Sandra K. Friday
I am completing the unit with an autobiographical excerpt from
The Autobiography of
Malcolm X
, who describes the remarkable transformation that he experienced in prison which I referred to in my introduction to this unit. He relates how he felt in prison when he wanted to write a letter to the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and he couldn't even read his own hand writing, much less make himself understood. He says, "In the street, I had been the most articulate hustler out there . . . But now, trying to write simple English, I not only wasn't articulate, I wasn't even functional" (Malcolm X). He recounts how, with the guidance Bimbi, a very knowledgeable Muslim prisoner, he started reading and copying the dictionary, and became so fascinated that he copied the entire dictionary. He began reading in every spare minute, and the more he read, the more he wanted to read. He nearly ruined his eyes reading by the light outside his cell, after lights out. He joined the prison debate team, and used every opportunity to educate himself. After he was paroled, Malcolm X became the most charismatic speaker for the Nation of Islam in this country.
I will ask my students to consider how Malcolm X is like the protagonist in "The
Prison Cell." Malcolm X transformed his prison cell into the world by copying the dictionary and reading everything he could get his hands on. Unlike the protagonist in the coconut, he wasn't waiting around for someone to rescue him. Unlike the student who was hoping to be happy, he wasn't thinking up a strategy that would liberate him, and then sitting around not executing it. He had his dream and never gave up flying towards his star, and he actually got there. I will expect my students to consider what emotions and attitudes lay behind his voice as he tells his story in this excerpt.
This four-page excerpt from
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
readily lends itself to all four of the Language Arts CAPT questions which, once completed, will prepare my students to write their own creative piece about someone they know or know of who has experienced a transformation, perhaps even themselves on this adventure to find their voices.