Malcolm X’s original motivation came because he felt weak in an aspect of his life. He was driven to combat this weakness and overcome his faults by improving his letters and being able to express himself clearly in his letters. Though, he found that his education not only brought forth his abilities to read and write at a whole new level, and not only did his “homemade education” in prison help him to become one of the most articulate orators and leaders years later, but it also brought forth the freedom of him and his mind. He was no longer constrained to his precepts and past life, nor was he constrained mentally to the steel bars of the prison cell, but instead, his brain was free, full of knowledge and a desire to learn even more.

Malcom X expressing his frustration aloud shows he is deeply invested to begin the journey of widening is English vocabulary. Feeling this emotion can spark motivation to begin your aspired goals.

Notice how in one situation, the speaker feels a degree of confidence. In modern terms, we might call this “swagger.” But, in the other setting, he suggests a lack of “functionality.”

I can see where his high frustration levels come from. Not being able to express something you want to say is the worst feeling in the world. All he wants to do is express himself like other people do, through writing, and he can’t. That must be where his inspiration comes from.

Even though Malcom X was imprisoned, he taught himself to read and write because of Bimbi’s education level. People around him were impressed with his vocabulary level and never would have guessed that he is self-taught. They thought he went to school past eight grade but he never went to school.

I think Malcolm X was a great example of never judging a book based on its cover. Although that is a cliche, it is true. If one had just met Malcolm and had not been aware, nobody would guess he had not started high school. This is because Malcolm is well-read and well-spoken,and many people have the privilege for this to not be something they would even conjure up. Malcolm truly took his literacy, penmanship, etc., into his own hands. First impressions can be deceiving despite his former circumstances, but many would never have imagined that one would have this little of schooling. This is a good thing for some, considering it is normalized to have a formal education.

Because of who X was as an orator, this assumption would be one to which audiences would be naturally led. Could the purpose of this essay be to speak to this group? Or is the audience someone else entirely?

Though most people would see being imprisoned as a bad thing, X found that his years in prison were the most enriching. Something that was framed as bad turned out to have a good effect.

Here Malcolm X credits his scholarly persona to his time spent reading and studying while in prison. However, he has had almost no official education. He claims that most of his knowledge was from reading and writing letters. Instead of wasting time in prison, he used it as an opportunity to better himself.

Notice how the presence and influence of this “Bimbi” provides a catalyst for X’s “call” to engage with this work.

It’s easy to write these off as X’s experience within the essays. Perhaps to say it might “serve him right” to have not enaged with books and ideas before going to prison. But. . .what are these “book reading moves?” What do they look like? How might they be limiting. Is “not reading” even a book reading move?

Because the work was not 1) satisfying and 2) not advancing X’s growth/fullfillment, he would have quit these moves too.

Did you know the average American adult MIGHT read up to 1-2 books a year?

Malcolm is very open about his struggles with reading. While most people would have been at a low life while sitting in prison, but Malcolm took advantage of his resources. He studied with a dictionary and slowly taught himself to read efficiently. He progressed to the point that people never would have known he taught himself to read. This shows the dedication he had to the things he cared about and how far he would go to succeed in whatever he was fighting for.

In her work READERS COME HOME, the author discusses the “biliterate individual” of today. One who can read comfortably in print and digital text. Here, X picks up a physical dictionary. I don’t know if I have a physical dictionary anymore. Not at home anyway.

Most people, when learning to read, will take things slow and start out easy. Not Malcolm. He started with the dictionary. The dictionary is full of difficult words to spell, read, write, and especially comprehend. Unlike other people, Malcolm starts with a dictionary when learning to read.

In “Learning to Read” by Malcolm X, the thematic category being shown is STATE OF MIND. Throughout the essay, Malcolm gives details about how his prison education is what actually helped develop his literacy. Having the ability to find a dictionary in prison, to take the time to write every word he saw, improving his penmanship, and to grow his vocabulary as well is dedication. I know a few people who are in my family, or are close friends, who have been to prison, and they saw it is hard to find the motivation to complete even a simple task because you feel as if you have nothing. By completing everything he had during his sentence, X shows strength, determination, and a strong mental state.

This response of productivity is interesting to me due to the fact that most people in prison sort of give up. By requesting all these things, it shows that Malcolm X had the strive to want to do something great with his time in prison, not just sit there and count the days.

Here Malcolm X shows how he is marveled at how many words there were in the English language. This shows both his lack of exposure to dictionaries and his interest in writing.

Previously, Malcolm speaks about how “It was sad.” about his penmanship skills. In this moment Malcolm had to feel defeated. However, through his perseverance he kept going and did not stop trying. Through his persistency he found success. He found words he never knew existed, and at this point he would not be stopped.

At first, Malcolm X was not sure where to start. He did not realize this many words existed in this world, and he had no idea which words he needed to learn. He was in a confused/uncertain state of mind.

Here, we see X taking the first step. This starts with “Bimbi.” See Bimbi. Copy Bimbi. Be Bimbi.

Now its copy the dictionary.

Malcolm X knew that he must do something, he could not sit around and gain the assets which he wanted, especially while sitting in a prison cell. Because of this, he took action and did the only thing that he could do so that his motivation could manifest itself through his progress. He did not let his adversities stand in his way, but rather he took action to accomplish his freedom, freedom through his own education.

This seems like the turning point where Malcolm x starts getting interested and he is astonished by how many words were in the dictionary that he did not even know where there

Malcolm’s determination is certainly powerful. He yearns for knowledge and to be able to understand conversation and to write. These actions he made, I believe created the shell that he grew into.

