they do not see the opportunity that they could have to be free of their circles in life. The characters of both stories experience and echo their inner feelings and thoughts about their lives, which is generally hopeful but marred by the oppressive state of their worlds. The individuals in each story, as is everyone, are subject to the rules of the societies into which they are born and must find their own way to navigate within the confines of the circles in their worlds.
Literary works are always affected by the times and places in which they are written. Those crafted in Western America often reflect conflicts that occurred between advancing civilization and the free spirited individual. The 1970’s was a particularly popular time for authors to introduce new ideas for living in the modern world. There are few authors who captured the essence and feeling of culture quite like Tom Robbins. Robbins comments on the differences and similarities between Western civilization and Eastern philosophies. His text offers philosophical and cultural meaning that is completely original. Certain beliefs are threaded through out the content of the story. He includes significant content reflecting the laws of physics; how motion and force affect the life process. Through the dialogue and action of his characters, Robbins illustrates how two very different ideals can coexist. Robbins intentions are to expand cultural perspectives and awareness through his novels. His use of metaphors and stylistic diction emphasizes further how thoughtful and awesome his work is. Tom Robbins writing offers an insightful perspective into cultural themes of our modern world.
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.
The theme of finding one’s voice and speaking out against violence and victimization is developed through the use of conflict, plot, and characterization in Speak, The Art of Resilience and If. Throughout the texts the theme is revealed through conflict, plot, and characterization. All in all, the three texts are about struggling in life and the only people you have turn against you. In addition, when life gets rough, you are strong enough and capable to overcome any conflict you
As someone whom identifies as a minority in a number of ways, Aoki has been victimized and deals with that in her writing. From dealing with publishing companies to the actual writing she does, Aoki has to be strong and determined at every phase of her process through the end until a novel’s publishing. Every writer face these challenges, but perhaps not to the degree in which Aoki does. Despite this, Aoki overcomes her struggles with publishing and writing what she wants, but keeps her core value of writing meaningful work
...ave brings them out of their protective and secluded shells. In both stories the theme of oppression, one mental the other physical, resulting in a victory, one internal the other external, prove that with determination and a belief in a higher power you can survive any situation.
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.
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.
Archetypes are universal symbols found in all forms of literature. There was no shortage in Invisible Man as they aided in creating a deeper story. From the modified heroic journey to different colors used to enhance the setting, there were many different meanings to the story. Even though the narrator is anonymous, he proves to be the typical protagonist in the end. The narrator’s journey can be an archetype for anyone’s life when they are faced with adversity.
In Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, the overruling drive of the narrator, Humbert Humbert, is his want to attest himself master of all, whether man or woman, his prime cravings, all-powerful destiny, or even something as broad as language. Through the novel the reader begins to see Humbert’s most extreme engagements and feelings, from his marriage to his imprisonment, not as a consequence of his sensual, raw desires but rather his mental want to triumph, to own, and to control. To Humbert, human interaction becomes, or is, very unassuming for him: his reality is that females are to be possessed, and men ought to contest for the ownership of them. They, the women, become the very definition of superiority and dominance. But it isn’t so barbaric of Humbert, for he designates his sexuality as of exceptionally polished taste, a penchant loftier than the typical man’s. His relationship with Valerie and Charlotte; his infatuation with Lolita; and his murdering of Quilty are all definite examples of his yearning for power. It is so that throughout the novel, and especially by its conclusion, the reader sees that Humbert’s desire for superiority subjugates the odd particularities of his wants and is the actual reason of his anguish.
After reading “Superman and Me,” by Sherman Alexie, I was shown how the author learned to read, and how he used his love for reading to impact his life and the lives of others. Alexie grew up with his family on an Indian reservation, relying on irregular paychecks and government surplus food. Alexie learned to read, on his own, at the young age of three. His love for reading originated from his father’s passion for books, and reading whatever books he could get access to. Alexie’s reading level reached such a high level to where he was reading Grapes of Wrath in kindergarten. He knew he was smart, and he didn’t want to take on the stereotype that all Indians are stupid. Unlike the other Indian children in his class on the reservation, Alexie tried to become as educated as he could, despite being teased by the other kids. Alexie came to describe himself as smart, lucky, and arrogant. This attitude of who he was and what he was capable of allowed ...
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.
Reading a book is a great entertainment, but more importantly, it gives you more knowledge to learn. In a short story entitled “Superman and me” by Sherman Alexie, he discussed how it’s like to be in a minority, or an Indian in a non-Indian world, and how reading helped him get through it. Growing up, his father influenced him into reading books. Due to this he started to teach himself how to read and gained more knowledge. Though he is smart, it was hard for him to be noticed, “Indian children were expected to be stupid,” because of this he worked hard and proved the majority what he is capable of. Alexie’s passion in reading had helped himself and his fellow man rise against all the discrimination and be accepted by
In a world dominated by technology, reading novels has become dull. Instead of immersing into books, we choose to listen to Justin Bieber’s new songs and to scroll through Instagram posts. We have come to completely neglect the simple pleasures of flipping through pages and getting to finally finish a story. Sherman Alexie and Stephan King’s essays attempt to revive this interest in books that has long been lost. They remind us of the important role that reading plays in our daily lives. “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” for instance, demonstrates how being literate saved the narrator from the oppressive nature of society. The author explains that even though he was capable of reading complex books at an astonishingly young
In a nation brimming with discrimination, violence and fear, a multitudinous number of hearts will become malevolent and unemotional. However, people will rebel. In the eye-opening novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns written by Khaled Hosseini, the country of Afghanistan is exposed to possess cruel, treacherous and sexist law and people. The women are classified as something lower than human, and men have the jurisdiction over the women. At the same time, the most horrible treatment can bring out some of the best traits in victims, such as consideration, boldness, and protectiveness. Although, living in an inconsiderate world, women can still carry aspiration and benevolence. Mariam and Laila (the main characters of A Thousand Splendid Suns) are able to retain their consideration, boldness and protectiveness, as sufferers in their atrocious world.
The second example is the character of Esther, she can be seen as the victim and as the heroine. The reason she can be seen as the victim is because of the many injustices she faces. For example when she is subjec...