Malcolm X’s “Literacy Behind Bars” and Sherman Alexie’s Ten Little Indians are two completely different works, but both have a similar theme. In “Literacy Behind Bars,” Malcolm X discloses the details of his journey to becoming literate. Meanwhile, in Ten Little Indians, a young Spokane Indian woman by the name of Corliss recalls her quest to find a Spokane Indian poet by the name of Harlan Atwater. Both Corliss and Malcolm X went through their childhood not having complete access to their passions or talents. The two were held back by stereotypes or lack of resources. So why would these two characters willingly accept such difficult quests? What could possibly be their motivation? I believe that the delayed discovery of talent and interest
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When one imagines a prison, it is rare that one imagines an inmate sitting in his cell late at night, pushing himself to learn to read and write, and ignoring the prison’s “lights out” rule in order to gain more knowledge. In this way, Malcolm X has already defied the stereotype of the “typical” prisoner. Malcolm X writes, “My homemade education gave me, with every additional book that I read, a little bit more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness, and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America.” (Malcolm X pp.642-643) It is Malcolm X’s belief that had he gone down a different path in life and pursued a college degree, he would not have had the dedication to learning that he discovered in prison. Malcolm X closes his narrative with this last statement: “Where else but in a prison could I have attacked my ignorance by being able to study intensely sometimes as much as fifteen hours a day?” (Malcolm X pp. 643) Malcolm X makes it clear that in no way does he regret his time spent in prison, as he eventually discovered a way to use this time to strongly benefit himself. Had he not discovered this dedication and passion for reading and writing while in prison, Malcolm X may have never become the famed human rights activist we know him as …show more content…
One of these stories tells the journey of a young woman named Corliss as she searches for a Spokane Indian poet named Harlan Atwater. Corliss was a young Spokane Indian woman attempting to break away from her tribe due to the tribe’s ignorance concerning Corliss’s love for poetry. “Words had always been her weapon, her offense and defense, and she felt that her silence, her wordlessness, might be the only thing she could give him,” (Alexie pp. 52) Alexie writes as Corliss finally meets Atwater after searching for him. Corliss’s quest is a unique one, as it develops and changes throughout the story. At the beginning of Corliss’s journey, she’s convinced that all she needs to do to truly free herself from her tribe is to find Harlan Atwater and discover how he had broken away from the tribe. However, after meeting Atwater in person and discovering the truth about him, Corliss reanalyzes her quest thoroughly. At the end of Corliss’s story, she and Harlan Atwater part ways, and Corliss sits in silence on her own for a while, thinking. I believe that Corliss’s true quest wasn’t breaking away from the tribe as she desired to do, but to accept her Spokane Indian heritage, and use that heritage in her passion:
When one imagines a prison, it is rare that one imagines an inmate sitting in his cell late at night, pushing himself to learn to read and write, and ignoring the prison’s “lights out” rule in order to gain more knowledge. In this way, Malcolm X has already defied the stereotype of the “typical” prisoner. Malcolm X writes, “My homemade education gave me, with every additional book that I read, a little bit more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness, and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America.” (Malcolm X pp.642-643) It is Malcolm X’s belief that had he gone down a different path in life and pursued a college degree, he would not have had the dedication to learning that he discovered in prison. Malcolm X closes his narrative with this last statement: “Where else but in a prison could I have attacked my ignorance by being able to study intensely sometimes as much as fifteen hours a day?” (Malcolm X pp. 643) Malcolm X makes it clear that in no way does he regret his time spent in prison, as he eventually discovered a way to use this time to strongly benefit himself. Had he not discovered this dedication and passion for reading and writing while in prison, Malcolm X may have never become the famed human rights activist we know him as …show more content…
One of these stories tells the journey of a young woman named Corliss as she searches for a Spokane Indian poet named Harlan Atwater. Corliss was a young Spokane Indian woman attempting to break away from her tribe due to the tribe’s ignorance concerning Corliss’s love for poetry. “Words had always been her weapon, her offense and defense, and she felt that her silence, her wordlessness, might be the only thing she could give him,” (Alexie pp. 52) Alexie writes as Corliss finally meets Atwater after searching for him. Corliss’s quest is a unique one, as it develops and changes throughout the story. At the beginning of Corliss’s journey, she’s convinced that all she needs to do to truly free herself from her tribe is to find Harlan Atwater and discover how he had broken away from the tribe. However, after meeting Atwater in person and discovering the truth about him, Corliss reanalyzes her quest thoroughly. At the end of Corliss’s story, she and Harlan Atwater part ways, and Corliss sits in silence on her own for a while, thinking. I believe that Corliss’s true quest wasn’t breaking away from the tribe as she desired to do, but to accept her Spokane Indian heritage, and use that heritage in her passion: