Compare Learning To Read And Write By Malcolm X

As James Whitcomb Riley once said: “The most essential factor is persistence—the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come.” This theme of perseverance and persistence is exemplified through the works of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and Maya Angelou who are defying social norms by revolting against racial injustice and educational inequality. Based on the texts, “Graduation” by Maya Angelou, “A Homemade Education” by Malcolm X and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr., it is clear that the writers/ narrators show a great deal of persistence. Malcolm X learns how to read using a dictionary, Martin Luther King manages to deliver a persuasive

He studied hard to get high grades and he was even elected as the class president. He was doing his best, until his teacher went up to him and told him that his dream to be a lawyer, is not possible all because he is black. Instead, he insisted him to become a carpenter. From then, something started to changed within him. Malcolm sees the limit to the white acceptance, and the inevitable truth of what life awaits for the colored. He starts believing that in the white society he was living in, there is no success nor future. Spike Lee never really focused on Malcolm's childhood in the film, except for this particular part. He chose this moment to highlight, because this scene single handedly explains why he hated whites, why he became a hustler, and why he became a civil rights activists. It was the hatred against the whites. From then, he stopped accepting the whites. This was the moment when Malcolm's view on integration between whites and blacks became possible, to impossible. The historical figure of Malcolm X’s philosophy started here, with the hatred of his enemy. Malcolm X in his speech, preached that the black man should have their own power, by separating themselves completely from the white society, similar to what his father was preaching. His childhood tragedy gave him the reason to fight for, and the belief for uniting the black race for separating them from the cruelty. Malcolm X we all know of, would have never existed without

During the 1960s, Malcolm X was one of many articulate and powerful leaders of black America. Before he was a street hustler and spent seven years in prison, where he educated himself. Before this time, he was almost completely illiterate. He describes how he could hardly compose a sentence with a straight line or correctly articulates words, let alone read and write. Not being able to express his thoughts and feelings in the letters he wrote inspired him to educate himself. Malcolm then became one of the leading spokesman for African American separatism. Unlike Malcom X Frederick Douglass escaped to New York, where he became a leader in the abolitionist movement. Frederick was born a slave and couldn’t read or write at all. His mistress was teaching him how to read and write but suddenly was against instructing him so he

Fredrick Douglass was a slave, who secretly learned how to read and write in many different forms such as his mistress and pieced together the elements of literacy through outside sources such as old books, and writing tools from young children. Unlike Malcom X, he received an education although it was limited, and went to prison where he accessed books from the library. Malcom X stated in his essay Learning to Read, “An inmate was smiled upon if he demonstrated an unusually intense interest in books.” Meaning reading was not allowed for slaves. Unlike Douglass situation, if he would have shown interest in a book he would have been punished for it. Being a slave Douglass had to keep his development in reading and writing hidden while Malcolm insisted on writing letters to Elijah Muhammad with his new acquired vocabulary. This proved that Malcolm’s education was easier to gain unlike Fredrick Douglass, through slavery reading and writing was much

In the beginning he speaks of his time in prison and how he learned to read. What he states in the beginning reflects his point of view to the reader. By stating that he's an inmate learning to read, readers gain the impression that at that point in the essay, rather than being Malcolm X, he's just your average inmate trying to finding his place in the world. During the middle, his point of view is still that of an inmate, but with additional knowledge aiding him in shaping his morals and values. In this section by Malcolm X stating that "an inmate was smiled upon if he demonstrated an unusually intense interest in books," and "I was lucky enough to reason also that I should improve my penmanship" the reader ascertains that he is making his transition from being your average inmate with no morals, to the learned activist Malcolm X. In the end, he instills upon the reader that he has obtained morals and become Malcolm X. In the two quotes "if I weren't out battling the white man," and "the worlds' white man indeed acted like devils", the reader finds out that through his reading, Malcolm X has obtained morals and by gaining such morals he has gained a purpose; the role of the civil rights activist. By putting his points of view in this specific order, the reader is given a chance to interpret his transformation from prison inmate to civil

Before one ever starts attending school, their very first lesson is to become literate in the language they speak. From reading sentences to reading paragraphs to reading novels, we try to achieve literacy. However, some of the greatest public speakers and writers did not achieve it through the way most people did. This is shown in the literary works of Frederick Douglass, Malcolm X, and Sherman Alexie. Like these people, literacy isn’t achieved by simply going to school. It’s achieved through great perseverance and through great tenacity.

