A Comparison Of Malcolm X, Malcom X And Sherman Alexie

The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley is the story about a man who greatly impacted American history. Malcolm Little, or Malcolm X as he is more widely known, taught what he believed in regards to segregation, racism, and discrimination. Growing up in a large family with a father Earl Little, a Baptist minister, and his mother Louis Little who was a homemaker, Malcolm’s life at the time seemed very promising. His father’s involvement in support of the Black National gained him many death threats at the hands of white supremacists. In 1929, they lost their house to a fire, and two years later the body of Malcolm’s father was found mutilated. This lead to the emotional breakdown of Malcolm’s mother and in turn she was institutionalized. Malcolm and his siblings were separated and placed in foster homes, and from then, his life began a path of drugs, sex, and crime. It was not until he was imprisoned in 1946, that he decided to make some changes for the better. This essay will assess and discuss those changes whether negative or positive, on a micro, mezzo, and macro level. It will also cover some of the effects of racial prejudice on human behavior, and how society today keeps the ideology of Malcolm X alive.

Likewise, another appeal used by Sherman is pathos. Pathos, or argument by emotion is most prevailing in the text due to the frequent theme of obstacles presented to the author, and how those struggles evict emotion from the audience. First, Sherman describes his father in a way that excites strong emotion, and possible empathy. “My father loved books, and since I loved my father with an aching devotion, I decided to love books as well” (Sherman 1). In general love is a strong word, adding to sentiment, Sherman then uses the phrase “aching devotion”. When phrased together not only do these words bear positive feelings and connotations, but also gives the reader something to empathize with. Considering Sherman decided to love books because his father did too, it is made clear that he looks up to his elder. Idolizing parents, a common opinion, gives the audience another point to relate to. Furthermore, Sherman switches up his point of view in compliance of a pathos strategy. Throughout the entire text, the author remains

Throughout Malcolm X's "Learning to Read" his tone and attitude frequently changes. Although the emotions are faintly projected, his tone and attitude are caused by a change in his own emotions, which correspond with the beginning, middle, and end of the passage. The essay not only expounds his lack of reading skills while young, it expounds upon the importance of reading to him today. If a thorough assessment is made, he exclaims that reading is important to readers' lives as it was to his, aiding to shape ones morals and principles. Without the ability to read, a basis for intellect and perception, it becomes increasingly difficult to build your own ethical views.

I do not agree with all of Malcom X’s extreme views, however I could not read his work without being moved in some way. It is extremely powerful and thought provoking. He seemed to have had possessed an unwavering set of morals. It was not until I dove deeper into his background, and learned of his upbringing, did I reach better understanding of Malcom X. He endured racism his whole life. Never being able to get away. He was drowning in it, when he found Islam, it was like coming up for air. This courageous journey helped mold him into one of the most influential Black leaders of his time.

Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass were two very important men in America’s history. As educated black men, they defied the idea of uneducated blacks. Their prowess with language allowed them to communicate their movements’ message to the masses easily and effectively, letting them have an active role in society. Douglass wrote his autobiography, which was a bestseller, and exposed to antebellum America the true harshness of slavery. Malcolm X became an important figure in the fight for civil rights one hundred years later, giving speeches across the country. For both men, education became a process of enlightenment. It made them eager to learn more and more. However, this process had some differences. The most glaring difference is the way they learned; Malcolm X taught himself to read and write while Douglass’s mistress taught him first, and later by smaller children in the area. Besides that, the end result was vastly different for Malcolm X compared to Douglass, as he read much more diverse content than Douglass did. Thus, Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X shared both similarities and differences in learning to read and write.

People often become angry at themselves when they are unable to do something; this leads to frustration and then a choice they have to make: giving up or stubbornly continuing it. Malcolm X was also in a situation like that during his time in prison. He never finished his education in reading or writing and tried to learn how to read and write which it was hard for him, but he still continue to learn to those skills. In Malcolm X’s “Learning to Read”, despite being a prisoner, he decides to learn how to read and write making use of his time in prison in order to learn more about the world than continuing to be ignorant.

Malcolm X a civil rights activist in the 1950s and 1960s took a stand for African Americans by taking a more confrontational approach in his activist speeches and writings, these actions influenced the lives of many African Americans with black nationalism and encouragement to fight for their civil rights. Malcolm X connects to the theme taking a stand by taking initiative and coming up with his own civil rights movement. Malcolm X was different from other civil rights activists because he believed in fighting back physically but that changed later on when he visited Mecca where he met other Muslims which changed his views. According to (www.biography.com) Malcolm X became the minister of temple no. 7 in Harlem after being released from prison.

