Question

Read Malcolm X’s article “Learning to Read”. Here, Malcolm X discusses his learning of literacy and the literacy sponsors that influenced him. As you continue thinking about the literacy narrative, consider the following questions for discussion:

• Who seems to be Malcolm X’s intended audience?

• How do you know?

• How does Malcolm X define literacy?

• What was the particular role for writing that Malcolm X describes in his account of his literacy education?

• How do you think it helped him read?

• Can you think of ways that writing helped you become a better reader?

Answer 1

1) Who seems to be Malcolm X's intended audience?

"Learning to read" is an excerpt from Malcolm X's autobiography. The intended audience seems to be anyone who is interested to know more about his life.

2)   How do you know?

The way he has addressed it, he is well aware that people want to understand what his life was like. As an undereducated black man in America, he wanted to make it clear what the process of learning was like for him.

3) How does Malcolm X define literacy?

"Let me tell you something: from then until I left that prison, in every free moment I had, if I was not reading in the library, I was reading on my bunk. You couldn’t have gotten me out of books with a wedge. Between Mr. Muhammad’s teachings, my correspondence, my visitors—usually Ella and Reginald—and my reading of books, months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life."

When he was "free" he made his living robbing, he never had the words to articulate the struggles that he faced in life and what injustices that he sees. Only in prison he felt "free" because he picked up reading , which gave him the vocabulary necessary for him to articulate his thoughts with the written word.

This freedom is literacy, the freedom to find out the truth .

4) What was the particular role for writing that Malcolm X describes in his account of his literacy education?

At first Malcolm lacked the knowledge necessary in order to effectively read. In fact as mentioned he was envious of his friend Bimbi as he was able to go through conversations rather succintly. In the quest for articulatio, he picked up a dictionary in order to be able to convey his thoughts fashionably. The writing practice gave him the vocabulary that he needed .

5) How do you think it helped him read?

The panistaking practice of learning words gave him the curiosity to learn more. As he mentioned, " Actually the dictionary is like a miniature encyclopedia" he learnt about history and the world through the dictionary. As he broadened his word base he was able to read more and more.

6) Can you think of ways that writing helped you become a better reader?

The practice of writing is also a way of processing information, while reading can expel information rather faster. A succint explanation of said information by the avenue of writing is a better way to absorp the material. Furthermore writing is also exploration, it goes inside the deepest parts of your psyche. Writing makes me a better reader as I pay closer attention to what I read.

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