From a common thug to a fiercely intelligent leader, Malcolm X has set the stage for an
audience to be truly inspired. His passion for knowledge flows from the pages of his work, “Learning
to Read,” naturally drawing the reader into a time and place many people don't know about; prison in
the 1940's and '50's. Malcolms devotion to learning, albeit not in the traditional sense, shows in his
writing. When describing his past, Malcolm X draws a clear picture of what his time in prison was
like. Although his work is not as refined as a piece of literature from someone like Dickens or
Hemingway, Malcolm X presents to his audience that willingness, motivation, and a desire to learn can
go a long way. Even though Malcolm is telling
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The frustration of not
knowing the meanings of many words brought about his motivation to learn. He realized the logical
thing to do was obtain a dictionary. Not sure where to begin, Malcolm decides to start at the beginning.
“In my slow, painstaking, ragged handwriting, I copied into my tablet everything printed on that first
page, down to the punctuation marks.” (Malcolm X, 1002) This type of descriptive writing, though
seeming elementary, serves to illicit an emotional response from the reader. Feeling sympathy for the
author, the audience is motivated to continue the journey in the hope of finding a better outcome.
The willingness to look at oneself and make a decision to change can be frightful. Fortunately,
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Malcolm X faced his short-comings and proceeded to change, thus causing the reader to want to
change with him. At the beginning of X's narrative, he describes why he was inspired to learn. “Bimbi
had always taken charge of every conversation he was in, and I had tried to emulate him.” (Malcolm
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Malcolms persistence and dedication to learning set him on a path toward vocabulary
enlightenment. “ I suppose it was inevitable that as my word base broadened, I could for the first
time pick up a book and read and now begin to understand what the book was saying.” (Malcolm X,
1002) The excitement of understanding, of truly getting what is portrayed within those words, incites a
hunger for more. The narrative picks up speed as the reader joins in the celebration of Malcolm X's
accomplishments. Between the correspondence and the books, this new found ability to self-educate
has Malcolm yearning for more. He continues to express his elation at finally understanding what he's
reading. And this is where the pace plateaus.
Throughout a large portion of his narrative, Malcolm X seems to capture the minds of his
audience. Granted, the authors he mentions, such as H.G. Wells and W.E.B. Du Bois, are factual
writers, X effectively separates the reader along a racial baseline. This may have been done
intentionally or by accident. It is up to the reader to make that determination. Essentially, “The