In “Superman and Me”, Sherman Alexie writes about his struggle to get the education he desired. This piece brings to life that reading can open doors and pave the way for a brighter future for you and those around you regardless of the situation. Alexie starts off his essay by setting the stage and giving an inside look as to how the story began with nothing more than a “Superman” comic. As a three-year-old boy, he would sit and narrate the comic by pictures alone, not knowing how to read a…
In the essay, “For My Indian Daughter” by Lewis (Johnson) Sawaquat, the writer moves from hating himself is an Indian because he always had unfair treatments by the public and even be bullied by white people to accepting his differences and knows what it means to be a Native American. We see this when he learned how to kill, bully and hate Koreans to express his dissatisfaction and when he decided to join in the powwows and did some research about Indian past with each other. Regarding the…
The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie focuses on teenager Arnold Spirit Jr. growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Always considered an outsider, Junior is further ostracized when he decides to leave the reservation to attend the much richer and whiter Reardan high school. Although most of his tribe sees this decision as a betrayal to who he is, Junior hopes to better himself by leaving the reservation. Through this decision he finds new inner strength, better…
In Sherman Alexie’s Story, This is What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona, Victor is a complex character in ways. On the outside he is more closed off and and tries to act “normal” and that he is above others who aren’t in that definition of normal. But on the inside he knows that he shouldn’t be like that. He holds regret for treating Thomas Builds-the-fire the way he does growing up. They were friends when they were younger, but by their teenage years Victor had drifted away. One night, “when…
speech of the author’s master enlightened the author that lack of knowledge is the reason why black people were slaved by the white, thus he learned to read and write by all means and finally gained his freedom. In the article Superman and Me, author Sherman Alexie had a strong interest in reading his father’s books, which bloomed his literary career later in life. The speech was an important text that shaped Frederick’s…
The story, Superman and Me, by Sherman Alexie, is about a Indian boy who enjoys reading and writing as much as his father. But, in the reservation where his family lives reading and writing is very rare for these Indian boys to know. He was scared he would be called dumb and unintelligent like his fellow friends. So, he dedicates a lot of time and ends up visiting reservations to help teach Indian boys. One specific quote in this text conveys Sherman’s thoughts and claims of the central idea.…
left. Their culture, however, has been radically changed by the modern American culture. Sherman Alexie perfectly portrays this oppression and the plight of the Native American in Indian Killer and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Through the setting, plot structure, and characterization, Alexie uses both books to show the struggle that a modern Native American faces. “As a Native American… Sherman Alexie knows how difficult it is for someone to make his way in an alien society…
writing style consisting of multiple short stories that focus on daily lives of Native Americans, along with some descriptive writing style. The author, Sherman Alexie, is a brilliant source to write stories about the Spokane Tribe because he grew up on the Spokane Indian reservation. Being an Native American himself…
Sherman Alexie’s “The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven” is a 1993 short story that looks into the life of a Native American man who is depressed after a failed relationship with a white woman in Seattle. Now living alone in the Spokane Indian Reservation, the narrator feels haunted by his past and affects him in daily interactions. The majority of the narrator’s views are negative and his own race is seen as divided from America, even when Native American home is America the narrator…
It can be said that everyone, at some point in their life, has wondered if they are alone. They question their ability to stand up for what they believe in and if their weaknesses will cause their downfall. There is a simple and comforting way, however, that the downfall can be avoided. Reading is a relaxing pastime that many people today do not acknowledge. On the other hand, once recognized, reading can bring comfort to an audience and bring a new awareness of morals and strength of self.…