The Joy of Reading and Writing: “Superman and Me” Dialogue
Reading “Superman and Me” reminded me of the value of an education, something we often take for granted. I mean an education of any type, for it will open the door to a world you can live in. For some it is book learning, a formal education, for others it is occupational training and for most it is a way of learning the rights and wrongs that life presents. We learn the ways of our society at school as well as how to read and write. For Sherman Alexie society had taught him that Indians, as well as other minorities, are expected to be stupid if not invisible. He decided to take a stand and fight this stereotype. He said “I refuse to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky.” He reached beyond the accepted and fought for an education. Today he is fighting for other Indian children especially the ones who are turning away from getting an education. Sherman stated that some children thrive under his guidance but for every child that accepts an education as a way to a better life there is a child that has already let society crush their hopes and dreams. It would seem that those children who are turning away are the ones who need the most help, the encouragement to read and learn the wonder that is our world. They need to open their minds and express the greatness that is inside each of them. Sherman Alexie saved his life by refusing to give up or give in to what society labeled him as. He would not accept that he was supposed to be a stupid Indian. He reached out and grabbed the world with both hands and is now trying to share his path with other Indian children.
I enjoy reading your posts as I find them insightful and well written.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of an eduction, I narrow-mindedly think of a formal eduction. However, you decribe an education as more than just going to school and suggest an education can be the "rights and wrongs that life presents". I can relate to this statement and I couldn't agree more. I've always atributed my mistakes to life lessons which made me the person I am today. I've never thought of it as an eduction, but it make sense!
Hi Bettejo,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your write. I really understand Alexie in this situation, because just like him I realized at a young age that I am arrogant, lucky and smart. I refused to give up. And as for the children that he reaches out to and has made an impact on I can relate to them as well as the ones that he cant reach because they have been discouraged by wht others expect of them, so they feel that they are nothing and will be nothing. Thank goodness for people like Alexie. Thanks for your post.
Hi Bettejo,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insights! You've helped me recognize the fact that many children need some of Alexie's confidence to say to themselves, "I refuse to fail. I [am] smart. I [am] arrogant" in order to combat societal pressures and preconceptions.
I also agree that education is something people take for granted, especially since it's a right. When education is seen as a privilege, our attitude about it will change.
Lauren
Hi Bettejo,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your response. It gave some different insights that I have not yet seen from reading the other responses. I like how you break down the different types of learning that many people learn by. I know I had a hard time going through school, not because I was stupid, not because I wanted to be what society expected of me, but because high school wasn't for me. There are many different ways to learn and many people learn a lot later in life. The learning could be on-the-job training, but that doesn't mean the late learner won't excel at what he's good at and eventually run the company. Alexie was lucky because he was naturally an avid reader which led him to do good in school and gave him an escape from the reservation life. Not everyone can do that. For the people that can't, hopefully they will remember one part of Alexie's speech at their school and be motivated later in life to learn their way and do good for their lives.
Hello there Bette Jo....
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your summary. I agree with you that many people in society today take getting an education for granted. Not everyone is capable of obtaining a high school or college diploma. I believe that people should take education more seriously like Alexie did. If more people were to take it more seriously I think our world would become a much better place. Uneducated people are generally the ones who keep our crime rates so high. If they were to have an education they may be less likely to need to lie, steal and cheat to survive.
Hey BetteJo, I really liked reading your post and think that you have some very good ideas. I think you made a very good point about how sometimes we take education for granted. Not everybody is lucky enough to get a good education.
ReplyDeleteHi BetteJo,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. You have a lot of very good point of veiws. I totally understand that education is important. When I was in Highschool I didn't beleive this. Now 6 years laters I relized how important it is and how lucky I am to finally start my education. I remind myself everyday to not take advantage of it.
It is sad how so many of us take our educations for granted, we dread going to school everyday and doing our homework, when there are so many kids or adults that were either never given the opportunity, or denied it because they were not raised to think that it was important.
ReplyDeleteBette Jo,
ReplyDeleteI agree that we are so fortunate for our opportunity to recieve an education. Yet I feel those crushed children are grasping to their last bit of what they have of themselves as if their identity would be completely lost. It certainly sounds like a rebellion of conformity.