Lucero 1

Yunior Lucero
Professor L. Pennington
English 1301-0106
9 October 2015
Professor Superman!
In the selection Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie, the author explains to us
how he learned to read on his own. Within the selection, Alexie provides details on how
he used popular culture to educate himself during his younger years.
There was one sole reason that Alexie decided to start reading on his own, and
that reason was his father. He would describe his father as an, avid reader of
westerns, spy thrillers, murder mysteries, gangster epics and anything else he could
find (35). Alexie loved his father a lot as he describes that, my father loved books,
andI loved my father with an aching devotion (35). Children tend to look up to their
parents as their heroes. And like any kid who has a hero, they want to mimic the things
their hero does. In Alexies case, he wanted to love books just like his father did.
Furthermore, it is interesting to find that Alexie learned to read just by noticing
patterns on passages. He said that he understood with a sudden clarity, the purpose
of a paragraphI realized that a paragraph was a fence that held words (35). It shows
that he didnt need someone to tell him something that, to him, was very obvious and
simple. He even says that he, began to think of everything in terms of paragraphs. Our
reservation was a small paragraph within the United Stateseach family member
existed as a small paragraph (35). Thinking of structure in a passage for him was very
logical. Logic had allot to do with him understanding and learning to read.
Consequently, he picked up a comic that would ultimately teach him to read. To
others it would be considered a simple read that required little skill. To him, this was one
of the most powerful tools he would have. He describes it as that Superman comic
book (35) in a tone that that says that it was the one responsible for teaching him read.

Lucero 2

He would approach things logically in the book. For example he says that he saw that,
The brown door shatters into many piecesI cannot read the words, but I assume it
tells me that Superman is breaking down the doorI pretend to read the words and
say, superman is breaking down the doors (35). Not only was he learning to read for
himself, but he was breaking down barriers of stereotypes on Native Americans. He was
breaking down those stereotypes and learning how to read.
Lastly, it is understood that not only was he reading because of his love towards
his father, but because he wanted to save his life. He says that if hed, been anything
but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called a prodigy. But he
is an Indian boy living on the reservation and simply an oddity (36). Sherman Alexie
has another book titled, The Absolutely True Story of a Part Time Indian, where he
explains that most Indians who tried to be better in school and successful were often
look down upon by other Indians as well as White people. He was trying to survive in a
world where not even his own people appreciated the things he was doing for himself to
become someone better in life.
To conclude, Sherman Alexies Superman and Me is great passage of the
outcome of him learning to read on his own. It shows how simple western culture
literature such as a comic book was enough for him to learn to read.

Lucero 3

Works Cited
Alexie, Sherman. Superman and Me. The Writers Presence. 8 th ed. McQuade,
Donald and Robert Atwan. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins 2012. 34- 37. Print.