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Comparing Malcolm X Learning To Read And Frederick Douglass Learning To Read

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Throughout literature, religion, and life, knowledge continually causes sorrow. Books commonly read in a high school curriculum include Malcolm X Learning to Read and Frederick Douglass Learning to Read display the sorrow affiliated with knowledge. The quotation above is directly from the bible and considering the bible is one of the most respected books in the world the quote creates great authority. One book that displays the idea that “for in wisdom is much grief, and in increase knowledge is increase sorrow” is Frederick Douglass Learning to Read. This books follows the life of a slave, Frederick Douglass, who realizes that while he thought reading would give him a new lease on life, it actually took away his happiness. As Frederick Douglass is describing his ability to read he states that knowing how to read was a curse rather than a blessing. He realized that as he acquired knowledge about being free, he grew to hate his ability. Reading showed Douglass a …show more content…

Malcolm is a prisoner in jail who decides that he wants to read, so he memorized the entire dictionary in order to meet this goal. Once he knows how to read, Malcolm starts to read books about history. He discovers that many pieces of history are missing from the books, especially concerning African Americans. Malcolm made it his mission to find out as much information about African Americans as possible. While searching history books he discovered the horrifying life that they had to endure. Malcolm was very upset that African Americans were treated as slaves and the way that white people treated other races as well. He describes that withholding history from history books was dishonest and he felt that white people were opportunists. The dishonesty ruined his faith in the country. The information he now knew caused him to feel hurt, because he did not know before the history or treatment of slaves and

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