Hi all:
I thought you might be interested in the following literacy narrative by Sherman Alexie:
http://articles.latimes.com/1998/apr/19/books/bk-42979
(note: this is only the first page; you have to click the “Next” icon at the
bottom of the page).
If you want to read and respond to this essay on the blog this
week, I will give you extra credit. As a start, you might consider the
question: What makes this a literacy narrative? What do you think Alexie means in the penultimate paragraph when he says, "I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky." Why write that in three sentences instead of as one: "I was smart, arrogant, and lucky." How did reading save his life? In his last sentence, he writes "I am trying to save our lives." (emphasis mine) Earlier he says My life. Why repeat himself? Who is the "our"?
If you see some other aspect of the essay that strikes you as interesting, my all means bring it up.
I feel like it was really helpful with the assignment, even though I found it boring it and could not focus on it , it actually helped me better understand what you was kind of expecting for this assignment.
ReplyDeleteChyntrigue: Remember the first assignment. You were supposed to read the syllabus. Read p. 3, particularly about the word "boring."
DeleteI think Alexie really did a great job of showing how his fathers love of books made him also love books, because he loved his father so much. Also I think the fact that he basically taught himself how to read can be very relatable to many people. As people practice certain things and have more experience doing it , they become better at it. I like how he compares paragraphs to states and to his family members. However, Im not one hundred percent sure why he says “I was trying to save myself…our lives” but it might have to do with the fact that he claims Indians are not suppose to live up to a high standard as far as academically. He overcame this and became a successful writer and he might be trying to teach,”save”, other Indian boys that they can also do anything they love.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great reading of how he was trying to "save" himself. Good job!
DeleteThis article by Sherman Alexie was very intresting because, he played out what he saw in the pictures which would be self explanatory. When he said he though superman was breaking the door and saying ''I'm breaking the door'', is a great analysis and a very important step when learning a different language, which is to learn key words.
ReplyDeleteYes, exactly, Christopher. As a long-time comic reader, that's my favorite part.
DeleteAgreed.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes this a literacy narrative is that he begins his experience with reading at a young age at 3. He makes out what the story is by understanding the pictures in the comics. He also wanted to be like his father to love books and try his hardest to accomplish his goal becoming a writer.
ReplyDelete