In “The Movie that Changed my Life” by author Terry MacMillan, a poor black girl brought up in Port Horun, Michigan carried an unhealthy view of the world due to how her childhood household which consisted of an authoritarian mother, numerous responsibilities, and the only source of “happiness” for people around her was to get intoxicated. Fascinated by “The Wizard of Oz”, MacMillan developed a fresh perceptive composed of how to demand respect from her mother, become a better person, and to stay positive because while the road to success may seem a bit bumpy after we overcome our obstacles we are then transformed and enlightened by our experiences. It’s not the challenge that defines us but how we overcome the challenge.

In “Superman and Me” by author Sherman Alexie, a Native American viewed superman as an inspirational role model in hopes to save the lives of him and his people from his unjust world of racism and illiteracy which was deemed as blissful. Alexie viewed superman as a hero who physically breaks down doors to save the lives of people. Wanting to accumulate these heroic traits he hopes to break down the wall of illiteracy and open up a new world of possibilities in which these are acceptable.

These authors relate because of their optimistic view points that developed from childhood revelations. They differ because Alexie’s main concern was promoting change within his community as opposed to MacMillan who was focusing more on internal growth in changing her life for the better. Alexie learned to read and write in hopes to show his people with knowledge they can advance. MacMillan was able to achieve here internal growth by relating her life to The “Wizard of Oz” by convincing herself if Dorthy can make it so can she.