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Devashree Joshi Ms. Herdzina English 101 Essay: 2(option 2) 29 March 2011 Light of Literacy Sherman Alexies essay Superman and Me begins with him telling the story of how he taught himself to read. The financial situation of his upbringing may have been less than most middle-class families but the one thing his family had abundance of was books. Alexie learned not only how to read but to love reading. He used his love of reading to propel him through the school system, removing himself from the stereotypical Indian children who were expected to be stupid (Superman and Me). In a way the particular story of superman breaking down the door that Alexie chose to introduce him to the art of reading was symbolic of the Indians struggle to overcome prejudice and reduced expectations (Deering 7). In the essay Superman and Me Sherman Alexie explains how he learned to read and how important literacy is to him. Alexie begins his essay by writing I learned to read with a superman comic book (Superman and Me). When I first read this sentence it made me think how can anyone learn to read through a comic book but Alexie did learn through comic books because for him that was his way of learning. All that mattered for him was to learn, not how to learn. I agree with Alexie when he argues in the end of Superman and Me that by teaching writing to Indian kids he is saving lives because it appears quite clear that Alexie is trying to

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save their lives analogous to his own which he successfully accomplished through his love for and acquaintance with books. It is no denying the fact that he owes his sense of creativity to his father who had a desire for books and it is his father who was instrumental and who facilitated this virtuous journey. Alexie explains that he was inspired to learn to read and enjoy books because of his love for his father (Superman and me). He was initiated to the threshold level where he struggled and gradually was oriented to read, to love to read and later to write. It did bring a transformation in his personality by giving him an identity in the elevated peer group i.e. he progressed to a higher paragraph overcoming all potential inhibitions and a sense of deprivations. As Alexie writes, he was to become a pediatrician (Superman and me), but I feel and perceive that he is indeed a pediatrician! If not in the clinical sense, at least in the socially responsible functional sense. Through his personal experience, interest and encouragement to the innocent children, Alexie is trying to ensure that they do not remain a neglected and deprived lot; all may not be and need not be as fortunate as he was, to have a very enlightened and caring father. Alexie writes, Books, I say them Books, (Superman and me). Viewed in this sense, he is truly saving their lives through the sheet anchor role of a friend, philosopher and guide by providing them with a sense of direction and signifying the role of books, literacy, education and a distinct enhanced identity which will have enduring influence on the quality of lives of these children. When we say, mother is the first teacher, father is the first guide and family and school are the first institutions in a persons life; Alexie was blessed to have his father as a guide. Now he is trying to make the lives of Indian kids to be saved in the sense that he had done for himself with creativity and now he is trying to make it that way for these children.

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As Alexie explains Indian children were stereotypically supposed to fail in the classroom, (Superman and me) and most did. Alexie writes, "I refused to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky"(Superman and me). Alexie wanted a change and he did make one. Be the change you wish to see in the world (Gandhi). Alexie followed this in the true sense. He became the change that he wanted to have for the children of his world. He never bothered what others thought of him, the only thing he cared about was to spread education. Sherman Alexie wrote that his voracious appetite for books helped to raise him above the gloomy existence of a reservation Indian. In turn, he now teaches other reservation Indian children to write, unlocking the doors of their imaginations and opening them to greater possibilities. Alexie struggled to educate himself in environments that were hostile to stepping beyond the pale. But the price of that education was isolation. Alexie wrote that he was an oddity among his classmates, who tried to beat the burn to learn out of him. Alexie never looked back and achieved his vision. From this essay Sherman Alexie has shown us the importance of education for all. He shows that we can educate ourselves from our own experiences and can teach others too. (Scott 1) Sherman Alexie has shown us from his own life experiences that it is not always a hindrance coming from a different culture, but that it can broaden peoples horizons.

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Works Cited Alexie, Sherman. Superman and Me. Los Angeles Times 19 April. 1998. Print. Deering Elaine M. Using comic book superheroes to develop critical thinking, Information Literacy, speaking and writing skills. SCRIBE (2010): 7. Web. Scott, Christina. Experiencing Education. ESSAI 6.1(2008): 1. Web.