32 thoughts on “Sherman Alexie, “Superman and Me””

1. Following Sherman Alexie’s short essay ” Superman and Me ” he writes about the importance of an Indian to succeed, to save his and other’s Indian lives. Race, class, and ethnicity are forces in Alexie’s story because it was the main foundation for his success. Unfortunately, Your race, class, ethnicity, and skin color play a huge role in how you are looked upon and treated. In the text, he states ” A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike. I fought with my classmates on a daily basis. They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help”. For an Indian in school, he wasn’t treated like a student. Being smart as an Indian was different from being smart as a non-Indian. Because of his ethnicity, his talents were looked down upon. Instead of encouraging and helping him pursue his substantial talent, it was chosen to be ignored. He wasn’t white and didn’t fit the stigma placed on him as an Indian, which caused resentment towards him. Therefore this was his motivation for saving his life, afraid the way he was depicted would lead his life to a downfall.

   • Mia, What do you mean when you write: “Being smart as an Indian was different from being smart as a non-Indian”? What do we learn from Alexie’s essay about what it was like to grow up as a smart and motivated student? What about the second question I asked – you haven’t shared your own personal response to the essay. Was there anything in Alexie’s essay that you could relate to?

2. In “Superman and Me”, Alexie focuses on the many racial/ethnic norms that are created by society and how it has impacted his life. He is Indian and he says, “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike. I fought with my classmates on a daily basis. They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help. We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid.” In his scenario, he was tired of other Indians following the general norm of staying quiet, and not speaking up. He sees himself as someone who is breaking this norm, putting himself out there and being seen. He grew up reading books and it has shaped him as a person, to value the importance of being smart and using his intelligence to combat racial injustice. He mentions that he fought his classmates regularly to imply that because he was “expected to be stupid” many couldn’t or didn’t want to accept that he was the opposite. Alexie’s persistence stood out to me and when he says, “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.” He continues to read and use the resources he has to better himself and his community. It was never the easiest for me to speak up for myself and those that I care about the most. I value community and change just as much as Alexie does and hope that one day I can feel extremely proud to be me, Asian. Unfortunately, in the world we live in, race, class, and ethnicity play a large role in how people view you. Alexie’s moral of the essay is that it is extremely important to not let society’s norms on your race, class, and ethnicity bring you down and away from your potentials.

   • Thanks for this response. What do you think makes it difficult for you to speak up? Can you think of an example of a time when this was the case?

3. After reading “Superman and Me”, my understanding of race in the classroom was enhanced much further than it already was. Alexie talks about how reading was important to his life when growing up, and it could affect someone’s life if looked deeper. As seen in Alexie’s short essay, “A little Indian boy teaches himself to read at an early age and advances quickly. He reads “Grapes of Wrath” in kindergarten when other children are struggling through “Dick and Jane.” If he’d 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 is simply an oddity.” In this quote from the short essay, he mentions how this Indian boy was far intelligent than most of his peers but due to the race difference in him, he was looked down upon because he wasn’t a non-Indian. He mentions non-Indians looked at the Indian boy as a liability in the classroom, but he refused to believe that because he knew that he, himself was far intelligent than anyone else anticipates. Due to the world’s twisted mind, he was undermined for most of his life until he later became a writer who would write to inspire others to pursue an enthusiastic education of books.

   • Thanks for these comments. Sherman Alexie is talking here about his own upbringing on a Native American reservation, so his classmates and peers are also Native American, so their attitude towards him is not shaped by racism, but by something else. Also, you haven’t responded to my second question. What is there in this essay that you can relate to your own life experience?

