Trevor McCoy's Malcom X Response

While most great writers have stories of being pampered as far as education is concerned for most of their lives, Malcom X tells a different story that really captured my attention. Most great writers and speakers such as Charles Dickens received plenty of education throughout their younger days, yet Malcom X prides himself in the fact that he is a very self-made man. Malcom X only received formal education through 8th grade although he has said so himself that most people would no have guessed that he had received so little schooling. This is due entirely to the fact that he increased his knowledge, vocabulary, and overall intelligence during his time in prison.

One of the aspects of Malcom X's education that I find most interesting is how he was able to teach himself to read and write at a higher level. Within prison, he would take pages out of a dictionary and copy them word for word with his own hand. This expanded his vocabulary, improved his penmanship, and made him into a better reader. Eventually, Malcom X was able to do this with the entire dictionary. Once he was done, he now knew bits and pieces of different subjects such as history, biology, and geography. This made it easer for Malcom X to do what had been impossible for him before: read books and understand what they were saying.
The determination and persistence that Malcom X portrays is inspiring. I personally do not know think that I would be able to mindlessly copy such boring material, which gives me an even better appreciation for the discipline that Malcom X portrays. While he could have let others tell him that he couldn't accomplish anything as he was an African American during a difficult period of time, Malcom X decided to take charge of his own future. I admire his story and the life that he lived, which is probably why he has been so well known throughout history.