Malcolm X used direct and to the point language, which could be understood, by all levels of society. He spoke in very casual, easy-to-understand words such as “all of that kind of stuff”, or “Just look here”, unlike Martin Luther King, who, in his speech, used many metaphors. “Mississippi will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice” (King 1963). King used his words in a very educated manner. This quality would appeal to all races including whites and African Americans. He is graceful and yet appealing to the black community. Malcolm X’s use of words reflected those of a man who came up out of the same world that he is struggling to set his people free from. He used “street talk” to appeal to his followers. Knowing that Malcolm X talked the same way his followers did, they felt a sense of

Richard Rodriguez, the author of The Achievement of Desire, and Malcolm X, the author of Learning to Read, describe the ways their lives were profoundly impacted, as well as altered, because of their quest for an education. Rodriguez writes about his academic successes, while Malcolm X describes his education as self-taught. Achieving an education changed both men and both men pursued an education for different reasons.

In the excerpt “Learning to Read” from his 1965 Autobiography, Malcolm X argues that he had more opportunity to learn about the world and specifically black history in prison than he would have received in a formal education setting. He describes the process in which he essentially taught himself how to read and write, and how it lead to an awakening of his desire to learn everything he could through voracious reading. X illustrates to the reader the painful histories that he read about and the powerful knowledge which he gained to show that one needs little more than access to a book collection and the motivation to learn in order to become educated. This reading resonated with me as a learner whose love for independent learning often takes a backseat to the demands of academia and provides a key concept which I plan to instill in my students as a future teacher.

He could explored more new words than other people. Baca gave out free readings and speeches around the country after he became an author. Baca’s limited learning material, required him to work harder than Malcolm X. Malcolm X asserts “ I saw the best thing I could do was get hold of a dictionary-to learn study, to learn some words” (236). Rather than wasting time in the jail, he decided to memorize the new words from the dictionary. He found out that he didn’t know many words and he needs to learn the words. Malcolm X copied down the words with its meaning in the dictionary and reviewed the words again until he was able to remember the meanings. He continued learning the words and its meaning from the dictionary once after he completed one alphabet orders. For example, Malcolm X continued learning in letter B when he mastered the words from letter A. He gained more interest in learning words from the dictionary because he realized that the dictionary actually was an encyclopedia. Dictionary helped him to advance to the next level of readings in his life. With his unremitting efforts in learning from the dictionary, Malcolm X became one of the most famous

Malcolm X’s essay explains the way education can set one free, and how one can develope their own future. "Homemade Education," protrays the fustration and struggle of his own education while in prison. As well as being physically locked within a jail cell, Malcolm X felt captured mentally as well. Malcolm X was unable to recieve the proper education to ro allow him to be able to write letters to the outside world, prior to his life in prison, as he says,“...trying to write simple English, I not only wasn’t articulate, I wasn’t functional” (page 225). This powerful, moving quote of his essay explains just how he felt and from this branches the uses of claims, pathos, logos, and ethos.

Reading is a fundamental part of the human learning experience; everyone should learn how to read. Being able to read and having the access to read was not always at certain groups of people disposal. During slavery in america , African American were forbidden to read and learn other than the required knowledge to perform their duties. The segregation time period in America also limited African American access to Frederick Douglass’ “Learning to Read” and Richard Wright’s The Library Card” are good examples of the limitation and challenges minorities had faced when trying to read. These readings shine light on how minorities groups were at a disadvantage versus the inferior race group. Both authors share the a common factor of being African

Although Malcolm X’s repetition does a splendid job of conveying his message, the strongest tools in his arsenal are his anecdotes, or short stories. Because the text is a narrative, it tells mostly of real events in his life. He tells this narrative through anecdotes about his time in prison reading countless books and texts. For example, he recounts the time that he read the dictionary, reciting countless volumes of words just to learn new things (162). This demonstrates that all of these event that he mentions happen to him and were true. When Malcolm X uses this anecdote he is saying that a simple dictionary furthered a man that would become one of the most prominent civil rights activists. This further proves his point that learning to read is the most important and influential ability

Malcom X was a man who believed in black supremacy, he believed that blacks and whites should stay separate. In 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated by three Black Muslims that became jealous because of the fact that Malcolm became a great influence. This selection from A Homemade Education is basically a short description of how Malcolm X learned how to read. Malcolm X did not learn to read like normal kids, he learned while in Norfolk Prison Colony. With him being in prison it allowed him to focus and he gradually learned how brutal slavery was.

The slave masters didn’t want the slaves to learn how to read, because the masters knew that if slaves got smart enough, they would one day figure out how to take over. “If you give a nigger a inch, he’ll take an ell” This is still how the world is set up today, because the government made up an educational system based off slavery and prison that will only teach the black students to only do what their teacher tells them to do. “ A nigger should know nothing but to obey his master- to do what he is told”. By