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Malcolm X and Frederick

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Professor

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Date
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Malcolm X and Frederick

Malcolm X and Frederick Douglas worked tirelessly to become who they were in

leadership, whose legacies live up to date. Every one of them faced some obstacles on their

journey to become successful leaders. What they faced majorly was racism, being of African

American origin. They had difficulties in learning to read and write because they were

segregated while in school. Frederick was conceived as a slave in 1818 when the rule of law had

forbidden slaves to acquire reading and writing knowledge. However, he successfully learned

reading and writing, which eventually helped him publish an individual newspaper and three

outstanding autobiographies. He was well known for his uncompromising abolitionist and a

staunch advocate for women’s rights. For Malcolm X, he was a renowned hustler hailing from

Boston. He was later incarcerated in 1946 for stealing. As a scholar, he taught himself anything

he had known, from learning to read and write to teaching himself more regarding black history.

Therefore, this paper aims at discussing how Malcolm X and Frederick learned how to read and

write and the obstacles they encountered during their learning.

In his learning, Frederick Douglas encountered various obstacles, being a slave since his

conception. He was always more perseverant in his wishes to read and write. He illustrates that

the perfect plan that made him learn how to read and write was to make friends. He made

friends, especially of a white origin, from whom he learned a lot concerning reading and writing.

He was successful in being taught by his little friends, an aspect which his mistress had ceased

doing. She stopped teaching him more on alphabets following her particular transformation to a

weak-hearted woman. However, teaching him little on the alphabet, the initial phase was taken

as he was more interested in learning again and again, regardless of his status in society.
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As a result, Douglas loathed his masters as he believed that everyone should have the

freedom of education, which was not present. Through this aspect of freedom, Douglas was

mainly referring to his torment on his being as a slave. He would always attempt to illustrate a

more profound feeling for the individuals who lived a similar life, as he did, and those who did

not have an opportunity to acquire knowledge.

Moreover, Malcolm X, in his learning to read and write, encountered a few obstacles. He

began with the aspect of book-reading motions, only going through precise words that were more

familiar to him until he gained knowledge of what the book was about. This was happening a

short while when he realized that the most upstanding way to read was to begin by looking at the

dictionary. He eventually began going through the books after finding the precise meaning of the

words from the dictionary. Unlike individuals of the liberated world, as a prisoner, Malcolm X

could not have some luxuries, including being capable of having the lights on at all hours of the

day.

As he was reading during nighttime, he could be irritated with the lights out if it got to an

appealing section of his reading book. However, he was lucky enough because a corridor light

cast some light in his cell room. As a result, he would sit down on the floor and relax to have his

book read every day. He could pay more attention to the little one-hour breaks that the cell

guards could pace during the night. Malcolm X would go back into his bed when he would hear

their footsteps nearing his cell. He could proceed on realizing that the guards have gone.

The way of thinking for the achievement that both Douglass and Malcolm X had in

learning how to learn in a challenge-burdened atmosphere is their strong uniqueness. Neither of

the men confers up their determination or focused on their goals of successfully reading and

lettering. They never got intimidated by their current situation to want themselves to quit
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tracking their thoughts. Both men thrived by utilizing their free time to improve themselves by

practicing in anticipation of what they got a complete understanding of their teaching.

In conclusion, I believe that I learned a lot regarding myself after reading about Douglass

and Malcolm X's journey to learn. Interpretation defies that these two significant men had to go

through to learn how to read and write; made me realize that I should be more enthusiastic about

the more available learning. I could not perceive myself even existing in either one of their

places. I think it is because I never had to agree with any struggle they had to endure during their

times. Their stories trained me that no challenge is big enough to prevent me from reaching my

personal goals and dreams. I learned that I should take advantage of every opportunity provided

to me by learning and growing from it. Because of these two men, I will continue to practice my

weak points within myself and build my strength until I succeed.

References

Stanford, Judith. “Now and Then: Current Issues in Historical Context” Learning to read and

write Excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. McGraw-Hill, 2006

Excerpt from autobiography of Mark Twain, volume 2. (2019). Autobiography of Mark Twain,

411-432. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520952447-014

Storing, H. J. (2018). Frederick Douglass. A Political Companion to Frederick Douglass, 347-

373. https://doi.org/10.5810/kentucky/9780813175621.003.0013