Importance of Education: Malcolm X vs. Richard Wright
Shalonda Woods
October 5, 2014
College Composition
Malcolm X vs. Richard Wright
In the excerpts from Coming to the Awareness of Language by Malcolm X and The
Library Card by Richard Wright, both writers turned to education to aid them in reestablishing their cultural identities; however, each had different ways of learning and motivations to acquire knowledge. Malcolm X and Richard Wright was profoundly change dby their education. Both
Malcolm X and Richard Wright started their lives with many disadvantages. Although it was an ongoing journey, their struggles had given them confidence in writing for people to follow. In both these essays, both men write about how they educated themselves. Despite the differences in their circumstances, both men were motivated to learn how to read, both men had obstacles to overcome, and both men were transformed by the experience.
Malcolm X shows true character and motivation in his essay,
Coming to the Awareness to
Language.”
He overcame his hardship in prison by using imprisonment as self motivation to learn how to read and write. He says, “ I became increasingly frustrated at not being able to express what i wanted to convey in letters that I wrote, especially those to Mr. Elijah
Muhammad…” He proved that by learning the entire dictionary by himself in prison. In contrast to Malcolm X’s situation, Richard Wright wanted to read because he read a newspaper article denunciating H. L. Mencken saying that he was “a fool.”
Wright wanted to know what this man had done to cause such hatred against him. “I wondered what on earth this Mencken had done to call down upon him the scorn of the South. The only people I had ever heard denounced in the
South were Negroes, and this man was not a Negro.” Richard Wright didn’t exactly know what was going on in the world around him, so that is what motivated him to learn and read more.
Richard Wright and Malcolm X both had many obstacles while trying to reach
October 5, 2014
College Composition
Malcolm X vs. Richard Wright
In the excerpts from Coming to the Awareness of Language by Malcolm X and The
Library Card by Richard Wright, both writers turned to education to aid them in reestablishing their cultural identities; however, each had different ways of learning and motivations to acquire knowledge. Malcolm X and Richard Wright was profoundly change dby their education. Both
Malcolm X and Richard Wright started their lives with many disadvantages. Although it was an ongoing journey, their struggles had given them confidence in writing for people to follow. In both these essays, both men write about how they educated themselves. Despite the differences in their circumstances, both men were motivated to learn how to read, both men had obstacles to overcome, and both men were transformed by the experience.
Malcolm X shows true character and motivation in his essay,
Coming to the Awareness to
Language.”
He overcame his hardship in prison by using imprisonment as self motivation to learn how to read and write. He says, “ I became increasingly frustrated at not being able to express what i wanted to convey in letters that I wrote, especially those to Mr. Elijah
Muhammad…” He proved that by learning the entire dictionary by himself in prison. In contrast to Malcolm X’s situation, Richard Wright wanted to read because he read a newspaper article denunciating H. L. Mencken saying that he was “a fool.”
Wright wanted to know what this man had done to cause such hatred against him. “I wondered what on earth this Mencken had done to call down upon him the scorn of the South. The only people I had ever heard denounced in the
South were Negroes, and this man was not a Negro.” Richard Wright didn’t exactly know what was going on in the world around him, so that is what motivated him to learn and read more.
Richard Wright and Malcolm X both had many obstacles while trying to reach