Why I Chose Malcolm X...

Anyone who’s read my blog posts so far knows that I am in favor of Malcolm X’s essay. It is his true passion for knowledge that is really inspiring to me, and I’m sure, to a lot of people. He didn’t HAVE to learn how to read, he chose to. And why? Because he admired the knowledge of Bimbi, his fellow prison mate. “It had really begun back in the Charlestown Prison, when Bimbi first made me feel envy of his stock of knowledge. Bimbi had always taken charge of any conversations he was in, and I had tried to emulate him… Pretty soon, I would have quit even these motions, unless I had received the motivation that I did”.

I believe that anyone who is motivated enough to teach THEMSELVES how to do something is worthy of praise. It can be a simple thing, like tying your shoes, or it could be a longer, more drawn out process, like learning how to read. But Malcolm X just craved knowledge. He knew that knowledge is power, and ignorance is not really bliss, as everyone says it is. He worked with what he had and he made it work for him. And that is truly inspiring. Another reason I like his essay more than the others’ is because I can relate to parts of it. Especially when he talks about the difference between reading something and understanding what you’ve read. (It reminds me of my blog post about speed-reading). “No university would ask any student to devour literature as I did when this new world opened to me, of being able to read and understand”. To me, this is one of the most powerful quotes in his essay.