Panopticism

Same Difference Malcolm X and Sherman Alexie are two American writers with great diction. Both came from a very vivid and crazy background. Capturing the audience’s attention is what they do best. They can relate on various topics, even though they may site it differently. Also, setting a certain tone is very important. Sure enough, both do just that to make sure what they’re writing about comes out clearly. These writers are very intelligent when it comes to literature and how to incorporate their own tone of voice in their writings. Both gentlemen grew up very harshly and had to deal with situations no child should experience. X was surrounded by dope peddlers and pimps growing up. Many children ran the streets with the older drug dealers because they did not know any other route. Society said they were expected to end six feet under or in jail, which became partially true because Malcolm X ended up in jail. The same was expected in the reservation that Alexie grew up in. Irregular paychecks, hope, fear, and government surplus food is what Alexie and his family lived off. His father was a drunk that did not support the family as a man should. Fear was a factor because nobody in the reservation wanted to be a statistic. Unfortunately, many Indian kids are already defeated by the judgment passed against them. Therefore, they believe they will not make it anywhere in life. In “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me,” Sherman Alexie writes, “They carry neither pencil nor pen. They stare out the window. They refuse and resist.” This statement shows that many kids lost hope. Malcolm X and Sherman Alexie went against the grain and proved to society that where you come from doesn’t affect where you are going in life. Learning literature came about at different times for Sherman Alexie and Malcolm X. Alexie was reading high school level books at three years old, while X increased his vocabulary in his adulthood while being held captive in jail. In Malcolm