Read the following essay, "Superman and Me" by Sherman Alexie.
http://www.qcounty.com/SCC/Spring10/Eng305_10035/Readings/ShermanAlexie--Superman.pdf
It is both an eye-opening account of what life was like for an intelligent child on an Indian reservation and a skillful rendering of the moments surrounding language acquisition, the spark for reading and writing, and the influence on a child of a well-loved parent. Use any or all of these avenues for discussion of the essay.
Also comment on what rhetorical devices Alexie uses in the essay. For example, by using the analogy of a paragraph to a fence, Alexie is providing a visual connection that all readers can understand in order to express his moment of epiphany that opened him to the world of reading: an understanding that words "worked together for a common purpose". The use of this visual analogy between a paragraph and a fence lends meaning to the extension of his analogy in the remainder of paragraph 3. As Alexie explains his understanding of the reservation as a paragraph within the country, his home and neighborhood as paragraphs on the reservation, and each member of his family as a separate paragraph yet part of a larger "essay of seven paragraphs," the reader grasps Alexie's inherent desire to write and his identity as a writer. This is just one example. You should find and cite at least two. Do your best not to repeat the devices used by other students.
Learning is a matter of the heart. It takes more than simply the space between two ears to truly acquire knowledge imparted—it takes drive. The prompt put forth describes the short story/essay “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie as “an eye-opening account of what life was like for an intelligent child on an Indian reservation...”, something I cannot deny after reading the story for myself. The author and subject is a model of prodigious nature and extraordinary intelligence. However, I cannot read this piece without acknowledging what truly sets Alexie’s story apart. He is driven. Alexie is driven to subvert expectations regarding his own intelligence and presents several interesting dilemmas concerning that intelligence. In one particular passage, Alexie says, “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike...We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid.” It is in moments such as this that Alexie lets experience dictate his writing in such a way to create something profound. He describes the double edged sword of his own pursuit of knowledge juxtaposed against that of his peers. He uncovers prejudices apparent. He acknowledges how his heritage puts him at a disadvantage despite his ability. The line continues in an unexpected way, with Alexie saying, “We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid. Most lived up to those expectations in the classroom but subverted them on the outside.” Here, Alexie raises a rather interesting and important point concerning bias and predisposed notions of what constitutes intelligence and education. Too often in this age we take too narrow a perspective on intelligence. We convince ourselves that only those with the best educations can be successful. We refuse to acknowledge that resourcelessness is not synonymous with stupidity or laziness. We blind ourselves to the fact that other cultural lifestyles and faiths are not inherently primitive. We subject others to arbitrary ideas of civility. This line conjures up all of these ideas in the minds of readers. It points out flaws in thinking and flaws in society. Sherman Alexie does not simply acknowledge the heart in learning; he presents the heart in the unconventional.
ReplyDeleteSherman Alexie’s final paragraph best encapsulates his drive through a variety of stylistic choices and rhetorical devices. Throughout the essay, Alexie describes his experiences as a Spokane student, but the final paragraph changes in perspective from young Alexie to adult Alexie. He speaks of teachers and assumed abilities of students like him. He asks a string of rhetorical questions about these teachers, questions that truly have no real answer except to Alexie himself. He presents three contrasting ideas serving as antitheses: the educational opportunities of children living on reservations today against Alexie’s own past opportunities, Alexie’s presence against the absence of guest teachers, and the engaged students against the defeated. He ends with a metaphor comparing the guarded children to doors he will try relentlessly at in the hopes that they will one day open.
I like the rhetorical tactics that you brought up. I never would have seen them and it’s nice to be able to see that perspective in his story.
DeleteHow many of us take our education for granted? We wake up every day and dread going to school, or this class or that class. But what if we were deprived of a good education? What if we were expected to be one thing, but wanted to reach for another? What if, instead of being encouraged to do this thing, we were constantly beaten down and told we couldn’t do it? These few short questions summarize the life of Sherman Alexie as described in “Superman and Me.” Throughout his life he was amazingly smart. For example, not many of us would be able to teach ourselves to read at the age he did. His thought process of learning paragraphs is outstanding. The way he links his family into an essay shows a unique way of learning and understanding that I am sure many of us could only wish we had. This comes from a lot of perseverance and determination. Throughout school, he was the only Indian boy who showed a lot of potential in the classroom. Rather than being nurtured and encouraged, he was made fun of and somewhat pushed to the back of the line. He had a non-Indian teacher, which made things even harder. Alexie, however, never gave up. he used his intelligence, arrogance, and luck to save his life. This isn’t in a literal sense, but it rather has a deeper meaning. A life where you aren’t happy isn’t really much of a life at all. You would be walking through the motions and giving up on what you want your life to be. When Alexie says he is saving his life when he talked about overcoming his struggles in learning, what I think he means is that he found a way to be able to do what made him happy for the rest of his life. He used this to help other children like him. He would work with Indian children to help them develop skills in reading and writing. Just as he was they were arrogant and smart, but this again drove him. The door to knowledge isn’t help open for all of us, but sometimes we need to pry it open to save our lives.
ReplyDelete- [ ] In the story, “ Superman and Me” the stage is set by developing an imagination of what it was like for an Indian kid on a reserve. Sherman Alexie makes great use of tools to help the audience visualize the story as it is being read. It takes the reader into a scene where an Indian child reads lots of books in order to become intelligent and what he says “I am trying to save our lives.” The Indian kids in the story have a reputation that they are suppose to be stupid compared to the other children. He realizes this and decides to work his butt off the enhance both himself and the reputation. Mid story he talks of how he began to see the world in a different way. He now started to see the world in sets of paragraphs which is a good tool to show his developing education throughout the story. Another example of a rhetorical tool that is used throughout the story is repetition. In every paragraph, usually as the concluding sentence, the statement “I was trying to save my life” or “I was trying to save our lives” is used. By using this repetition the main topic or concern is built up. Sherman Alexie also builds up the story by putting in advanced detail of the forces that are against a young Indian kid in the story. Not only his reputation and education are against him, but also other Indians! He says, “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non Indians alike.” This use shows the ongoing. Struggle presented with the young kid as he tried to educate himself to save his life.
ReplyDeleteI like that you used the idea of repetition. The phrase, “I was trying to save my/our lives,” however, was only used in the last paragraph, not throughout all of them.
ReplyDeleteKnowledge is indiscriminate. Regardless of one's national identity, or one's position at birth, the pursuit of knowledge spans all peoples. Encapsulated in "Superman and Me," Sherman Alexie writes of his struggle with society and intellecual pursuit. Contrary to the values upheld by Native American society, and contrary to the perception of American society, Alexie is an avid reader and writer. The environment in which he pursues these desires is deeply critical and discouraging, which is simply intolerable. Not necessarily knowledge itself, but the pursuit of knowledge is something that must never be abridged. Alexie "fought with his classmates on a daily basis," Native Americans were "expected to be stupid" (3). Impeding one's freedom to pursue knowledge is unacceptable. Agreeably, many people have sought to enact change against this societal and sometimes institutional discrimination. Accomodating the individual "needs" of children whom may not want such pursuit is not a solution. Allowing the free pursuit of knowledge is. To this effect, Alexie conveys his argument with several rhetorical devices, among which include his anecdotal experiences with society, as well as a primer on how exactly he perceives intellect, which is mostly characterized by his repetitive use and application of "paragraphs."
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