I grew up in a middle-class family where education was important to my parents, but my mom seemed to encourage me to work more than study. I found myself expressing my emotions through my actions rather than words. When I was passionate about something I believed in, I had so much to say, but so little vocabulary to use. Since I was a young girl I would get frustrated with trying to express myself through my writing because I couldn’t find the right words to use, or even know how to use them correctly. While reading an excerpt from Malcolm x’s autobiography, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965)” he talks about his struggle with trying to express himself, writing about the teachings of Allah and Islam and Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm X wanted
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Even though I did not need a college education to work at minimum wage paying jobs, I still felt very lost while having conversations with other employees or customers, as they would use words I would not understand. Also, being around certain family members that had a college education, I would sometimes leave the room so they would not start up a conversation with me. I had this feeling of constantly having a wall in front of me, which was holding me back from my true potential. I felt I needed to do something about this or my everyday life with education would be a constant battle. Malcolm X noticed his constant battle while writing to politicians, noticing this was a new world of language that he was not educated in, and could not write in slang to be successful in encouraging his beliefs about educating others on what changes needed to be made in society about how African Americans were and still are being treated. As for Baca, he was sick of being illiterate, and needed a way to express himself, about the hardship he had endured throughout life. Baca once thought “Only by action..., could one learn anything worth knowing,” but being in prison changed his life (155). Baca and Malcolm had soon realized that writing and reading was something that could define them as an individual and became a part of their lives as it did …show more content…
When I moved to California two years ago, I found a great room for rent with awesome roommates. They were all college graduates and very articulate and knew so much whether it was to do with history, or knowing their way around the garden. Baca and Malcolm X both inspired while in prison to become articulate, because they wanted to be heard and feel free. Like Malcolm X being inspired by his fellow inmate named Bimbi, by the way he would attract people’s attention just by the way he spoke, and having so much knowledge to share, I was inspired by these beautiful young people who could make any topic they spoke about sound interesting. At this time in my life I decided I should apply for college and begin with a new outlook on education. As for Malcolm X, he started his “Homemade Education,” (142) by copying the dictionary word for word. While doing so, he learned a little bit about history and improved his penmanship (Malcolm X, 144). This helped time go by fast while Malcom X was in prison and his vocabulary broadened. Baca had taught himself how to read and write while in prison. It was difficult for him to get the materials he needed so he had to steal a book or two from the guards. Baca continued to teach himself how to read and write and told the guards he wasn’t doing any work in the prison
Even though I did not need a college education to work at minimum wage paying jobs, I still felt very lost while having conversations with other employees or customers, as they would use words I would not understand. Also, being around certain family members that had a college education, I would sometimes leave the room so they would not start up a conversation with me. I had this feeling of constantly having a wall in front of me, which was holding me back from my true potential. I felt I needed to do something about this or my everyday life with education would be a constant battle. Malcolm X noticed his constant battle while writing to politicians, noticing this was a new world of language that he was not educated in, and could not write in slang to be successful in encouraging his beliefs about educating others on what changes needed to be made in society about how African Americans were and still are being treated. As for Baca, he was sick of being illiterate, and needed a way to express himself, about the hardship he had endured throughout life. Baca once thought “Only by action..., could one learn anything worth knowing,” but being in prison changed his life (155). Baca and Malcolm had soon realized that writing and reading was something that could define them as an individual and became a part of their lives as it did …show more content…
When I moved to California two years ago, I found a great room for rent with awesome roommates. They were all college graduates and very articulate and knew so much whether it was to do with history, or knowing their way around the garden. Baca and Malcolm X both inspired while in prison to become articulate, because they wanted to be heard and feel free. Like Malcolm X being inspired by his fellow inmate named Bimbi, by the way he would attract people’s attention just by the way he spoke, and having so much knowledge to share, I was inspired by these beautiful young people who could make any topic they spoke about sound interesting. At this time in my life I decided I should apply for college and begin with a new outlook on education. As for Malcolm X, he started his “Homemade Education,” (142) by copying the dictionary word for word. While doing so, he learned a little bit about history and improved his penmanship (Malcolm X, 144). This helped time go by fast while Malcom X was in prison and his vocabulary broadened. Baca had taught himself how to read and write while in prison. It was difficult for him to get the materials he needed so he had to steal a book or two from the guards. Baca continued to teach himself how to read and write and told the guards he wasn’t doing any work in the prison