Malcolm X "Learning to Read"

"Learning to Read" by Malcolm X was a very powerful narrative. Like the other education narratives I have read thus far, Malcolm X had a strong desire to learn. But for him, it was not just a desire. It was desperation. Being in prison, he envied those who could effortlessly carry on a conversation. Wanting to be like these people, he tried picking up a few books in hope of boosting his overall level of intellect and knowledge. However, he found by doing this that what he really lacked was an understanding of simple words. "Every book I picked up had few sentences which didn’t contain anywhere from one to nearly all of the words that might as well have been in Chinese". He says, clearly expressing his frustration. He realizes that a dictionary is his ticket to obtaining the knowledge he craves. At the Norfolk Prison Colony school he was able to request a dictionary, tablets, and pencils and with that, he began to study. Not only did he study the dictionary, he copied it.  “In my slow, painstaking, ragged handwriting, I copied into my tablet everything printed on that first page, down to the punctuation marks.” As his understanding of words broadened, he discovered that he could pick up a book and actually know what it was saying. His love for reading grew stronger and stronger. With this new found ability he was seemingly unstoppable. “Months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life.” The amount of determination and dedication it took for this man to reach such a level of intellectual success is nothing short of miraculous, especially when you consider the circumstances in which he obtained this self-described “homemade education.”   It is people like Malcolm X that inspire me to never stop learning. You just never know what doors will open when you have a better understanding of the world.