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The purpose of this personal essay is to express the impact of reading in Alexie's life. It was a way for him to explain how learning and knowledge is looked at in his society and why it needs to change.
I chose to analyze Alexie Shermans "Superman and Me" because it was one of the readings that I truly understood. I also found it very interesting. Although, it was hard for me to connect to Alexie because I have been exposed to many forms of reading and writing throughout my years of being in school. Knowing how to read and write is a social norm in America unlike in Alexies Indian Reservation.
Alexie states that "[he] decided to love books" (Alexie, par. 2)
The major argument Sherman Alexie makes throughout "Superman and Me" is that he believes that Indian student's lives can be saved by learning how to read and write.
Alexie was trying to save his own life by reading
Alexie didn't want to be categorized with the other Indians
Sherman Alexie is a Native American poet, novelist, performer, and film maker.
Alexie never believed that he would become a writer because it was not a profession that Indians pursued. He wanted to become the change he wanted to see in his community and for Indians all around. He was tired of seeing Indians recognized as unintelligent, and ultimately wanted to save their lives. Alexie believes that if you are an Indian who knows how to read and write, you will be well respected by all.
Other than his personal essay, "Superman and Me", Alexie has also produced The Business of Fancydancing (1992), The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven (1993), which won a PEN/Hemingway Award. The movie Smoke Signals which was produced in 1998 is a movie based on one of Alexie’s short stories for which he co-wrote the screenplay
Sherman Alexie was born hydrocephalic (build up of fluids in the brain). He underwent an operation at six months old and was not expected to survive. While it is obvious now that he survived, he had many seizures as a child and to pass the time he read.
Alexie has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants, including the 2009 Mason Award, the 2008 Stranger Genius Award, a Pushcart Prize, the PEN/Malamud Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Poetry Fellowship, and numerous honorary degrees.
Do you believe having knowledge is more important than following traditions and customs? Just as it was a social norm on the reservation to not know how to read, but Alexie went against the norm because he believe reading can save your life.