I agree. I think he was finally understanding what that really meant and what it would entail.

Fredrick Douglas was already intelligent enough to know how to use the resources that he had available to him. He learned from people who didn’t even know they were teaching him. He took every bit of information that he could get because he was so eager to learn.

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.

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.

Lines like this put the time period into perspective for me. Frederick had to be worried about what he said to people and how it would be interpreted. If these men were looking for a reward his words would be taken out of context and punishment would ensue. He could not even engage in the idea of freedom because of the consequences. If you are the only person who can read and understand the value of freedom it must be lonely.

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.

Douglas talks about debating whether or not his gift of knowledge is a good or bad thing. While on one end, Without his ability, it is unlikely that he ever would have made it out of his situation. And then again, with his newfound knowledge he still found out the history of how and why he was here; and all of the reason why his masters have been trying to keep him from learning to read and write.

Douglass longed for freedom and wished he could be a “normal” child. He knew his new friends would be free once they are old enough, but he would always be stuck as a slave. His friends felt for him, and hope for change, probably not understanding the path to freedom isn’t that simple. Maybe a potential social class?

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.

X’s drive here to get better at English, both speaking and written, was the kicker in getting him to learning English so well.

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.

This paragraph highlights Frederick Douglas’s learning to read. The question here is would he have been better of not being able to read? Ignorance is bliss and by reading these texts on slavery he tormented himself. He learned about the slave trade and the greed that drove it. Once he read the books he couldn’t stop which led him to some grim realizations. If other slaves were forced to live that way for their whole lives, who was to say Douglas would get out? Knowledge in this case is a double edged sword.

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.

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”.

In a re-reading of this essay, we learn that “strategems” is a more polite way of the sly tactics Douglass uses to educate himself.

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.

Even though this could be see as most manipulative, we see the sort of sly resourcefulness employed by Douglass in the interest of securing an education for himself.

This text seems to show how the roles have been reversed. Frederick Douglas seems to have the upper hand when he normally has no power at all. He gives bread to poor white children and converts them “into teachers”. He controls these children by giving them bread in exchange for something he wants. This could be categorized as manipulative, but clearly there was no ill will since he did not name them.

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.

This is designed for Douglass to have “absolved” the Mistress for her not wanting to educate him. She was responding to the social norms of her time. . .is that a viable reason to not do the right thing, I wonder.

He had TEACHERS.

Also, critical thinking is very important to live in the community. To share different ideas and talk about the things happen in the world could be a good point to develop the communication skill.

Honestly, why? This is so stupid. The big question is why, and I don’t think anybody but that guy could answer why he did this. It is totally inappropriate.

While slavery was very difficult as those who were in slavery were treated unfairly, it could easily appear that death would be a better option as opposed to having to spend one’s entire life in slavery. That is essentially what Douglas is saying in these lines but he had the hope of one day becoming free to keep him from wanting to kill or get himself killed.

Once Frederick Douglas learned about and understood freedom from slavery he constantly thought about it. As it can be seen in these lines and the ones before it, when he was aware of the notion of freedom it was something that he truly desired and believed he deserved and was encouraged by the readings that he had done, and without him learning how to read he may have never had such intellectual insights.

At this point Malcolm’s persistence is starting to pay off and he is getting a lot better in this writing and reading. He is also enjoying what he is doing. His is encouraging to him to keep going and it is also making him better at writing and reading.

Fredrick Douglas in this paragraph says that his mistress was a really good person and that she was very kind, but slavery had changed her for the worse, and that she did not treat him like a human being.

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.

Knowledge in this time was considered a privilege, as was education

This interaction with the Irishman shows how different society was between America and Europe at the time. In Europe, slavery had been banned for a while, while in America, slavery was at its height. The reaction of the Irishman shows how slavery disgusts him, and how he thinks it should be abolished, like in his homeland.

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.

Knowledge is power and ability, one that may be a blessing or a curse.

Here the girl wishes to be older, so that she would know what to do in her situation. She seeks the wisdom that comes with age.

Douglas plays on the ego and temperament of his peers to get what he wants. I wonder why he chose this way and not the bread for knowledge transaction mentioned above.

This line shows how children are better than adults, because they do not have as much experience in their society. The children are kind to Frederick because their parents have not corrupted them to the idea of slavery. Using their kindness and inexperience in society, Frederick befriends the children and receives their help with learning.

Mrs. Jones is relating to the child by explaining that she too has dealt with not being able to get what she wants. This sentence shows that she too committed acts that she regrets, either stealing or another sin. She is ashamed of her actions and hopes that God doesn’t know of them. Because of this, she relates to the boy.

I believe Frederick was very smart and logical in the way that he thinks. He is also very determined to get what he wants so much so he is willing to do anything for it. All the ways he learned could have been dangerous for him but he continued.

This improvisation here looks a little bit “homemade” to me.

Remember. . .RESOURCES is a term that might have come right out of the ECONOMIC category. RESOURCEFULNESS is one that would come out of the PSYCHOLOGICAL category.

In Mr. Hankin’s sample work he mentioned that in the essay by Malcolm X, it said a “stock of knowledge,” correlating with the theme category of ECONOMY. In this sentence it said “… bread of knowledge,” resembling the same thing just said in the other essay.
Fredrick called it the bread of knowledge because he would trade bread he got from the house for knowledge from the homeless boys on the street. This sentence matches in the theme categories of CLASS/CLASS SYSTEMS and SOCIETY/COMMUNITY.

Fredrick was determined to learn how to write. It would only better him and help him with his escape. He would challenging others that he could write better, thus helping him by getting a lesson while challenging others. He was very smart in how he played everyone, but it bettered him.

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.

This sentence shows the mind set of white people of the time. The whites thought of people of color were not very smart. No one was there to teach them otherwise espcially not the people of color who could not read or right.

In Eleven by Sandra Cisneros she talks about a little girl that is turning 11 and how it does not feel any different than any other day.

Isn’t a moral, like an aphorism, a kind of a theme?