Comparison Of Malcolm X And A Homemade Education By Barbara Graham

While looking for new meaning of life, people usually step on new perspectives which never appeal to them as solutions to their problems. The American Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm X describes his life of learning how to write and read during his time time in prison to imply his reinvention process in his article “A Homemade Education”. The author was “increasingly frustrated at not being able to express what I wanted to convey in letters that I wrote” so he started to reinvent in order to improve himself. Similarly, Mystery writer Barbara Graham argues her tendency of easily wanting to quit things as an addicted behavior in her essay “Confession of A Quit Addict”. Both authors suffer somehow during their life time …show more content…
The journey could be exciting or depressing. Malcolm X, despite his imprisoned experience, turned out to be an influencing finger of the world. During his first few months at the prison, he found out that he “not only wasn’t articulate, [he] wasn’t even functional” (). The non literate character of himself never seemed to bother him that much when he was free. Yet when he was stuck in prison, with the only connection to the outside world being letters or books, he finally realized how prominent the skills of writing and reading had been. He started to devote all of him time and energy into learning, which had impressive repays. He rediscovered his values with a new literate himself. Similarly, Graham, mentally confined as opposed to Malcolm’s physically confined situation, “suddenly it seemed possible to reinvent [herself], free from the responsibilities and relationships that had dragged [her] down”() when she dropped out of college. She wanted a free environment for a long time and when she finally was able to be in one she created for herself, the desire of reinvention rushed to her as she began moving on to things she once dreamed of right away. Graham felt like a new human being once she was free of any typical confident that was over her head. Her self values were refreshed as she took the brave step of quitting and …show more content…
When Malcolm was imprisoned, he was physically restrained, but on the other hand, he was able to stop himself and really reflecting his life. The prison time made him realize the importance of being literate in the society. He started to read the dictionary from page to page and as soon as he found out the sudden improvement of his reading abilities, “[he] started copying what eventually became the entire dictionary”(). Without Malcolm pushing his own limits, he would not be able to learn how to write, or even considering that as a thing to do. He was mentally free outside the bars of prison. The authentic Malcolm himself would not be discovered if it was not himself who saw the need of committing into that business. For Graham, her insistence in getting away seems like an option not everyone has the bravery to do so. She was forcing herself to walk on an uncertain path. Life after getaway was hard as “[she] was expected to show up at the same place at the same time five days a week and not take frequent naps”(). Her nerve and body just could not take it anymore. She was at the edge of a nervous breakdown, due to the fact that she was pushing her self so hard as making her do thing she thought she was not prepared for. Both Malcolm and Graham were committed into the reinventing themselves process, yet they have suffered various consequences Although, one undoubtedly fact was that they really tried