Malcom X

In the past I have read about Malcom X, but never knew he had a strong passion for reading. While reading, I could feel his strong-willed and confident demeanor, which he needed in order to be a voice for African Americans. “I had been the most articulate hustler out there—I had commanded attention when I said something.” Malcom X demanded attention but at the same time he earned every word he spoke.

I like how he took advantage of every opportunity and turned a negative into a positive. “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.” This shows how he was self-motivated to learn and too it upon himself to read the dictionary word from word until he learned how to read. I was surprised that he accomplished most of this while in prison. Besides just wanting to learn how to read, reading naturally became his true love.

“Book after book showed me how the white man had brought upon the world’s black, brown, red, and yellow peoples every variety of the suffering of exploitation. “ Through reading, Malcom X gained an understanding for what he was fighting for. Unlike Martin Luther King and Ghandi, he didn’t believe in advocating through nonviolence, but overall wanted everyone to be treated equally.

Ultimately reading is what kept him motivated. “As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive.” This statement describes how reading helped him stay mentally tough through the pain and suffering. At the same time he stated that he was not seeking a college degree because of the image it upheld at that time. “I imagine that one of the biggest troubles with college is there are too many distractions…” Does everyone agree with this comment? How would college be without the distractions? Do you think less distractions equals better students? Would we still get the full college experience?