Cameron Lynch English October 14, 2013

Interpretive Essay
Before the essay actually begins there are two paragraphs. Theyre background paragraphs about where the author grew up and their other accomplishments as a writer. Sherman Alexie is one of the most well-known Native American writers. From reading these two background paragraphs we know that it took a lot to overcome the stereotypes that went with being a Native American boy. The essay The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me is ultimately about how Sherman Alexie becomes the journalist that he is today. The very first paragraph of this is essay is important. It is important because its where the title of this essay comes from. Sherman Alexie says that he begins his reading career from reading a Superman comic. I think that because his family was poor, this comic gave him hope and that stuck out in his memory. This comic book is mentioned through half of the first paragraph and later on in the essay. From this significance, Sherman Alexie titles his essay Superman and Me. In the next two paragraphs Sherman Alexie explains what sparked him to read. Even though his family was poor, his dad was a reader who brought home all kinds of books. His father was actually educated and I think he wanted to pass that down to his son by bringing home all those books. Alexie figured out the purpose of paragraphs and applied them to real life examples. He compares paragraphs to the reservation they live on down to each individual living in the house.
Comment [AP5]: Okay, again, good start, but what else does the paragraph metaphor mean? Comment [AP1]: Hes not really a journalist. I think essayist is the better term (but hes also a fiction writer and poet, so maybe writer is the best word). Comment [AP2]: Okay, but this seems like you are setting me up for a summary. Im really hopping for more of a specific interpretation that one might not acquire on the first read. Comment [AP3]: You could combine these two sentences, right? Comment [AP4]: What is the significance? Can you say more on this?

Sherman Alexie goes back to talking about the superman comic. He didnt know what the words were saying but used to picture to guess what the captions said. Again, this ties back to the title of this essay. This is how Alexie learns to read. Sherman Alexie wants the reader to know life in his own shoes. He explains the negative connotation that comes along with being an Indian child and also what society thinks. He was expected to fail and become just another Native American statistic. He wants the reader to know the situation he had to face being a Native American child and how that was a major factor in hindering his success. In the next paragraph, Sherman Alexie uses repetition. He repeats the phrase I read. He does this to make a point that he read book after book after book. Using repetition like that makes the reader feel that theyre there with him reading. Sherman Alexie wants his audience to know that he was not going to fail in life. In the last paragraph, Sherman Alexie talks about his visits to Indian tribal schools. He teaches the students to read and write and realizes something. Alexie never had somebody to come to his school and do the exact same thing he was doing. The students are eager to read and write but many others arent. The point Alexie is trying to make in his last paragraph is that there will always be those crowd of Indians who dont want to save their lives. What Alexie means by this is to become a literate Indian. Alexie doesnt want to see anymore Indian children fail. I just wanted to point out the importance of Sherman Alexies dad in the essay. His dad was the source where all the books Alexie had read, came from. Yes, his family was poor but was considered middle class on the Indian reservation. His dad went to a catholic school and had
Comment [AP6]: This is a good paragraph. You could really build an entire new paper on these ideas. Try putting these ideas in a context. Who is he writing for. What does he want his audience to walk away with?

a job. Had it not been for his dads hobby of reading, Alexie wouldnt have had as much chance of getting to where hed gotten to. In the last few sentences, Alexie says, I throw my weight against their locked doors. The door holds. I think he is making a reference to the Superman comic when he says this. In the middle of the essay Alexie says Superman breaks through a door in the comic. At the end of the essay Alexie is Superman trying to break down Indian childrens doors. The ones who dont want their lives saved, the door still stands and he cannot save them. Cameron, This essay has some really good ideas that arent fully formed. Right now it seems like a Frankenstein essay with unrelated parts threaded together. I think you could really expand on this if you discuss some of these ideas in a context. Maybe you could discuss how some of the things Alexie said impacted you personally. Maybe you could explain what, in broader terms, Alexie is writing about. What is he saying about the disenfranchised? I need more of a central thesis here, and Im not quite getting one.