Preview

Superman and America

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
543 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Superman and America
What makes superman so darned American

Summary

Gary Engle says that superman is a great American hero. He compares him to another one of his personal heroes when he was younger….JOHN WAYNE…..he says THE ONLY TWO AMERICANS WHO NEVER STARTED ANYTHING, WHO ALWAYS FOUGHT ONLY TO DEFEND THEIR RIGHTS AND THE AMERICAN WAY."
The core of the American myth in superman A Immigrant An orphan taken in by the Kents Raised in a middle class ethic home Protects metropolis, Earth, then the universe Has a love triangle Clark, louis, Superman

Do you think that it is possible for superman to be as popular if he wasn't a immigrant/ orphan?

Gary says, " From this nations beginnings Americans have looked for ways of coming to terms with the immigrant experience."

Is superman on of those ways to coop?

Great American heroes have always been on the move…..the fact that superman can fly at will fits this perfectly.
HE FITS THE AMERICAN DREAM PERFECTLY…..

But without Clark Kent superman would not be……. Superman uses clark to express his views on the human race Where he is strong we are weak, superman Is mobile we are not.
SAYS WHILE WESTERNS WHERE A GOOD WAY TO DEPICT LIFE IN THE 19TH CENTURY IT HAS NO RELEVANCE IN THE 20TH CENTURY AND THAT IS ANOTHER REASON SUPERMAN TAKES OVER

As you know, l'm quite keen on comic books. Especially the ones about superheroes. I find the whole mythology surrounding superheroes fascinating. Take my favorite superhero, Superman. Not a great comic book. Not particularly well-drawn. But the mythology... The mythology is not only great, it's unique. Now, a staple of the superhero mythology is, there's the superhero and there's the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When that character wakes up in the morning, he's Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic Superman stands alone. Superman didn't become Superman.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The story Superman and me was written by Sherman Alexie. This short story is about the Sherman Alexie’s life as an Indian boy living on the Spokane Indian Reserve in eastern Washington State and how reading and writing greatly affected his life. This shorts story describes the young Indian boy’s fascination with literature, his intelligence as an Indian, and how he becomes a teacher of creative writing for Indian children. Sherman Alexie’s first literary experience was when he picked up a book that belonged to his father, although he didn’t understand the words he understood the concept of a paragraph and described it as “a fence that held words.” This story talks about how as an Indian child the narrator was expected to fail “We were Indian children who were expected to be stupid. Most lived up to those expectations”, but although failure is what was expected of him Sherman Alexie refused to do so. Alexie was very smart and loved to read, he read anything he could find at every chance he got. I believe the quote “I was trying to save my life” demonstrated the reasoning behind Alexie’s success and thirst for knowledge. Now Alexie teaches creative writing to Indian children and has many students who he describes as students who are “trying to save their lives”. Alexie most likely became a teacher because he is trying to “save” all the Indian people living on the eastern Indian reserve by bringing literature to their…

    • 261 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Although both lost their parents at a very young age, Superman’s/Clark Kent’s upbringing was quite different from the one of Batman/Bruce Wayne. While Superman was brought up, cared for and loved by his foster parents the Kent’s who knew of his alien origin from the beginning, Batman’s childhood was more isolated from society. His butler Alfred was his only real friend and confidant. The fact that he inherited a fortune allowed him to live without worrying about getting a job or facilitating his crime-fighting obsession.…

    • 85 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    V. Conclusion- Although, superman did not receive any money or incentive, he manage to show social responsibility, being a secular messiah, and moral support.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Steel Parallel Christ

    • 2186 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Superman is possibly one of the most known superheroes in the world. But in the past six years the superhero movie industry has exploded. At least one major blockbuster superhero movie is now released about every six months and countless people flood into the movie theater to see each and every one. Prior to the explosion of popularity I would dare say Superman was the single most known superhero in the world, but now he has to compete with other superheroes like Ironman, Captain America, Hulk, Thor, And Batman. What are the underlying themes and morals expressed within the story of Superman? What message is being given when Superman gives himself over to humanity so that they can decide their own fate, or when he saves humanity from the destruction to come, or even when he kills…

    • 2186 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout history every society has had their own heroes of myth and legend; from the Greek heroes of Hercules and Achilles, to the Medieval English heroes King Arthur and Lancelot, and the Early American heroes of Paul Bunyan and Daniel Boone, there have always been and there will always be heroes. Heroes are pillars of a societies values, what a society finds important is what will be found in the overall makeup of the heroes themselves. In today’s society, we have two heroes of comic book legend that stand above all others—Batman and Spider-Man.…

    • 901 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    Eagen, Patrick. “A Flag with a Human Face”. Superman at Fifty!: The Persistence of a Legend. Eds. Denis Dooley and Gary Engle. New York: Collier Books, 1988 [Octavia Press: Chesterland, OH, 1987]. Print.…

    • 3224 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Superman and Me Summary

