The Joy of Reading and Writing

“The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie and “Learning to Read” by Malcolm X are both Essays about young men trying to learn how to read, and what they got from reading. Both are very exciting and interesting Essays, but I feel that Sherman Alexie’s Essay has a tad bit more meaning; to me at least. Yes, Malcolm X’s Essay was longer, more into detail and possible a more well written Essay, but the meaning wasn’t as strong to me. Alexie took his knowledge and used it in a kind hearted way, whereas Malcolm X helped people but in an aggressive manner. One thing that both men have in common, is that they both came from poor family’s. Both Authors also taught themselves how to read. Alexie taught himself at a very young age at his parents house in Wellpinit, Washington. He was very fortunate that his father was an avid reader, because of this there were many books laying around the house. The first book Alexie ever attempted to read was a Superman comic book. He did not understand the words, so instead he just made up his own from the pictures. It wasn’t long though, before he was able to read hole books. Malcolm X on the other hand didn’t learn how to read until he was incarcerated in his twenties. While he was incarcerated he meet a named Bimbi. Malcolm X envied Bimbi, because of his outstanding stack of knowledge and how he would always take charge of a conversation. Once Malcolm X had seen this he began to pick up books and attempted to read them. The only problem was, most if not all of the words looked like Chinese to him. He then tried a new approach, he got himself a dictionary to study. Malcolm X started from A and went all the way to Z, handwriting each word on his tablet. From coping the dictionary and writing letters to the outside, it gave him the ability to read books. It was like an addiction once both men learned how to read. Alexie would read anything he could get his hands on like cereal boxes, newspapers and books his dad would bring home. He would stay up late into the night until he could not stay up any longer, just so he could read. When he woke up, every opportunity he had he would read, such as recess and car rides. Even when his parents would take him to the mall, he would run into book stores and start reading books until it was time to leave. Malcolm X was the same way, but he had nothing but time on his hands to read. He loved reading so much that he would even stay up after lights out, even thought he could of got caught by the guards and been severely punished. Amazingly Malcolm X had a wide verity of books to choose from. I find it incredible how both authors came about reading. In any other circumstance they would be considered prodigies, because of how they taught themselves to read, but Alexie was just an advanced student on a reservation while Malcolm X was just another African-American that was trying to better himself in prison. After they both started to broa,dend the books from which the they chose to read from, is when the two men became very different. Alexie read just about everything, but mostly poems, short stories and novels. Nothing out of the ordinary, just things to past time and to help advance his reading skills. Pretty much, he just wanted to make himself educated. Whereas Malcolm X started off by just wanting to be come educated, then he started to find a interest in black history. He then came to realize that the white man is “evil” at least that’s what he says in his essay.