Malcolm X and Sherman Alexie

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Literacy Ability and Societal Position
Their Lives as Illiterate and Ignorant
Conclusion/Literacy vs. Power, Position, and Happiness
Works Cited

Introduction

Literacy, the ability to write or read, may seem useless for many but this is not the case. Literacy skills have seen the rise of people to prominent positions in society. Whatever one wishes to be in the future is his/her choice and inasmuch as people make the choices, their past and present conditions never determine their future positions in society. How captivating life is, surpasses words and this holds true everywhere and to every person. It resembles a mighty zone harboring every kind of choice for all people. Funny enough, it lets one choose according to the desires of his/her heart. It offers choices ranging from literacy skills, power, and ignorance, among others. However, whatever one chooses, he/she has a story to tell about it and Malcolm X and Sherman Alexie are not any exceptions. Having chosen literacy, they have resolved to address the subject in relation to society. Their ability to read and write has significantly influenced their lives, the reason as to why they are happy accounting their lives’ voyage from the scratches to their current prominent positions, not only in their societies but also in the world at large. As the accounts unfold, literacy ability determines someone’s position in society. For instance, Alexie and Malcolm develop from illiterate insignificant people to useful heroes of their societies.

Literacy Ability and Societal Position

Had it not been for their literacy levels, the two men would not have passed for heroes in their societies. The backgrounds of the two, as brought forth by their stories, could not scoop them a chance to be who they are today. For instance, Alexie’s rank as a playwright comes through his poor father’s small library. In fact, Alexie, the 34-year-old Indian, is currently an outstanding American author and a beneficiary of America’s 2010 Achievement Award, well known for his captivating fictions like The Reservation Blues, the Indian Killer, and The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me, among others. This paper dwells on the latter that gives the author’s account, right from his call to literature as a 3-year-old to his present position as a playwright and a mentor. Regardless of his poverty-stricken background, Alexie could learn how to read. The availability of the books as well as the motivation from his poor father fuelled his devotion to reading. He could read even if the words made no sense to him though he knew they would make it one day provided he pressed on and on choosing never to fail (Cohen 17), a decision that saw the dawn of his poetry and novel writings. His words drive home the point that for one to scoop a major rank in society, a good deal of determination to read must precede. He says that he does writing out of joy and love to save lives. Society recognizes him today, not only for his writings but also for his ability to instill reading and writing skills to kids, a dream he realized through his literacy levels.

Malcolm X, the former political activist and a chief spokesperson of the Islamic nation, assumes these positions purely through his self-education. Otherwise, he would be nobody in society. In fact, Malcolm asserts, “Many today who hear me somewhere in person or in television…will think I went to school” (Cohen 257-258). The words are heavily laden with his awareness of the correlation between people’s ranks and their literacy levels. Malcolm entirely attributes his position to his studies in prison where he got hold of a dictionary, which on the other hand changed his entire life in terms of reading. In fact, Learning to Read is an account of Malcolm, his life as a prisoner showing how the dictionary contributed to his present position. He says that he saw the need to foster his penmanship right from prison, words of which the reader sees the dawn of Malcolm’s greatness. It is purely founded on his literacy skills, which he acquired in prison. In fact, he testifies, “I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life and…will never catch me with a free fifteen minutes in which am not studying something I feel might be able to help the black man” (Cohen 265). Therefore, his literacy ability explains the reason behind his position in society. Nevertheless, in trying to imagine their lives as illiterate people, one must encounter a good deal of contrast in relation to who they are in present. For instance, they would be far from being famous as they are.

Their Lives as Illiterate and Ignorant

As the two stories unfold, the literate Malcom and Alexie would appear significantly different from their illiterate counterparts. The Joy of Reading: Superman and Me opens by featuring the young Alexie’s struggle with reading even without seeing the sense in what he read. This struggle forms the basis of his position as a prominent writer. However, it suffices for the reader to infer that, were it not for his childhood efforts, then Alexie of today would probably be an illiterate street boy and a beggar. In fact, Alexie confirms why this would be so. He says, “We were poor by most standards” (Cohen 15), a condition that would have persisted if Alexie ignored his father’s library. In addition, the story unfolds the teachers’ perception towards the Indian children, from which Alexie belonged. He says, “…Indian children…expected to be stupid…live up to those standards” (Cohen 17). Therefore, he would be as stupid as his Indian counterparts would, until he singled himself out of the misleading notion. Malcom would have died as an illiterate and a shallow-famed prisoner. In prison, he was lucky to encounter a dictionary that assisted him to grasp some words, which he could later read and write after he practiced. However, had he ignored the practice, he would have achieved his evident fame. In fact, he claims, “…an inmate was smiled upon if he demonstrated an unusually intense interest in books” (Cohen 260) to show how his life would be if he were illiterate. However, the reader might ask, ‘Is literacy related with power, happiness, and position?

Conclusion/Literacy vs. Power, Position, and Happiness

Literacy education determines ones power, position, and happiness. Malcom and Alexie’s accounts confirm this claim. For instance, the title The Joy of Reading and Writing is sufficient to tell how happy one becomes by virtue of his/her literacy. “I was smart…I was arrogant…I was lucky” (Cohen 17) are no more than tokens of happiness accredited to his ability to read and write showing how the two are interconnected. In addition, owing to his literacy ability, Alexie rises from a mere village boy to a prominent poet and a chief mentor of children in his society. Malcom could not make it to his political powers had it not been for his literacy capabilities. Therefore, building on these expositions, it becomes worth deducible that literacy is the basis of power, happiness, and too, the major determinant of one’s position in society.

Works Cited

Cohen, Samuel. 50 Essays. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2003. Print.

Click Here To Order Now!

Malcolm X and Sherman Alexie

Do you need this or any other assignment done for you from scratch?

We have qualified writers to help you.

We assure you a quality paper that is 100% free from plagiarism and AI.

You can choose either format of your choice ( Apa, Mla, Havard, Chicago, or any other)