    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Sherman Alexie is a Native American from the Spokane Reservation. He is the author of “Superman and Me.” An essay about how he taught himself to read at an early age and how he advanced very quickly. Alexie learned to read with a Superman comic book. Before he knew how to read he would look at the narrative above the picture and he would pretend to read the words aloud. He would say aloud,” Superman is breaking down the door.“ Alexie learned quickly. While his classmates were reading “Dick and Jane“ Alexie was reading “Grapes of Wrath.” Stereotypically, Indian children were supposed to fail in the classroom. Alexie was one of the few to not live up to those expectations. Alexie did anything but fail. The essay states, “As Indian children, [they] were expected to fail in the non-Indian world.” Alexie told himself, “I refuse to fail. I am smart. I am arrogant. I am lucky.“ Alexie read anything that had words and paragraphs. He read everything everywhere he went. His father bought hundreds of books, Alexie read them all. “If he’d been anything but an Indian boy living on the reservation he might have been called a prodigy.” These were the words Alexie used in his story. In Alexie’s adult life he became a writer and now visits schools and teaches creative writing to the Indian children. Alexie is the author of hundreds of poems, stories, and articles now. Most of the children read his stories and write their own, He is trying to save the Indian children’s lives.…

    • 294 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Superman broke down the door,” Sherman Alexie’s metaphor just as he broke through adversity. Internal and external expectations are a basis of identity and how we each perceive ourselves. In Alexie’s writing, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” he describes finding his identity through his struggles as he excelled academically obtaining his unique view on the world and facing many stereotypes. As a young boy expected to maintain limited intelligence and accept the standard of ignorance, he was able to surpass limitations while “viewing his world in paragraphs.” While sharing a love of reading with his father he overcame his expected limitations on his reservation. The struggles he endured allowed him to give back to the community he grew with after becoming an adult.…

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the short story, Superman and Me, the author Sherman Alexie writes, “I loved those books, but I also knew that love had only one purpose. I was trying to save my life” (Alexie 6). As a young Indian boy living on the Spokane Indian Reservation, Alexie is “expected to be stupid” (Alexie 5). However, as he strives in school through reading, the other Indian children shun him. Alexie knew from a young age that he would not be on the reservation for all of his life. “I refused to fail. I was smart. I was arrogant. I was lucky” (Alexie 6). Although at first he believed he would become a pediatrician, books became such an influence in his life that he is now a writer. Now he visits young Indian children on the reservation, who are reading and writing and “trying to save their lives” (Alexie 6).…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Though when most people think of superheroes they think of the type with super powers, the original idea of the ‘superman' was developed by Friedrich Nietzsche in the 1800s. The ubermensch (literally overman in German) never had extra-ordinary powers and wasn't developed as the protector of man. Instead, the superman is a person who has overcome all the flaws of mankind and is essentially ‘perfect.' This idea, though it was thought of as an ideal goal that all people should strive for, has almost completely been used for less-than-good agendas. The details of what Nietzsche's superman is supposed to be and how that compares with how it was used to the advantage of many dictatorships and other oppressive leaders is amazing and in many ways…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Superman Hero Quotes

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Superman is a beloved hero. He is loved by many. He got his start in DC comics. He is commonly associated with Louis Lane. He was brought to life by highschool students in Cleveland, Ohio in 1933. The students later sold him to DC comics in 1938. Superman is so loved because he gives people hope and provides safety. Superman is an alien from the planet krypton therefore he has superhuman abilities. His powers include but are not limited to Superhuman strength. Limitless speed, Superhuman vision (including X-ray, microscopic, telescopic, and infrared), Superhuman hearing, Nigh-Invulnerability, Heat vision, Flight, Super breath and freeze breath. Superman's weakness is kryptonite.Superman is most vulnerable to green Kryptonite, mineral debris…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    America's Anti-Hero

    • 316 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In Stephen Garrett’s article, Why We Love TV’s Anti-Heroes, he shows how the heros of today are different from those of the past because they have changed with the world. The focus has shifted from the flat out hero, to a hero that has everyday issues like everyone else, making the character easier to identify with. Our culture today is enthralled with the anti-hero because the character is realistic to people in our society now, rather than someone who is held up on a pedestal for being perfect. Instead of the typical “superman” like plot where the pure hero has to be something other than human to be that perfect, Stephen Garrett offers the idea of the anti-hero being so popular because it resembles the average person who has struggles and does the right thing. There is also a certain sexiness to the anti-hero which we can partially blame hollywood for. Hollywood casts the anti-hero in such a way that the role demands a certain amount of charm and seductiveness. He is the one who will surprise everyone and do the right thing in the end; whereas a villain will never be able to conquer his urges to do something bad because in his heart he really wants to be bad.…

    • 316 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Superman and Me

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Native American writer, Sherman Alexie, in his essay, “Superman and Me”, (VERB) (SUBJECT). Alexie’s purpose is to tell the reader how he beat the system of being a typical typical ‘stupid Indian who accepted failure’. He went to school, taught himself how to read, and eventually left the reservation unlike the majority of Indians on the reservation. He adopts a sarcastic tone in order to motivate young Native American children not to fall into that stereotype. Sherman Alexie takes on the following strategies to convey his position: hyperboles, repetition, and metaphors.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Superman And Me Analysis

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “’Superman is breaking down the door’”(Alexie. 4). In the essay, “ Superman and Me” Sherman Alexie writes about his life as an Indian boy and his struggle to get an education in the circumstances he’s faced with. In order to free our minds one must look past stereotypes, limitations, and find dedication to do what they desire.…

    • 628 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    50 Essays

    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Superman is breaking the door down and saving lives. Alexie is trying to save our lives and not fall into peer pressure. He says this many times near the end of the essay. He wants better for the Indians on the reservation. Alexie relates to Superman because Superman is a hero who saves life and Alexie is a hero to the students and his saving their lives.…

    • 791 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays