Benjamin Franklin VS. Malcolm X

Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography was kind of a tough read, I’ll admit. I’m sure it was just that it was written in a different time, using Old English, yadda yadda, etc. But just the general storyline behind it wasn’t nearly as intriguing to me as that of Malcolm X’s autobiography. While the two are very different in writing style, language, etc., they both tell a story of something that changed their lives. Benjamin Franklin learned about the English language at a very young age, and his father made sure that he was properly educated so that he could survive and prosper. Malcolm X on the other hand, was a hustler who didn’t learn how to read until he was an adult, and ended up having to teach himself.

The two may be different, but they both tell the writer’s story. They each paint a picture of how they learned to read & write. Malcolm X used the English language to gain more knowledge. After he got that first taste of it, he craved more. Benjamin Franklin on the other hand, loved it enough to make a career out of it. But I wouldn’t go so far as to say that he had the same passion for it as Malcolm X.