Malcolm X and Paula Marshal comparison paper

Malcolm X and Paule Marshall exhibit very distinct characteristics with respect to their reading choices, practices, and development. Similarities, however, are also apparent. Specifically, they are both African American, and both belonged to the lower class. Both of them read voraciously, and were self-motivated in developing their reading skills. Major differences include the ages at which their interest in reading developed, the material which they read, and their personal motivation for reading.

Malcolm X and Paule Marshall are quite different with respect to how their reading education began. Malcolm X came to understand how important reading was for him while he was in prison. He became frustrated about not being able to write letters to Mr. Elijah Muhammad, whom he looked to as a leader. Also, quite simply, he could not understand books at all. “I really ended up with little idea of what the books said,” remarked Malcolm X. His frustration became determination; he began to feel a huge desire to learn. To get himself started, he began copying the dictionary; eventually, he had copied the entire dictionary –from sections A to Z. Marshall, compared to Malcolm

While both Malcolm X and Marshall were both African-American, shared a voracious appetite for learning and for reading, and were both from less than privileged backgrounds, the origins and effects of their reading educations seem very different. Whereas Malcolm X acquired his love for reading and his knowledge at a time when he had already gained a lot of experience in the outside world, Marshall’s background shows a much more sheltered experience. Similarly, Malcolm X then wanted to use his newly-acquired knowledge to make a difference out in the world – as soon as possible, and for as many African-Americans as possible, whereas Marshall’s goals seem to be more related to voicing her thoughts and ideas in more intimate methods; her writing seems more geared to the individual rather than towards a large group or body of people. In reading the work of both these writers, however, their very distinct viewpoints and positions enable a reader to see two very large pieces of the African-American experience, and these pieces complement one another and create a more complete understanding.

These paths were very different. From the teachings of Mr. Muhammad, Malcolm learned of the role of “white men,” and that “when white men had written history books, the black man simply had been left out.” He also expressed the horror he felt while reading about slavery. Malcolm then became determined to learn more about the past. He hungered for books about history, especially

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