4. In Sherman Alexie’s short essay Superman and me, Alexie discusses the impact of reading on his life and how it saved his life and can save the lives of others within his community as minorities. Race, class, and ethnicity are potent forces in Alexie’s essay because they are the root of his ambition. As Alexie describes his childhood and his passion for reading and learning, he mentions that his intelligence as an Indian child growing up on a reservation makes him a “dangerous person” whose intelligence may be “widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike.” (Alexie, pg 2). Alexie explains that his community feared being overly ambitious and instead were submissive and complacent. Non-Indians feared intelligent minorities for the simple fact that minorities are not supposed to have been more intelligent than those deemed superior. Thus, we witness race/class/ethnicity playing essential roles in the essay because Alice does not fear his passion for learning or commit to societal roles that state he shouldn’t be as intelligent as he is. Instead, breaking the classist and racist stereotypes are significant factors that motivate Alexie to read more. Furthermore, One moment I can relate to Alexie’s essay is the part mentioned where he does not want to be submissive or complacent to what society expects of him and his intellect. I can relate this part of the essay to myself because I am very independent and don’t appreciate relying on people. As a woman of mixed race, it’s vital that I always push myself to work ten times harder than the last person and now fit any stereotypes people may have placed on women of color.

   • Destiny, Thanks for this response. You write that “Alexie explains that his community feared being overly ambitious and instead were submissive and complacent.” Why do you think that’s the case? How do you make sense of the community’s fear? In connecting Alexie’s essay to your own experience, can you think of a specific example of how you have tried to respond to or subvert stereotypes? Try to make your response more concrete.

5. Sadly, race, ethnicity, and class are all deciding factors in our society. In Sherman Alexie’s short essay, “Superman and Me,” he elaborates on what it was like to be growing up as an Indian and attending school. Alexie, like many other Indians, was looked down upon and ridiculed at school because of their race. Indian children grew up thinking that they shouldn’t be able to read at a high level or participate in class just because they were Indian. The text stated, “If he’d 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 is simply an oddity.” Alexie would’ve been looked at as a prodigy due to his reading level being very high for his age. But that was not the case since he wasn’t non-Indian. Unlike some of his other Indian classmates, Alexie did not let the other kids stop him from being intelligent. He knew how smart he was and was arrogant about it. One moment that I could relate to Alexie’s experiences would be when I attended kindergarten knowing little to no English. Other kids looked at me funny when I spoke to them in Spanish and sometimes made me feel embarrassed about it. I was never silent though. Like Alexie, I did let the other kids stop my growth and I became determined to continue to learn.

   • Thanks for this response. Alexie actually went to school on a reservation, so his classmates are also Native American. Why do you think they reacted negatively to his academic abilities?

6. After reading Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me” I can conclude that Alexie became an avid reader and writer because of two driving influences, His fathers obsession’s with books and his desire to no fail in the non-Indian world. This is told to the reader when he says “As Indian children, we were expected to fail in the non-Indian world.” I do see race/class/ethnicity as driving forces in Alexie’s story because often at times when your background ,status and culture is different from what’s considered to be the norm, you are underestimated and are expected to perform a certain way. I have fell victim to this when I was younger because of my race and how I used to speak English kids and a few adults never thought that I would be able to be successful in school. One moment from “Superman and Me” that I can connect with would have to be when it mentions “Then there are the sullen and already defeated Indian kids who sit in the back rows and ignore me with theatrical precision…..They stare out the window. They refuse and resist.” Before I never liked learning and found no enjoyment in it that’s why this connects with me because I once was defeated.

   • What do you think Alexie’s take is on the kids who sit in the back row? What does he mean when he says, “They refuse and resist”? What are they resisting?

7. In Sherman Alexie’s short essay, he discusses how the younger him is treated in school and in society just because of who he is. Race, class and ethnicity are all vital forces in this essay because of the many disadvantages and hardships he faces for being a smart Indian boy. It shows here when he states “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike. I fought with my classmates on a daily basis. They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help. We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid”. While being a young Indian boy in school he was often faced with racism and unethical treatment. People assumed for him to be non-educated and unintelligent. Because of his race, he was never acknowledged of his intelligence but often ridiculed and looked down upon. His classmates often treated him poorly and never let him participate in any of the class actives. Even thought through all his mistreatment he chose to not fail and continue pursing himself. I relate to that because I choose to never take the easy way out of stuff and have the want to strive and never give up.

   • Fatima, what do you think Alexie means when he says that a smart Indian is dangerous??? Also, can you think of a specific example of what you mean when you say that you “never take the easy way”? The connection would be much richer if you could ground it a specific memory.

