Motivation for Self-Education
The essays “Coming to the Awareness of Language” by Malcolm X and “The Library Card” by Richard Wright are about how two men tried to educate themselves by reading books. Malcolm X was a man in the 1940-1950 who spent his time in jail rewriting the pages of the dictionary to better himself as both a reader and writer. He wanted to better his education and be able to write letters to Elijah Muhammad without sounding uneducated. He was reading about African American history and realized they were taught wrong. In the 1920’s whites didn’t want African Americans to have an education because they wouldn’t be useful anymore. During that time Richard Wright wanted to find out more about H.L. Menckens, a white man, who was being bashed in the newspaper. Not being able to have a library card one of Richard’s coworkers loaned him his. With him reading in a white’s point of view he have a different outlook on things. Both essays took place in different …show more content…
“You couldn’t have gotten me out of books with a wedge. My reading books, months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned.” Because Malcom X was determined to learn, his attention was diverted from the negative actions that put him in prison. What was going on in the prison was not going to stop him from learning, he was not tempted to do anything else. Richard Wright didn’t let his fear of being caught reading by whites. As well as Malcom X, Wright was determined to learn about Menckens even if that meant asking the white people he worked for to sneak him his library card. The difference between Malcom X and Richard Wright is that Malcom was not scared of anyone who found out he was learning; Richard Wright was. Although they were both determined to make things happen for themselves, Malcom X did it without hesitation and Richard White questioned himself a lot due to
The essays “Coming to the Awareness of Language” by Malcolm X and “The Library Card” by Richard Wright are about how two men tried to educate themselves by reading books. Malcolm X was a man in the 1940-1950 who spent his time in jail rewriting the pages of the dictionary to better himself as both a reader and writer. He wanted to better his education and be able to write letters to Elijah Muhammad without sounding uneducated. He was reading about African American history and realized they were taught wrong. In the 1920’s whites didn’t want African Americans to have an education because they wouldn’t be useful anymore. During that time Richard Wright wanted to find out more about H.L. Menckens, a white man, who was being bashed in the newspaper. Not being able to have a library card one of Richard’s coworkers loaned him his. With him reading in a white’s point of view he have a different outlook on things. Both essays took place in different …show more content…
“You couldn’t have gotten me out of books with a wedge. My reading books, months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned.” Because Malcom X was determined to learn, his attention was diverted from the negative actions that put him in prison. What was going on in the prison was not going to stop him from learning, he was not tempted to do anything else. Richard Wright didn’t let his fear of being caught reading by whites. As well as Malcom X, Wright was determined to learn about Menckens even if that meant asking the white people he worked for to sneak him his library card. The difference between Malcom X and Richard Wright is that Malcom was not scared of anyone who found out he was learning; Richard Wright was. Although they were both determined to make things happen for themselves, Malcom X did it without hesitation and Richard White questioned himself a lot due to