Malcolm and Mike

 

 

 

The assignment was to read and then compare and contrast the writing of Malcolm X and Mike Rose.  Their articles “Learning to Read” and “I Just Wanna Be Average” respectively were supposed to be about their experiences in learning.

 Malcolm X talks about where he learned to read and the excitement (passion) he got out of reading and learning.  I think he also wanted to convey to the reader why he became so passionate about reading and unfortunately it tended to divert the subject of the article into a history lesson on how horribly his race had been and continued to be treated thru- out the world.    

Mike Rose on the other hand wrote a very colorful article that was upbeat and read more like a good story.  It was crafted in such a way that I felt like I was reading a good work of fiction and not the day to day life of a student.  He was able to stay on topic while inserting interesting and vivid descriptions of his classmates and teachers that added to the richness of his story.

In comparing the two articles, I would have to say that I think both writers wrote how they thought.  Malcolm X even after becoming educated still had a lot of his old speaking habits left that flowed into his writing.  His writing was depressing.   I do realize that had to do with the circumstances of his life and what happened that got him put in prison.   Mike Rose on the other hand seems to have come from a fairly rough upbringing and was still able to project a more imaginative story for the reader. 

On the entertainment or stimulation factor, Mike Roses style of writing wins with me.  It was more interesting and it held my interest so much that I read well past the noted stopping point.