Most people would agree that Helen Keller and Malcolm X were two very different people. Most people would also be surprised to find out that the two of them had something very much in common. Both Keller and X had little to no language skills at an early age and their lives changed considerably once they acquired it. Their lives shared such contrast from before and after they acquired language that it gave them something in common. Keller in her essay “The Day Language Came into My Life” notes many contrasts between her lives before and after she acquired language. Keller even states at the beginning of her essay the “immeasurable contrast between the two lives which it connects” (72). When Keller first met her teacher Anne Mansfield Sullivan she described herself as dumb, expectant, like being at sea in a dense fog. Before language, Keller recalls her fingers lingered unconsciously on familiar objects such as leaves and blossoms. Before Keller met Anne Sullivan, she was not aware words even existed. …show more content…
Both Keller and X started out with little or no language skills and lacked the ability to effectively communicate their feelings or thoughts. A teacher motivated them both to become fascinated with the world of language. For Keller it was Anne Mansfield Sullivan while for X it was simply a dictionary. Once they had acquired language, a completely new world opened up and changed their lives. In her essay “Coming to an Awareness of Language”, Helen Keller states, “It would have been difficult to find a happier child than I was as I lay in my crib at the close of that eventful day…the joys it had brought me, and for the first time longed for a new day to come” (74). Similarly, in Malcolm X’s essay “Coming to an Awareness of Language”, he states, “I never had been so truly free in my life” (69). Their essays reflect many contrasts but many comparisons
As I grew up learning to read was something I learned in school, yet for Sherman Alexie and Malcolm X can’t say the same. These two amazing authors taught themselves, at different stages of their lives, to read. In Sherman Alexie’s essay “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” and Malcolm X’s essay “Learning to Read” they both explain the trials and experiences they went through that encouraged them to work to achieve literacy.
In his early life, the author depicts an illiterate who knows slangs but who is not “functional” (para. 2) of writing. X takes advantage a series of commas that connects numerous clauses to exhaust reader and implicitly to empathize his hardship of articulating ideas. He “stumbled upon” (para. 1) his jealousy of an educated inmate and starts to read books that look as though are in “Chinese” (para. 3). By repeating words such as “aloud,” “read,” “myself” (para. 8), the author implies behind these tedious tasks, more importantly, is his persistence. Many Malcolm X’s diction is denoting. His passion for knowledge comes from the new words he has learned, of which he feels “immensely proud” (para. 9). He is wholehearted to “devour” (para. 15) new concepts, to accumulate “a million words” (para. 10) vocabulary, and to be like the prison “celebrities” (para. 14) he admires, who are very knowledgeable. While his diction is already in simple English, he expects his tone to be more friendly. After a dozen of paragraphs, he begins to shift his diction in second-person point of view. He states figuratively that even with a “wedge,” “you” (para. 11) cannot separate himself with books. Additionally, colloquial sentences evoke a sense that they are on a common ground, where a trusted friend is sharing his experience. This adds on his automatic ethos as a public educated and articulate
The main differences between Cofer and Malcolm X are that while Cofer was more of a psychological isolation Malcolm X's isolation was Physical as well.
In the essay Learning to Read, author Malcolm X recalls his profound discovery of literature and reading he experienced while being imprisoned. He explains how this discovery has allowed him to further explore many passages in his life, one prominent passage being his religion and the teachings of his idol, Elijah Muhammad. Through this recollection, Malcolm X uses rhetorical strategies such as allusion, diction, and syntax to express how he finds Muhammad’s teachings to be highly appealing. Malcolm X alludes to the literature of many renowned authors and their writings to support his claims. These allusions refer to the culture and history of black people, and Malcolm X is fascinated with the information he is able to consume through these
Malcolm X is an important figure in human history because he was a human rights activist and fought for equality among people. He was a proficient public speaker who spoke for minorities, mostly African Americans. By reading Malcolm X’s story, I visualize on how a man suffered from the effects of prejudice and his whole disposition was formed from it. I see how a very angry man stayed angry at the "white devils" f...