8. Sherman Alexie’s portraits his race/ethncity/ and class to be seen as very high class and well educated. He mentions in his short story how Indians do try their hardest to get to what they want to be, meaning being as successful as possible. When Alexie was a young kid, he was already introduced to the english speaking world and had so much knowledge compared to kids his age. He was seen as a genius. In the text it mentions that, “If he’d been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation, he might have been called aprodigy. But he is an Indian boy living on the reservation and is simply an oddity.” This quote goes to show his outlook to everyone else in the Indian community and out of it. One moment that I can relate to that is mentioned in Sherman’s short essay is how he loved to read. As a kid and growing up reading was my get away thing. Whenever I wanted to be alone, it was because I wanted to read. There is never a right or wrong answer in reading nor writing which is why I can see that it was so significant in Alexie’s life as well as mine.

   • Yousra, If you go back to Alexie’s essay, you’ll see that he suggests that he and his classmates were raised with the expectation that they would NOT be successful. Why do you think that’s the case? I like your assertion that there’s never a right or wrong answer with reading and writing, and that that’s part of its appeal. What kinds of things did you like to read when you were young?

9. My take on “Superman and Me” is there is a variety of racial and ethnic norms that most people feel inclined to follow, but no one is forced to follow these norms. Alexie’s story and experiences demonstrate how no one is subjected to follow social norms. We’re able to create our own path and future. Your future isn’t decided by the color of your skin or the country you are from. It’s decided by the choices you make. “As Indian children, we were expected to fail in the non-Indian world. Those who failed were ceremonially accepted by other Indians and appropriately pitied by non-Indians.” During Alexie’s childhood, he found himself often picked on and ridiculed by his classmates because he refused to stay ignorant and abide by the social construct of Indians being a failure in the “non-Indian world” Alexie’s grew up in an environment where being a failure as an Indian was okay. Just like Alexie, I sometimes hear and see people of my ethnicity be okay with being a failure. They think it’s something that was meant to happen and they had no control over it. After seeing that many times, I too decided to be different from those people and not follow the social norms that people create.

   • Thanks for these interesting observations about Alexie’s essay. I wonder how free we really are to control our own destinies however. Can you think of a specific example that would illustrate your own experience of choosing NOT to conform to stereotypes or to other people’s expectations for you?

10. In the short essay “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie the narrator focuses on how stereotypes and racism have impacted his life. He was a young Indian boy who enjoyed reading a lot. His father would get piles of books from pre owned stores. At the time the narrator was a child, racism was a normal thing. Anyone who was not white would be seen as a minority and not equal to a human. It states “A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike. I fought with my classmates on a daily basis. They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help. We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid. Most lived up to those expectations inside the classroom but subverted them on the outside. They struggled with basic reading in school but could remember how to sing a few dozen powwow songs.” It is shown that he doesn’t want to be like the other children in the reserve. This explains why he likes reading so much to be more intelligent and wanting to participate and fighting with his classmates for this. I can relate to Sherman Alexie because when I was younger I didn’t know much English so I was put in a class specifically for children to learn English. I was considered weird for being in this class and would get made fun of for not knowing. After some time I was able to speak English better by using this encounter as my motivation.

    • When you include a quotation, be sure to explain what you think the quotation means or what is significant about it. What would make a smart Indian “dangerous” and why “to non-Indians and Indians alike”? How do we explain this? Was there something specific about your experience in school that you can connect to Alexie’s essay?

11. Upon reading “Superman and Me”, Alexie shares the norms of society and how that has impacted his experience. In the essay, It states“As Indian children, we were expected to fail in the non-Indian world. Those who failed were ceremonially accepted by other Indians and appropriately pitied by non-Indians.” This quote shows how it was a serotype and a norm for Indian children to not be successful in a non-indian world. It shows how race and ethnicity plays a role in Alexie’s story. It shows growing he was also surrounded by other Indian children that choose to stay in the norm and stereotype of being quiet and not speak up. That’s where it was different for him, He grew up reading and was confident in his skills, and wanted to change something. A quote that stood out to me was “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. I read books at recess, then during lunch, and in the few minutes left after I had finished my classroom assignments.” By reading almost everywhere he went to accumulate more knowledge, showed his determination to prove that he was not following the norms and was going to create his own “fate” and was not going to be bothered by society. I think his determination really left an impact on me because growing up a female Asian American I think its difficult to not want to follow the norms of society and leave an impact. This made me realize in order to achieve my dreams and not be bothered by what society thinks I need to be more determined and hungry to achieve my dreams.

