Learning To Read: Education With Different Races (Essay Sample)

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Education with Different Races
Even before we step into a school, the first lesson is becoming literate in the language we speak. Language literacy gives every the power to achieve some issues around the societal set up which ranges from reading monosyllabic stories to novels. Malcolm X's motivation towards learning to read was to lead a nation or people to freedom. In a society of mixed races, coexistence is fostered by some common and powerful element. In this case, Malcom X felt the power of reading or literacy was the best way to gain attention and audience to pass messages. Malcolm X was determined to make a vital switch from one considered is a criminal, illiterate and worse a black who could only be compared to a dog at the time to a champion of freedom to the black nation. Fredric Douglas is another African – America who found himself on the harsh side of life. Fredrick just like Malcolm X was a disadvantage in the fact that he was born a slave and had no chance to gain education or literacy through the normal way. Malcolm X was facing leaders who took a time or gained an education through official means (Douglass 23 - 24). Facing this leader in expressing interest while championing for freedom could not come easily without the reading power.
In trying to push for black nation freedom, Malcolm was highly discriminated and could hardly get a chance to foster any agenda. Being one of the most confident and articulate blacks of that time, Malcolm was motivated to blend the articulation and confidence with literacy so as to gain platform among the literate leaders. Malcolm's life was of hardship right from hustler to convicted robber, despite all these, Malcolm was determined to bring a change among the blacks. While still in prison, Malcolm had already developed the feeling of fostering for black freedom, knowing well that championing freedom will entail rubbing the shoulder or confronting educated leaders, he started his education process while behind bars.
Despite the fact, the fact that racial discrimination could be a big challenge in acquiring education, the personal determination of the learner is vital in obtaining an education. According to Malcolm X (1965), his literacy was purely based on his determination. In his book entitled "Learning to Read," he stated that "But every book I picked up had few sentences which didn't contain anywhere from one to nearly all of the words that might as well have been in Chinese. When I just skipped those words, of course, I ended up with little idea of what the book said. So I had come to the Norfolk Prison Colony still going through only book-reading motions. Pretty soon, I would have quit even these motions, unless I had received the motivation that I did" (Malcolm 245). This clearly shows that success that he managed to achieve was purely based on the determination to achieve his desires.
Malcolm had a clear outline what he had to achieve a strong civil rights movement for the black nation freedom. "A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything" this statement by Malcolm was a courageous one directed towards advocating for African rights. Malcolm felt the slavery or discrimination towards made America the harshest place for the black race. Dictators with the high level of education accused of preaching racism with the American land. Knowing very well that his lack of education was a disadvantage towards passing his information, Malcolm defied all odds by learning how to read from home, diverting all his attention what he thought could help him communicate his mind.
Learning to read and confronting the whites for blacks freedom could not be achieved with determination. Other than the determination, there must also be hard work. It is through hard work that Malcolm X was able to overcome the obstacles the met in the process of learning. He had to spend sleepless nights in reading various texts. During the initial stages of the learning process, the words were a bit difficult to read. Encouraged by Bambi's level of knowledge in the various debates in which the inmates would engage in, Malcolm X put a lot of effort in his education. During the initial stages, most of the words were so difficult to read. Having been frustrated in trying to read the books, he decided to learn how to read the various words in the dictionary one by one by writing them down in his tablets which he requested from the Norfolk Prison Colony School. Malcolm X was able to master most of the words in the dictionary with their meanings. With the knowledge of the various worlds, he was able to read several books with a full understanding of the information being passed across (Malcolm 247).
The existence of the different races was a motivating factor in the ...