The first time a child reads is an important milestone in his or her life. Literacy is, after all, the key to success. In “Superman and Me,” Sherman Alexie relays both his ease at teaching himself to read and his difficulty in his literacy not being accepted by those around him. Susan
Madera faced hardship in speaking English correctly due to her second language, neighborhood, yet she was accepted as an English writer, as she narrates in “One Voice.” Although I learned to read at a young age like Sherman Alexie and attended private grammar school like Susan Madera, I wasn’t subjected to any backlash or hardship in speaking, so my literacy journey was much easier that theirs.
My initial experience with reading was similar to that of Sherman …show more content…
The use of the phrase “appropriately pitied by non-Indians” shows that, to both them and those around them, this was the role they were destined to assume, regardless of their personal talent, be it reading above their grade level or memorizing dozens of powwow songs. Furthermore, those who didn’t condition themselves to those expectations, like Alexie, were “widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike” (Alexie). My experience differs from Alexie’s because I never encountered such obstacles. Rather, I was expected to succeed and provided with all the appropriate tools and resources to further my literacy. In both my family and my school, I was encouraged to take a lead in my education and was often sent to grant-backed scholastic fairs and competitions. In this manner, although I shared Alexie’s initial effortlessness in learning to read, I didn’t face any setbacks like he did, proving that my literacy journey was easier than …show more content…
Yet her “fears of the English language” and lack of confidence made her want to run away from this language that was a part of her. I, on the other hand, had learned to differentiate between both of my languages, English and Urdu, at an early age because of my parents encouraging me to speak more English at home than Urdu. In fact, my mother would make me and my sister hide the fact that we spoke English with our parents whenever my grandfather would come to visit. To some, giving preference to a language other than the one spoken by your family is seen as abandoning your heritage, but I was lucky enough that my parents realized the importance of teaching us to speak English properly. Had I not been encouraged to speak English at home, I doubt I would have as strong a grasp on the language, both in speech and writing, as I do today. Despite sharing Susan Madera’s advanced writing skills, I did not face the same battle as her in being able to speak English properly, making my journey less difficult than hers.
My literacy journey was an uncomplicated one unlike those of Sherman Alexie and Susan Madera. Although my journey does compare to theirs in some aspects, like being able to read at a young age or being taught how to write well, I only share in the parts that weren’t difficult.
Madera faced hardship in speaking English correctly due to her second language, neighborhood, yet she was accepted as an English writer, as she narrates in “One Voice.” Although I learned to read at a young age like Sherman Alexie and attended private grammar school like Susan Madera, I wasn’t subjected to any backlash or hardship in speaking, so my literacy journey was much easier that theirs.
My initial experience with reading was similar to that of Sherman …show more content…
The use of the phrase “appropriately pitied by non-Indians” shows that, to both them and those around them, this was the role they were destined to assume, regardless of their personal talent, be it reading above their grade level or memorizing dozens of powwow songs. Furthermore, those who didn’t condition themselves to those expectations, like Alexie, were “widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike” (Alexie). My experience differs from Alexie’s because I never encountered such obstacles. Rather, I was expected to succeed and provided with all the appropriate tools and resources to further my literacy. In both my family and my school, I was encouraged to take a lead in my education and was often sent to grant-backed scholastic fairs and competitions. In this manner, although I shared Alexie’s initial effortlessness in learning to read, I didn’t face any setbacks like he did, proving that my literacy journey was easier than …show more content…
Yet her “fears of the English language” and lack of confidence made her want to run away from this language that was a part of her. I, on the other hand, had learned to differentiate between both of my languages, English and Urdu, at an early age because of my parents encouraging me to speak more English at home than Urdu. In fact, my mother would make me and my sister hide the fact that we spoke English with our parents whenever my grandfather would come to visit. To some, giving preference to a language other than the one spoken by your family is seen as abandoning your heritage, but I was lucky enough that my parents realized the importance of teaching us to speak English properly. Had I not been encouraged to speak English at home, I doubt I would have as strong a grasp on the language, both in speech and writing, as I do today. Despite sharing Susan Madera’s advanced writing skills, I did not face the same battle as her in being able to speak English properly, making my journey less difficult than hers.
My literacy journey was an uncomplicated one unlike those of Sherman Alexie and Susan Madera. Although my journey does compare to theirs in some aspects, like being able to read at a young age or being taught how to write well, I only share in the parts that weren’t difficult.