“I refused to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky. I read books late into the night, until I could barely keep my eyes open” (Alexie 17). This quote, from Sherman Alexie’s “Learning to Read and Write: Superman and Me,” describes a young Indian boy’s ambition to read and write, to be literate. The same ambition I saw in myself when I was learning to read and write. The meaning of literacy, to me, has always been the next step towards success. I searched for success at an early age; looking back, I surprise myself on how quickly I advanced. In my early years of junior high, I stumbled across “The Inheritance” by Louisa May Alcott. This story, said to be Alcott’s first novel written before she was twenty, is about an Italian orphan who works for a rich family, but soon finds out she is the true heir to the family’s …show more content…
I looked forward to a time at which it would be safe for me to plan my escape. I was too young to think of doing so immediately; besides I wished to learn how to read and write, as I might have occasion to write my own pass (122).
I too saw an escape through reading and writing, so I buckled down, did the best I could in school, and read as many books as my weary eyes could handle. I also wanted to learn to read and write to be able to give back. Becoming literate will give me the opportunity to give back to my family. I could then let her know that I appreciate her sacrifices that held our family together. Like Sherman Alexie who gave back by visiting schools to teach Indian students creative writing, as mentioned in “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” I too wanted to give back but in a different way. I figured that by becoming literate and educated, I would be able to help my mother support the family. Thus, making life easier for us, maybe she would have the opportunity to quit one of her jobs. I would never be able to achieve this goal, or success, without reading and
When someone is guided in their literacy development and they are impacted in a positive way, they often can become more successful in the field of literacy, which can lead you to a successful life with good social standings, understandings, and power. When someone has what literacy scholar Deborah Brandt calls a “literacy sponsor” they will tend to become more successful in their experiences with literacy. Sponsors of literacy, according to Brandt, are beneficial because they are well educated, have experience in the field of literacy, and are willing to help others improve and let them into the world of literacy. Specifically, Brandt states in her scholarly article “Sponsors of Literacy” that “Literacy as a resource becomes available to ordinary
In the narrative, “Learning to Read,” Malcolm X discusses the topic of how significant it is to learn how to read and write and how it can be beneficial. He believes that people should take initiative and go for what they want in life instead of making excuses. First, he opened up by saying how frustrated he was not being able to read or write. After he was involved in criminal activity, Malcolm, was sentenced for seven years in Charlestown prison. During his time in prison, he met a prisoner named Bimbi.
In conclusion, people discover a new world when we know to read and write as Malcolm X and Sherman Alexie. Their desire to read and write made them capable to achieve their goal by finding ways to learn without help . It was not easy, but when you are a hard worker everything became easy. Moreover, this let to Malcolm X to become an important leader for black people and Sherman Alexie to become a writer. The importance to have the knowledge to read and write made you become another person because made things easier in your daily life.
“‘ But what a battle it was. It took me nearly a year a year to get all them papers together.’” Analysis:By giving him an education, she gave him an opportunity to have a life his illiterate friends from the gangs never could. This enabled him to escape the black ghetto of Alexandria, go to college in America, write a bestselling book and have a life far better than that of his father or mother. This shows not only that a person 's life can be improved by others, but that education can create opportunities even in the most structurally
In the story the joy of reading Superman and me Sherman Alexie tells an emotional story of both hardship and success. He shares his struggles of being a poor Indian kid destined to fail, but he had a desire to be persevere he wanted to be more than the stereotypical uneducated Indian on a reservation and was determined to do so. He was inspired by his father to love books, and with the love for books came the ability to escape from the boundaries of the reservation and the dream to be more. Alexie shares how he taught his self to read with a superman comic book and with his witty metaphors how it shaped his life. I found Alexis story to be emotional, but yet very interesting.
In the essay “Superman and Me”, the author, Sherman Alexie recalls the time he first learned to read. He talks about his Indian culture and the perception of people like himself. He also discusses his childhood and the outcome of learning to read. The reoccurring theme of the essay is the love of reading. The author used various literacy devices to express the feelings of empowerment, happiness and the necessity that came with learning to read.
In the essays, “Reading to Write” by Stephen King, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie, “Learning to Read” Malcolm X, and “Learning to Write” by Frederick Douglas have three things in common. In each essay Reading has contributed towards the authors life leading to benefit from learning to read, allowing them to leave a legacy behind. In each essay the authors has thought their self how unlike Frederick Douglass. For Stephen King, reading has done a lot for him. King stated, “Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones” (221).
Personal Literacy Narrative Reading and writing is a tool everybody needs in their lifetime the basic reading and writing skills are used on a daily base no matter what field you plan to study. Reading and writing are taught at a young age. I personally was taught by preschool I noticed on how I grew with my writing and how I became a better reader and writer throughout my life I personal love reading and writing it’s a way for everyone to express themselves through their choice of words. Everybody learns how to read and write differently some students tend to be stronger than others, personally speaking I feel I tend to be higher in reading then writing.
Alexie states that he doesn’t remember much about what he read, but he remembers one important detail. He remembers when he learned to read. The panel that first taught him how to read was a scene of Superman breaking down a door. I believe this detail is important because Alexie is beating the odds, or breaking down a barrier, when he learns how to read so well. Because of his love of reading, Alexie wants to share the art of words with other Indian children.
The story” Learning to Read”, by Malcolm X, depicts how the motivation could push people further to achieve their academic goal no matter where you from or who you are. The author himself never made it past the eighth grade because he dropped out from the school. Of course with unemployment he got himself involved in criminal activity and later, be putted into prison. the life in prison makes him revalue his past and trying to stand up for himself in order to beat this circumstance. He taught himself how to read and become literate even all he could rely on is a dictionary, and the limit recourse obtained from the prison school.
Reading and writing influence the way that I interact with the world. I learn new things from reading and writing, which in turn help me communicate with others because I am learning new facts and skills. My relationship with literacy is a very close one. It's helped me in many areas of my life, such as being more social. Without literacy in my life, I don't know what I'd do.
The history of my literacy has been a long road of a frustration and learned lessons. As a child, I was a bit of a loner so reading and writing were the closest thing to a social life for me. The things that I bottled up inside came out through my writing and it became somewhat of a pass time for me. As long I could remember literacy as has been an important value for me in my life because from very young age I got express my true self without being judged by the outside. Even though in my later years I would deal with some heartaches and set back that lead me to give up on my love for reading.
A red cape rushes past, catching the wind within its grasp. It waves to those passing by on a warm afternoon. It is a beacon of hope… donned by a three-foot-seven-inch little boy. One may ask, “Why is he dressed like this?” The answer is quite simple: Superman is this little boy’s hero.
Along with in the text it also says “In fourth grade I embarked upon a grandiose reading program. “Give me the names of important books I would say to startled teachers. They soon found out that I had in mind adult books. I ignored their suggestions of anything I suspected was written for children” So he also tries to write books above his level which really did not get him “educated” as he says `he really did not understand a thing , which really didn't make him educated
The reasons are that it is through reading that a person is going to be able to discover new ideas, concepts, meet new places and people that time, money or reality sometimes prohibited. It develops your communication tools and expands you knowledge and the conception around you. First of all, reading gives you a wonderful opportunity to learn about other cultures and places of interest in the world. It gives you an insight into the diversity of our world and the chance to visualize it.