Sherman Alexie on Literacy

September 17, 2012

                Sherman Alexie is a middle class Spokane Indian that’s living on an Indian reservation in Washington State and is a part of the middle class. His father would constantly buy any kind of books to read at every possibility that he could. Their house was literally made up of books in every room. Growing up with a father who loved to read, pressured Sherman to love to read as well. At the age of three when he picked up a Superman comic book, he made a very strong attempt to read.

                From that day literacy because important for Alexie. He was out to prove that he could do well in school and become very smart. In his classes, when some students were having trouble reading the simple, beginner’s books he was reading those that were more complex. Sherman, much like most other Indians outside the reservation, was expected to fail at what others were able to do because of their stereotype. Sherman Alexie went against the grain and became smarter than the other students and found importance in literacy.

                Literacy is important helping shape the way that Alexie is today. He is now an author of short stories, novels, and poetry. He visits many schools and works with other Indian students to help teach creative writing due to the lack of writing that was taught back when he went to school as a child. The importance that Sherman found in literacy is being taught to many other students.

September 10, 2012

                Writing is very important in today’s society. Writing is used for many purposes including education and the expression of thoughts. Writing is one of the greatest forms of communication that the world has come to know.

                When people write, they are able to use their own words, thoughts, and ideas. They can express their feelings and tones. With writing, people can truly express who they are, how they feel, and what they want to talk about. People will use their own opinions all time on issues; what should be done; what can be done. People can create their own stories with a writer imagination opening up whole new worlds to readers and sparking the reader’s imaginations as well while they read it with specific descriptions and imagery that may be used to help tell their stories. Writing allows us all to have our voices on paper just waiting to be read.

                Writing with an educational purpose is highly important as well. Many authors and writers can talk about different forms of history the way they hear, read, and studied about it. Writers can talk about politics, society, economics, and culture with some of their experiences on what they learned and help tell us and inform us about it. Writers can chose how much they want to educate their readers on certain issues and events.