    • Janice, I think you are right that Alexie’s path led him to resist the dominant stereotypes about Native Americans and to set himself apart from his peers. When you say that you have found it difficult not to want to follow the norms of society as an Asian American woman, what exactly do you have in mind? What do you think society expects of you? How have you reacted to those expectations? Be more concrete and specific.

12. Race/Class/Ethnicity are shown as factors of prejudice interactions within the Indian community. Supported by the Story, “Superman and Me”, written by Sherman Alexie explains how being an Indian boy in a reservation wasn’t the most pleasant time, especially doing school. Sherman was able to read around the age of 3. With his dad going to school and having to buy worn out books at pawn shops and other stores, he was able to buy novels with the spare cash he would have occasionally. That was his kick start to his literature world. When he beings Kindergarten, he exceeds at reading with early age that he is. Although, “If he’d been anything but an Indian boy living in a reservation, he might have been called a prodigy.” as said by Mr. Alexie himself, he believed due to his background they are limiting his potential and general learning experience. The classmates beside him also did not like he was smart for what his background is. “I fought with my classmates on a daily basis. They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help. We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid.” Another prejudice interactions within his own classmates. It was similar to the non-Indian kids being jealous of Mr. Alexie for being smart just by starting to read at an early age. This did not demote his mentality as it only grew his arrogance by reading significantly throughout the day, during activities. As to speak for myself in comparison to the experiences of “Superman and Me”, I never felt discouraged because of my race/class/ethnicity during my academic life. I would put the blame on myself for not capitalizing on the opportunities to become successful as I should’ve.

    • Julian, You have included a lot of details from Alexie’s essay, but I’m not sure I understood you fully. Just to be clear, Sherman Alexie grew up on an Indian reservation, so his classmates are Indian, just like he is. The second part of the assignment was asking you to connect some aspect of Alexie’s story to your own life experience. Try to do that in a concrete and specific way, rather than simply generalizing about your life or about Alexie’s.

13. After reading Sherman Alexie’s essay “Superman and Me” Alexie describes his early life growing up as native American in a reservation in Washington state and his devotion to reading books from an early age. His background as an Indian by race, class and ethnicity has been looked down upon by society and norms. He stated this in the text “If he’d 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 is simply an oddity.” This shows that whatever he does he will not be seen as being smart because non-Indian ethnocentrism made them believe that being this certain race makes you smart. Defying out of the odds Alexie didn’t let his background of being Native American hinder his achievements. He quoted “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. I read books at recess, then during lunch, and in the few minutes left after I had finished my classroom assignments.” He read as much as he could and improved his knowledge spreading to his Indian community. Something that was significant to me and that I could relate to was that he was not just satisfied with failure and wanted to outperform the norms and that resonated with me. Because I don’t settle with just failure.

    • Andrew, Can you think of a specific example that illustrates your not being satisfied with failure or wanting to outperform norms? It’s hard to know what you mean when you stay at such a general level.

14. Sherman Alexie’s essay, “Superman and Me,” included race, ethnicity, and social class and how it all affected him while growing up. His social class was directly stated as “poor by most standards.” Regardless, his father continuously bought books which was a great source of entertainment and knowledge for the kids. He definitely followed his father’s footsteps of being an avid reader especially since he loved his father too. Race and ethnicity play into Alexie’s story because he believed he wouldn’t be able to succeed as an Indian kid unless he was book smart and put work into his studies. This was clearly stated when Alexie says, “We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid.” But he refused to live up to those expectations because he knew he was smart. When Alexie says “I was trying to save my life.” I believe he is referring to his future. He read so much anytime he could when he was young so that he wouldn’t be stereotyped. He did not want to live up to the expectations that people had for him. He wanted to be successful and studious. As for me, I do not get discouraged by my ethnicity or race. If anything, it encourages me to work harder and be successful.

