master Essays (362 words) - Reading, African-American Muslims

learn to read. learn to read Introduction Learning to Read Malcolm X tried very hard to educate himself because he wanted not only to teach himself how to read but he also wanted to be able to understand what he was reading . His simple reason for wanting this was his desire to write letters which accurately communicated his thoughts . He was particularly interested in writing some letters to Elijah Muhammad whose writings about the history of discrimination suffered by the black people deeply interested him (Malcolm X . His problem , though , was not only how to read . He was also aware of his very limited vocabulary . As a matter of fact , he confessed to being sort of inoperative in the English language because his vocabulary consists mostly of slang words and phrases . His very limited vocabulary was the primary reason for his inability to understand what he tried to read . Another problem he encountered was his illegible handwriting . He realized that if he should be writing letters , their recipients should be able to read them - especially Elijah Muhammad because he wanted very much to write to him (Malcolm X . In the end , the solution that he stumbled on solved both his problem with his vocabulary as well as his writing deficiency . He borrowed a dictionary and copied every word , page after every page , reading and understanding as much as he could while copying , at the same time working on improving his handwriting . He was able to do this because he was in prison and had all the time in the world . Later , he progressed from the dictionary and started reading novels by well-read of history and philosophy (Malcolm X . What Malcolm X accomplished could be done just as easily in public schools . The only problem will be how to motivate and inspire the students to do what Malcolm X did and achieve what he was able to accomplish . To this end , teachers should not only be trained how to teach but also how to motivate . Narrating inspiring stories just like Malcolm X 's self-education could very well serve the purpose .Work Cited Malcolm X . ``Learning to Read ' 1965 . 29 April 2008...