Malcolm X and His Quest for Learning

    For our second brainstorming journal assignment, we read an expert from Autobiography of Malcolm X, titled "Learning to Read."  In this piece, Malcolm X discusses how developed his reading and writing skills in his seven years of prison.  Malcolm X is also influenced by many literary sponsors, this term being defined in my previous blog post.  In his readings, he learns about white supremacy and the many hardships other races endured, especially African Americans. One controversial issue in Malcolm X's piece is how he learned more in his seven years in prison than many students do in college. How can it be that a man became more educated in prison than in school? Malcolm X never made it past the eighth grade yet educated himself in prison. Overall, this reading gives you a take on building literary skills in different ways and is designed to make you ponder more about a research question.  The follow questions are answered in the blog:

• Drawing on Brandt's definition of literacy sponsor, list as many of Malcolm X's literacy sponsors as yo can find. Remember that sponsors don't have to be people, but can also be ideas or institutions, that can withhold literacy as well as provide it.  
• Brandt explains that people often subvert or misappropriate the intentions of their sponsor. Was this ever the case with Malcolm X? How so?
• Explain a time you misappropriated one of your literacy sponsor's intentions. 

 Journal 2     

    Malcolm X had numerous literary sponsors who influenced his quest to improve literacy.  Elijah Muhammad was his leading sponsor who was the founder of the Nation of Islam.  Malcolm wanted to be able to write well-written leaders to Muhammad, and therefore, needed to rid himself of his street hustler slang.  The idea to get rid of his slang vocabulary was a literary sponsor by itself for Malcolm X.  Thus, Malcolm X began educating himself in writing, vocabulary, and reading.  He paid close attention to Muhammad’s teachings, which taught him about white domination and their cruel acts.  Another literary sponsor was the Norfolk Prison Colony School, which provided pens, pencils, tablets, and a huge library for him.  The dictionary was yet another literary sponsor Malcolm X came across.  The dictionary taught him the vocabulary to read books and helped him improve his penmanship by copying down the entire dictionary. Other literary sponsors were the idea of white supremacy, which drove Malcolm X to read about the hardships of other races, and the idea of civil rights.

         Malcolm X misappropriated his sponsors in two occasions.  First off, he disobeyed the prison, which was a huge sponsor, and their “lights out” rule.  Since the prison was providing him with an enormous library and allowing him to take out more books than the maximum amount, he was defying them by sneaking around the guards to read longer at night.  Malcolm X also misappropriated the literary sponsor, the idea of civil rights.  He took civil rights to an entire different context by explaining how civil rights did not even entail human rights for African Americans.

        I have misappropriated one of my literary sponsors intentions in the past, as well. My literary sponsor was my job at a pool as a lifeguard.  However, I had not completed any training to be a lifeguard.  Therefore, my job, which still wanted to hire me, sent me to a course for free. Once the training was finished, I was expected to then work at the pool.  I misappropriated my sponsor, as when the course was over, I was unable to take the job.  Thus, I got the benefit of the free course but my sponsor did not get anything in return since I could not work.