Analysis Of Malcolm X's Figurative And Denotative Language

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X’s figurative and denotative language constructs an emotional opening of his essay, depicting a diligent man outgrowing his illiteracy. Malcolm X uses several figurative dictions to characterize an enthusiastic tone from a knowledge pursuer. During his time in prison, X recalls his intellectual inmates are “walking encyclopedias” and are even “celebrities” (para. 15). Though ironic, the metaphor comparing inmates and celebrities not only conveys X’s distinct perspective towards knowledge but also illustrates his admiration for education. This enthusiasm reflects his perseverance of learning as well. For the first set of books, X found most English vocabularies as “Chinese” characters (para. 3), creating an imagery of one looking at pages of