Similarities Between Malcolm X And Benjamin Franklin

In contemporary philosophy, the epistemic value of different methods of education, political divergence, and personal freedom, can all be viewed as falling under the umbrella of the larger question of how one can achieve the “American Dream.” To achieve the “American Dream,” or achieve a better life than one had prior, while outcomes of this pursuit may be different from person to person, their journeys can often foster latent similarities. Malcolm X and Benjamin Franklin were men from different centuries, different socioeconomic statuses, different races, and different upbringings, yet their journeys to achieving the “American Dream” were very similar. Despite their fundamental differences, Malcolm X and Benjamin Franklin were analogous in

In Ben Franklin’s case, it started as a hobby, which made him learn about a variety of subjects. “This library afforded me the means of improvement by constant study, for which I set apart an hour or two each day, and thus repair'd in some degree the loss of the learned education my father once intended for me” (Franklin, 61). The original plan for Franklin was either to become an apprentice, like his brothers, or to become a church official. Although, he spent hours learning by himself, and used this knowledge to aid him in his quest for more. Essentially, the initiative Franklin portrays in his dedication for learning was crucial to his successes later in life. If he were to go down the path and follow the footsteps of the rest of his family, his life would have been condemned to mediocrity like the rest of his family. Similarly, in Malcolm X’s case, reading allowed him to open his mind and understand other people’s perspectives. When Malcolm X was in prison, he developed an affinity for reading, and he begun to read more and more to learn more about the world. What he learned from the books he read played important roles in Malcolm’s fame later in life. “I don’t think anybody ever got more out of going to prison than I did. In fact, prison enabled me to study far more intensively than I would have if my life had gone differently and I had attended some college (Malcolm, 183). Malcolm’s early life was not a life that promoted success or prosperity, and he realizes that jail was a major cause in his change for the better. Ben Franklin’s family had a set life for him, certain expectations for him to uphold, but Malcolm X had to be more independent, largely in absence of the nurturing family figures that Franklin had. But like Benjamin Franklin, Malcolm’s learning from his reading