Sherman Alexie 's "The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me" is a personal narrative in which he recounts his early life and how he started to appreciate reading. As he shares his experience with us, he weaves into his story a powerful truth about our society. Even though we refuse to admit it, we have certain expectations of different communities. In his essay, he focuses precisely on what it meant for him to grow up as an Indian child in an American society. By discussing the obstacles he faced, Alexie inspires his readers to dismiss the roles that have been laid out for them based on their backgrounds.
The author begins his composition by explaining how he became a book lover. He claims that it was thanks to his father that he began …show more content…
He completely discards the ones that have been set upon him and is convinced that others should do the same. I fully understand how he feels and the reasons why he refuses to be constrained by these rules. As a member of a typical Asian family, I was expected to do extremely well in school. Both of my parents came from Chinese backgrounds and were raised in families that valued education. During my entire years of schooling, I felt obliged to work exceedingly hard in order to obtain the grades that would satisfy my parents. It has always been school before anything else. I remember continuously being terrified the day report cards were being handed out. In addition, I was required to be a math genius, which I was not. Nevertheless, I overworked myself because I wanted to please my parents and other family members. I know now that personal happiness and satisfaction are as important. In fact, they might even be more meaningful than the opinion of others. If I was content with a lower grade, my parents should have been more acceptant of that. Although it is true that having an education is highly beneficial and should be valued, we cannot force it upon someone who is more appealed to music, for instance. Our society should learn to stop judging those who choose to follow different paths and to respect the decisions an individual makes. It should also put an end to all the negative expectations and restrictions it pressurizes its people with. We should be free to lead our lives without the fear of being
The author begins his composition by explaining how he became a book lover. He claims that it was thanks to his father that he began …show more content…
He completely discards the ones that have been set upon him and is convinced that others should do the same. I fully understand how he feels and the reasons why he refuses to be constrained by these rules. As a member of a typical Asian family, I was expected to do extremely well in school. Both of my parents came from Chinese backgrounds and were raised in families that valued education. During my entire years of schooling, I felt obliged to work exceedingly hard in order to obtain the grades that would satisfy my parents. It has always been school before anything else. I remember continuously being terrified the day report cards were being handed out. In addition, I was required to be a math genius, which I was not. Nevertheless, I overworked myself because I wanted to please my parents and other family members. I know now that personal happiness and satisfaction are as important. In fact, they might even be more meaningful than the opinion of others. If I was content with a lower grade, my parents should have been more acceptant of that. Although it is true that having an education is highly beneficial and should be valued, we cannot force it upon someone who is more appealed to music, for instance. Our society should learn to stop judging those who choose to follow different paths and to respect the decisions an individual makes. It should also put an end to all the negative expectations and restrictions it pressurizes its people with. We should be free to lead our lives without the fear of being