In the story Malcolm x talks about his time in prison and how if it were not for those seven year he would have no learned to read at all. He started a rigorous regimine of copying the whole dictionary in order to improve his writing then would read the words to himself in order to learn their menaings and how to read them.
He did this purely out of the envy of another inmates ability to draw everyones attention due to his speaking ability and his ability to understand. Though Malcolm x had been a big shot on the streets in this prison that seemed to prize learning over everything else he was a low man on the totem pole therefore when he taught himself to read and write properly he began to climb the ladder of success.
He also talks about how the library opened a whole new world for him and opened his eyes to the true strugggle of african americans of that time. Having formerly been a hustler his had probably been rough before and in the racially charged air of the 70's these books forstered his concern for his and other african americans lives.
As a white person and as someone who has always had proper education, Malcolm x's story on learning to read to me seems to be a huge thing, though he explained it just saying 'i'm going to learn to read and write so people can understand what I write' seems easier said then done, without previous knowledge of these things having the will to sit down and copy the complete dictionary then reading it back allowed to be able to understand the word's meanings takes quite alot in my opinion.
He did this purely out of the envy of another inmates ability to draw everyones attention due to his speaking ability and his ability to understand. Though Malcolm x had been a big shot on the streets in this prison that seemed to prize learning over everything else he was a low man on the totem pole therefore when he taught himself to read and write properly he began to climb the ladder of success.
He also talks about how the library opened a whole new world for him and opened his eyes to the true strugggle of african americans of that time. Having formerly been a hustler his had probably been rough before and in the racially charged air of the 70's these books forstered his concern for his and other african americans lives.
As a white person and as someone who has always had proper education, Malcolm x's story on learning to read to me seems to be a huge thing, though he explained it just saying 'i'm going to learn to read and write so people can understand what I write' seems easier said then done, without previous knowledge of these things having the will to sit down and copy the complete dictionary then reading it back allowed to be able to understand the word's meanings takes quite alot in my opinion.
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