    • Stefany, Thanks for these comments. In connecting Alexie’s essay to your own life, can you think of something specific that is an example of you not being discouraged because of your race or ethnicity. Rather than generalizing, try to come up with a specific example or detail.

15. –Choose one moment or detail in Alexie’s story that you personally could relate to, describe the element from “Superman and Me” and its significance, and share its relevance to your own story.

    Unfortunately in the shorty story “Superman and Me” written by Sherman Alexie, it is well depicted that ethnicity, race and class are barriers for the Indian children when it comes to their education. As we can see in the short story Sherman goes into detail to reveal to us how it was growing up as a Spokane Indian boy in the eastern side of Washington state. In the first two pages he goes on to explain how his love for books began and what he read. He became very bright at a young age. He mentions ” If he’d 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 is simply an oddity.” Sherman goes on by saying that being a smart Indian was no good because you’d be ridiculed by your own people since they never focused on education as much as they did with survival.He would get into small altercations with his classmates at times because he would ask for help when it wasn’t normal for them because they were always the quiet Indian kids who were expected to have a very limited amount of knowledge , they were expected to fail as Indian students and some lived up to those expectations but Sherman refused to fail, he spoke out and on top of that he was very smart. It’s also mentioned that the kids were only like this is school but when they were at home in their reservations that they would be the opposite of what they acted like in school. So, when Sherman said that he refused to be part of those students who were satisfied with the expectations given to them on how they were going to fail regardless because they were Indians is something i encountered a couple years ago where i was told by an adult “if you graduate high school i’d be very surprised because i mean you are Mexican”, once they said this i remember this feeling of anger and disappointment because it made me realize the society we live in today and it to this day it has motivated me.

16. Rachelle, Thanks for sharing an example from your own life. In the story you share here, it seems like the negative stereotype actually acts as a motivator for you in your drive to excel. I think that desire to prove people wrong is also present for Alexie.

17. Race, class and ethnicities are prominent topics in Sherman Alexis’s short essay. These topics are important because the story revolves around his experience being an Indian. In his story, he describes to us the certain assumptions, expectations and stereotypes put in place by other races for an Indian. Growing up, he excelled academically and was a smart boy for his age. But, he found himself on a reservation, where he didn’t find many opportunities to grow. He felt like non-Indians hindered Indians from becoming intelligent and created this environment where it would be best for an Indian to stay stupid, “We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid. Most lived up to those expectations inside the classroom but subverted them on the outside.”. This quote enforces the expectations of an Indian by a non-Indian. They want them to act in certain ways and Sherman realized this. So he took up the mantle of being the one to bring change, and dissolve this concept of differences in race that the non-Indian had created for them. He wanted Indians to realize their full potential. Something that I can relate to is the arrogance that Sherman displays. He truly believes in his capabilities. When I was younger, I had the same arrogance and cockiness because I truly believed that I was capable of accomplishing anything that I wanted. This is relevant to my story because it really shaped who I am and fueled my “never give up” attitude towards things that I was very passionate about. Similarly, Sherman’s arrogance helped him truly believe in the fact that he can be the wake up call for Indians.

18. In Sherman Alexie’s, “Superman and Me”, as readers, we are able to take a closer look at how Alexie taught himself how to read. The reason why getting a deeper understanding of how he taught himself how to read and how he got to where he is now is so significant is that he is an Indian boy. The author depicts race, class, and ethnicity as a way to show how Indians are perceived by non-Indians. Hence the quote, “If he 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 is simply an oddity.” This clearly shows how belittled he was based on his race, class, and ethnicity; because of this, his talents weren’t praised as much which is truly unjustified. To add on, “We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid”, the non-Indian’s viewpoints demonstrated that due to their background and class they had no intellectual expectations for them. The element of “Superman and Me” illustrates how Alexie himself, used Superman and many books to teach himself how to read, but its significance is that he was able to strive through his determination like two heroes in a comic book. I can connect with “Superman and Me” in which I have decided to use the amount of grit and energy to persevere.

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