The success story of Sherman Alexie is an inspiring piece of writing that reminds people of the difficulties Indian children and other minorities face in life. Alexie (1998) is determined to inspire as many school students to read more and save their lives from poverty as he can. However, I do not believe this encouragement is a ticket to success for most people. I think that overcoming poverty and discrimination should not be a challenge for an individual but instead a goal for the entire society.
Children should not be put under the expectation to oppose societal injustices. In his essay, Alexie (1998) is understanding of the “defeated” Indian children who refuse to try the way he suggests. According to Alexie (1998), such children are expected to be stupid; they are not presumed to exceed expectations and are treated accordingly. Therefore, people should not view this issue as an individual challenge that every child should overcome because the game’s rules are not fair for everyone. Alexie’s (1998) success has much to do with luck, as he himself admits, rather than his personal determination. In my experience also, luck is the major element of success: being born into a prosperous household, being provided a place and resources for studying, and being given support and encouragement. All of this is due to simple luck, not determination. As such, to give a chance to the “defeated” children and save their lives, as Alexie (1998) puts it, society itself must change the rules so that everyone can have access to this ticket to success.
Determination and inspiration solely are never enough to ensure everyone’s ability to overcome poverty and discrimination. Success stories like Alexie’s should not be used as examples every child should follow. Due to the disparity of wealth in the world and racial and gender discrimination, not everyone is able to excel. Instead of telling children how they should overcome societal prejudice, the adults should work together to eliminate such obstacles from their paths.
Reference
Alexie, S. (1998). Superman and me. Los Angeles Times, 19.