People learn better in different ways, so maybe he figured that he is best being more of a visual learner. Repetition helps your brain keep that information in there, so seeing it and then writing down the information would help him. He talks later on about “Over and over,” that will help your brain familiarize the information. He is taking the best steps that anyone could make with learning new information.

Not simply transcribing, but reading back through. This solidifies and cements the activity. This is why you will be assessed for your writing in response to reading for the better part of your college experience.

With Malcolm X being a prominent figure in the Civil Rights Movement, you can maybe see where his persistence for that may come with how dedicated he was with himself. I see this as a message of how repetition and dedication can help heal the deepest of wounds in a person and in society. Maybe he took this method as a way to help heal society from the deep roots of racism and violence.

This is what we want to see from a student doing the work. This feeling of satisfaction that comes of doing good work.

Last weekend (February 2021), I wrote 22 pages worth of research proposal with annotations and citations. Guess what I got? 85%. That’s right. A solid B.

Guess what I really got? Satisfaction in doing post-graduate work that was affirmed by the professor who also gave me some guidance for how to make the work even better.

To be motivated, one has to find the reason to take joy in one’s achievements, and not just by the simple fact of getting something done. Malcom X expanded his knowledge into depths he never thought possible before opening a dictionary. That was the initial motivation: a sense of discovery and self-improvement. Tangible evidence of some success.

Malcolm X tells his story of having a self-taught education. He went to prison for robbery, but turned his life around by giving himself an education on his own. He put in the effort, and was able to give himself a fresh start.

It amazes me that this man is in prison and still has the motivation to learn to read. He has to have the most persistence out of any prisoner in that prison. The fact that he wrote and read every word in a dictionary shocks me. He really does wear out the phrase, “Practice makes perfect”.

Never ever abandon the supports that can come of good illustrations and illustrative technique. Did you know that every time a minister references a story from the Bible, that they do so in the interest of allusion and to provide an example (EXEMPLIFICATION) that becomes an “illustration” of a larger point.

Even though Malcolm’s journey in “learning to read,” has been difficult as stated in line 5, “I became increasingly frustrated.” Staying consistent in his reading, proved for him to be efficient and pushed him to grow more in his studies. By being, “so fascinated that I went on-I copied the dictionary’s next claim.”

Yes. And one of the biggest similarities is that it is a “tertiary” source. This is why we don’t cite the dictionary. This is why we really don’t even use the dictionary as an allusion for the definition of a work as an introduction.

Keep buliding your toolbox. The best way to improve your vocabulary is probably not to buy and work through vocabulary books. The best way? Yup. Reading. Gary Paulsen says we “should read like a wolf eats.”

Malcolm X’s perseverance to expand his education by developing the skills to learn to read and write. Thus, expanding his ability to read other texts and open his mind to a world of other perspectives and new approaches of thinking.

Before ever stumbling upon the new world Malcolm X did, he knew nothing about this “new world”. All he knew that was close to this new world is a man named Bimbi who Malcolm envied due to his ‘stock of knowledge’ that he possessed. Malcolm was frustrated because, unlike Bimbi, he could not express himself through his letters. That frustration and desire to become someone who can express himself through the letters of his writings, eventually led him to daily dictionary studies.This also led to the discovery of the new world in which Malcolm X discovered.

Malcolm X expanded his vocabulary by reading new words and this lead him to see a new world. He says, “Anyone who has read a great deal can imagine the new world that opened.” I think many take this new world for granted because many have grown up knowing words and reading. However, for Malcolm X, this is uncharted territory. It makes him excited to experience this new world that he has not felt before.

Notice the repetition of the word free here used twice within the paragraph. One refers to time. The other refers to state.

In Malcolm X’s autobiography “Learning to Read”, X highlights the freedom he finds within reading the dictionary in his cell. Malcolm X dedicated his time in prison to learning, and bettering himself. His decision to become literate was made when he discovered he was not eloquently spoken enough to speak to other people who had not grown up on the streets. X found the learning and copying of a dictionary was the enrichment he needed to succeed when he was freed from prison. This way of learning allowed Malcolm X to feel as though he had control over a large part of his life, at a time where he was not allowed to control the other aspects.

Malcolm X, one of the most inspiring of the black American leaders in the time of the civil rights movement, shows the readers how he developed the motivation along with the frustration to learn how to read and write within the walls of his prison cell from just a dictionary. It would be difficult to respond to the social justice issues America is having if he has no sense of analyzing text or using the power of words to make a connection with people. The betterment of his education is what allowed Malcolm X to have a better understanding of literature how to respond textually to the handful of America’s issues.

Though Malcolm X was still imprisoned, it was his ability to learn and become educated that brought him freedom of the mind and a desire to continue on. Physically, he was locked up, but mentally he was becoming educated and was thrilled with doing so. Education was the key to X’s freedom.

Remember these terms from sophomore year? Look at the word, “free,” here and what it seems to suggest given the setting for this essay.

In this essay by Malcolm X, the idea of the freedom gained through learning new vocabulary is presented through his story of him teaching himself to become more literate during his imprisonment. This idea especially comes to light in paragraph 14, when he states, he could for the first time pick up a book and read and understand what it was saying, and, “Anyone who has read a great deal can imagine the new world that opened.” He is leaving us with the impression that his new vocabulary has opened up a new world for him. He also supports this idea by stating at the end of his essay, “…months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I had never been so truly free in my life.” Malcolm is giving voice to the idea of the new freedom he has gained through his new vocabulary, though he is imprisoned.

I love how Malcolm used the word freedom. In this article he uses freedom as word that means having the ability to. He felt like he was free because he finally had the ability to read. In our lives when more and more things become accessible and easy to us we feel more free.