In the century where African-Americans had no rights and were highly discriminated, two men set out to make a new lifestyle for each other. Those two men where Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X. Frederick Douglass was a slave when he began to learn to read. Malcolm X was in prison when he began to learn how to read, he was in prison because he was an activist civil right. Both of this men have a great influence to the changes made for African-American rights. Both of this men have similarities and differences. Some of the similarities are why they wanted to learn, and their background. The differences are in the way that they learned to read and write and at what time they learned to read and write. Although both men have similarities they
The autobiography of Malcolm X, written by Alex Haley contains the story of one of the most influential and memorable activists in our history, the courageous life of Malcolm X is only but a small price he had to pay to express himself and encourage people to take the right path. The autobiography is told with three series of main key events that develop his character drastically throughout the novel. Malcolm Xs character being foretold and expressed is constantly being contributed with the reader allowing the engagement of his story to effect the audience in such a way that they can feel every inch of the strong emotion being expressed. The three main key events that are included in the novel include the crucial reasoning to why Malcolm expressed
This paper will discuss the different stages of thought processes the former Nation of Islam minister, Malcolm X went through during his lifetime in terms of how he viewed white people, but more specifically “the white man” in America. The reason the focus is on White Americans is because these were the people outside of the Nation of Islam that shaped his life good or bad and put him on the path where he eventually transformed from Malcolm Little to Malcolm X who was one of the most polarizing and controversial figures during his lifetime and even nearly 50 years after his death the name Malcolm X causes certain people to shudder. Malcolm X became a well-known figure during the 50’s and 60’s during the civil rights movement which involved figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. This was a pivotal era in American history because for the first time that there was major push towards full rights for African Americans. When Malcolm X came on the scene he put fear into White people because they weren’t used to hearing the truth about race relations in America and many of them felt that things were just fine because they themselves were living life high on the hog while at the same time exploiting Blacks. Because this type of talk from a black person was new to them they misinterpreted his views as “hate speech” and accused him of trying to incite violence when he was simply trying wake his people up to properly deal with what was happening to them.
Jimmy Baca’s story “Coming into Language” describes his emotional childhood and what he went through while in prison. At seventeen Baca still didn’t know how to read or write. Throughout the story, he shares his struggle with language and how prison eventually brought himself to learn how to read and write. Jimmy Baca then uses examples in his story explaining how he admired language and used it to free himself from the cruel world he grew up in.
Malcolm x was one of the great civil rights leaders during the 1960’s. He spoke for self-sufficiency and rights for all and believed; “I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against.” (Malcolm X). Malcolm X was at a great disadvantage all through his life. He was treated badly by the white population in Lansing, Michigan; his family was the only African Americans to attend the local schools. Malcolm X was rejected and often left out from pursing any opportunities throughout his whole life. This made him vulnerable, as a youngster to logical ideologies. From the time he was little he never settled for status quo, it was his hopes and ambitions that kept him searching for the truth.
Malcolm X’s “Learning to Read,” is a powerful piece about his time in prison when he taught himself how to read. Through his reading, he discovered the awful things that happened in history and became a civil rights activist. Malcolm X changed his feeling and position throughout his piece, “Learning to Read.” His emotions are clear in his writing, but the change in his writing is clear to be caused by a change in his own thoughts because of the things he learned. The essay shows his lack of reading skills when he was young, but also how interested he became in it, and how much he uses it. He says that reading is important to readers' lives just as it was to his, helping one to form their own thoughts and views. Without the ability to read and understand the world, it becomes difficult to build your own ethical views.
“Learning to Read and Write” by Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X’s “Learning to Read” address their abilities of being self taught to read and write. A deficiency of education makes it difficult to traverse life in any case your race. Being an African American while in a dark period of mistreatment and making progress toward an advanced education demonstrates extraordinary devotion. Malcolm X seized “special pains” in searching to inform himself on “black history” (Malcolm X 3). African Americans have been persecuted all through history, yet two men endeavor to demonstrate that regardless of your past, an education can be acquired by anybody. Douglass and Malcolm X share some similarities on how they learned how to read and write as well
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley is about a man who changed the history of America. Malcolm (Little) X preached what he believed about racism, discrimination, and segregation. He went through many changes in his fight for equality. The three transformations that really changed the way Malcolm thought and preached where his transformation in prison, his transformation into the Islamic religion (following Elijah Muhammad), and the biggest transformation of all, his pilgrimage to Mecca. In all of Malcolm actions, teachings and transformations we learn different points of view and we get a good look at different aspects of events. The life of Malcolm (Little) X as told in his autobiography should be read by all.
Personal fulfillment has to do with achieving life’s goals which are important to an individual. The two authors, Helen Keller in The Story of my Life and Frederick Douglass’ in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, share a similar goal to learn to read and write during a time in their life of extreme hardship. Both Keller and Douglass demonstrate the necessary attributes required to develop as individuals and progress in life. Their dedication and determination, their positive attitude and gratefulness along with their life experiences are what drove Douglass and Keller to achieve what no one could believe they were capable of due to their backgrounds.
Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were very significant during the Civil Rights Movement. Both were excellent speakers and shared one goal but had two different ways of resolving it. Martin Luther King Jr. chose to resolve the issues by using non-violence to create equality amongst all races to accomplish the goal. Malcolm X also wanted to decrease discrimination and get of segregation but by using another tactic to successfully accomplish the similar goal. The backgrounds of both men were one of the main driven forces behind the ways they executed their plans to rise above the various mistreatments. Martin Luther King Jr. was a more pronounced orator, a more refined leader, and overall saw the larger picture than Malcolm X.