Analysis: Discovering The Power Of Language

He repeats the various books that he read and it shows the variety of what he read. For example, he repeats the sentence with “I” and goes on to talk about reading about the horrors of slavery (165). It is not directly claimed, but it can be inferred that what he read had an effect on his goals in later life. This even further shows how using repetition reiterates a thought and drives the thought into the reader’s mind. The extensive examples prove that Malcolm X uses repetition along with anecdotes to remind the reader that the events in the story happened to him and not anyone else.

The visual/ spatial Intelligence has made me better understand the essay from Nancy Mairs On Being a Cripple has made me better visual the struggles Nancy is going through on being a cripple. She mentions that she had multiple sclerosis which degrades the central nervous system. She mentions she has struggles getting out of bed “each night I’d get into bed wondering whether I’d get out again the next morning”(Mairs 236). This also ties into the body/kinesthetic Intelligence since it relates to physically moving our bodies.

In Malcolm X's Article, "Learning to Read", he explains how he was self-instructed and how literacy affected his life starting with his time in prison and ending with his part in the civils rights movement. Malcolm X learned to read in prison because of all the time he had, if it were not for this he would probably continue using slang, and not be able to read or write. When entering prison Malcolm had education up to 8th grade, which he says would be hard to believe hearing how advanced he is now, but this did not stop him from copying the whole dictionary and learning every word possible. All this learning truly changed Malcolm's life, he was now able to read and could understand everything that he could not before. Malcolm began reading

Malcolm X tells us in “Learning to Read” how he felt that he “wasn’t even functional” when it came to writing. He felt that he had always been seen on the street as an articulate person when he spoke. He desired to learn to read and write better so that he could express himself in letters that he wrote.

Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X both experienced teaching themselves how to read in similar ways. They both recognized in order to be free from their situation, you must be free in the mind. You see, once you accept your situation, then you become empowered. That hunger for literacy was as Frederick Douglass states; “In teaching me the alphabet, had given me the inch and no precaution could prevent me from taking the ell.” Malcolm X states “I became increasingly frustrated at not being able to express what I wanted to convey in letters that I wrote.”

Given that his eyes were now used to the light, he could no longer see the shadows. The other prisoners scoffed at him because they thought he had spoiled his eyesight by going outside. These prisoners were so comfortable in their ignorance that they would rather have remained chained up. Malcolm X in Coming to an Awareness of Language undergoes a similar experience to the prisoner mentioned in Plato’s Allegory. Before he began educating himself in prison, Malcolm X was a hustler with an 8th grade education. He wanted to share with others in letters what he had been studying and feeling in prison, but had no proper knowledge of words that could well-explain his thoughts. He began copying the dictionary and learning a myriad of new words. In the end, what he had learned while in prison truly empowered

The essay begins with Malcolm X writing about his time in prison and how he became interested in reading. Malcolm X attributes his interest in reading to being frustrated by not being able to express himself sufficiently in letters to the Nation of Islam leader Elijah Mohammed. At one time, Malcolm X was once an articulate street hustler, but when it came to the conventional rules of grammar and the English language Malcolm X acknowledged his weakness. Malcolm X recalls that it was a fellow inmate, Bimbi, who possessed a “ stock of knowledge” and would “take control of conversations”, this made Malcolm X envious (Malcolm X 1001). With a goal, patience and persistence, Malcolm X taught himself how to read.

Malcolm X uses symbolism throughout “Prison Studies” so that his target audience can visualize his process for gaining his education for self-improvement. “In

He described his routine of copying down every little detail from out of the dictionary. Malcolm described the experience of teaching himself in prison how to read and write, how he “never had been so truly free in my life”. (94) He felt free because he was able to express himself better knowing all the words he taught himself. Malcolm’s last strategy he used in his narrative would be organization. He started off talking about how “the average hustler and criminal was too uneducated to write a letter.” (92) This explains that many of these people are uneducated. He then goes on about his time in prison and how he attempted to write letters, and they were never replied to because of how poorly they were written. He then figured out that knowledge is how a person can truly live, and he began learning by “writing down every single thing printed in that dictionary, down to the punctuation marks.” This helps you understand where he has been, and his

We also practiced ASL translated his quotable lines, which have strong messages in it. After the workshop, we watched the movie, 'Malcolm X’, and it overwhelmed us.

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

Malcolm X was a highly educated man, but surprisingly enough he received his education through himself. During the time that he was imprisoned, all Malcolm did was read in his spare time on just about anything that he could get his hands on. Prior to being unable to read, Malcolm ended up reading an entire dictionary which is what lead him to have such a greater overall understanding of words and their meanings. Now that he could truly soak in information, the reading world was a completely different place for him. Being that he was self taught, he had a greater passion behind why he was doing what he was doing. In comparison to people who learn how to read in school at the pace of an entire class I can only imagine how fulfilling that must have been. In my opinion, there is no better feeling that learning things

After reading an excerpt of “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, I felt that both men were conveying their alarm for equality for the African-American race. Malcolm and Martin had already experienced the atrocities that extreme racism brought on to their families. Martin projects a peacemaking, and more rational demeanor Malcolm showed a more radical, controversial, and an unwavering unwillingness position on compromise. The characteristic of standing up for what he or she believes in is one influence that these men have on my life.

In Coming to an Awareness of Language, the learning process that the author goes through can be compared to that of our own. Malcolm X put effort into every part of his learning experience. He struggles working on his penmanship, and is excited by learning word that he didn’t know existed like aardvark. Here the reader feels a connection to Malcolm X’s excitement and pain in his process of learning and writing new words to their own experiences learning. “I never realized so many words existed! ...In my slow, painstaking, ragged handwriting, I copied into my

This essay analyses the role of the language in colonized land by English empire. More in specific, how the colonial and post-colonial poems dealing with this powerful tool which is ‘language’. I will take in consideration Derek Wolcott. Drawing thought two of his poems, I am going to point out the way he uses ‘language’,