Cheyenne Horton
SWA 1
English 101
1/25/15
Superman and Me Sherman Alexie uses many rhetorical techniques in “Superman and Me”. It all starts with him defining an audience, which are people who are unaware of who Alexie is. He gives basic information about his childhood, like that it was spent on the Spokane Reservation. Alexie also tells a small piece of background on his father, that he went to Catholic Church and was a quite a reader. This gives more insight to the reader so they can understand that text. And in that he also verifies his credibility by expressing that it was his personal experience, that he was actually the one who picked up that comic book and remembers starting to read. When Alexie speaks of the Spokane Indian Reservation he notes about the stereotypes in play. In the 1970s Indian children were expected to not show intelligence, they would even be ridiculed for it. Addressing that also gives a setting for the main idea of the story. Understanding the time difference makes it simpler to understand why he was so proud that he read at every chance he could get. It makes his sense of pride stronger because you know that he overcame a challenge to achieve being such a great reader. Though a surprising part is that he includes how he didn’t expect himself to be a writer despite his passion for reading. The way Alexie uses rhetoric is able to help me understand where he came from and how he got to where he is today by telling the story of a very significant part in his life, where he learned to read. Amazingly his education wave hit right when the 1972 Indian Education Act and the 1975 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act were in play. Rhetorically I gathered that he is proud of where he got to in his