Our opinions, beliefs and feelings are heavily influenced by the amount of education that we receive. Education is the backbone to a person’s subjectivity and authority. Malcolm X brought much attention to the importance of improving academic knowledge in his essay “Learning to Read” through his own life experiences. Malcolm X claimed that “in the street, [he] not only wasn’t articulate, [he] wasn’t even functional” and that “[he] became increasingly frustrated at not being able to express what [he] wanted to convey in his letters that [he] wrote” (189). As a result of this inability of his that he sought out so educate himself so that he would no longer struggle to be “articulate and functional” when trying to express himself. Malcolm X began self-education while in prison, where he spent “sometimes as much as fifteen hours a day” (197), devoting his time to studying. Before he acquired his academic knowledge Malcolm X self proclaimed himself to be the “most articulate hustler in the street” (189), but after becoming educated, he became known as one of the most reputable leaders throughout the Civil Rights movement. Malcolm X and Toni Bambara

Malcolm X was a well-known figure in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s. In “Learning to Read”, Malcolm X tells a personal journey of how he became interested in reading and speaks about his individual enlightenment. In this essay, Malcolm X uses his experiences to influence his audience, he seizes the opportune time to bring light to an important issue, and a stern tone to reinforce the importance that learning to read had on his life.

Malcolm X was an African-American pioneer and conspicuous figure in the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X verbalized ideas of race pride and dark patriotism in the 1950s and '60s. Conceived on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm X was a noticeable dark patriot pioneer who served as a representative for the Nation of Islam amid the 1950s and '60s. Because of his endeavors, the Nation of Islam developed from a simple 400 individuals at the time he was discharged from jail in 1952 to 40,000 individuals by 1960. Expressive, enthusiastic and a normally skilled and moving speaker, Malcolm X urged blacks to push off the shackles of prejudice "by any methods important," including brutality. The searing social liberties pioneer broke with the gathering instantly before his death, February 21, 1965, at the Audubon Ballroom in Manhattan, where he had been get ready to convey a discourse.

In "Superman and Me," Alexie's main claim declares that reading can make a major difference in a person's life. To Sherman Alexie, reading and books helped him get off the reservation and find his way out in the world. However, "Superman and Me” comes alive for readers due it implies that all a person needs is courage to fly pass their current situation, this story shows how the hostility of such bravery can even be emphasized in classrooms. In addition, he demonstrates to readers that all it takes is effort to make dreams come true, especially when living in a hostile world. Although, Alexie uses rhetorical strategies to appeal to the reader in more than one way and his ethical appeal comes from him illustrating what reading did for his situation

Fredrick Douglass and Malcolm X were African-American men that were raised in two different, racist time periods. Douglass wrote “Learning to Read and Write”; which is an excerpt from his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass (1845). Malcolm X wrote his autobiography in 1965 from which the excerpt “Learning to Read” comes. When comparing and contrasting these two works, it can be observed that each author harnessed a strong passion for furthering their literacy. However, similarities and differences can be seen in how they came to read and write, as well as the obstacles they each faced in gaining those skills. The insight that can be acquired in comparing these two excerpts is that each man, despite his unfortunate situation,

In learning to read by Malcolm x and in learning to Read and Write by Frederick Douglass we can see both the men self-educated themselves. Both of them faced challenges to achieve their education and both of them had attained a sense of freedom by the growth of their knowledge. We will see in this essay how they learned the challenges they faced while trying to learn and what impact learning had on them. {Thesis- becoming literate gave both Frederick Douglas and Malcolm x freedom of mind.

Superman and Me summarized Sherman Alexie’s life as an intelligent indian who learned how to read at 3 years old. Alexie’s introduces us to the lifestyle he was raised around, he states “we were poor by most standards, but one of my parents usually managed to find some minimum-wage job or another, which made us middle-class by reservation standards” (496). He explains were his passion came from, his father was an indian who attended catholic school, and loved to read. Alexie felt like because he loved his father he should love to read to. Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and Me” informs and persuades readers the importamce reading can have in your life.

Learning how to read is one of the most common processes in the world. For me, learning how to read is the most useful ability that I have learned throughout my entire life. For others, most people learn how to read though different languages in different ways. For Malcolm X, he found reading to be appealing and devoted so much time to it. Malcolm X recounts his personal history of learning to read and how he finds reading to be the most important skill and influence everything in his life. He retells his history of reading several books and dictionaries and how th process slowly affected his life. He elaborates how reading increases a performance and efficiency to heighten their potential. In “Learning to Read, “ by Malcolm X, he