In Superman and Me Sherman Alexie as a Spokane Indian boy who wasn't very well off. With the help of his father's influence in getting him to read comic books, he showed himself how to read. He took great pride in this, but he also had a battle in expressing this knowledge, because he felt he had to play the role of a stupid Indian infront of non-Indians. He was expected to fail, but he refused to do so. This also compares to LaRhonda, who is an African American, who isn't too well off either. She felt the pressure to do bad in school to protect her image to others within her culture, but like Sherman she was inspired by something. Actually, her inspiration came from a guy she knew who in school succeeded, but yet maintained his image that he felt he had to show to his peers by selling drugs. From this, LaRhonda was driven to be able to balance everything and have both a good education and the image that she felt she had to fill. Both LaRhonda and Sherman had battles within their cultures to be a certain way, but they were both inspired to do well in their education, and made it an important part of their life despite their upbringings.
Posted by at October 5, 2005 9:24 PM