- Difference between Malcolm’s process of learning how to read and the typical way people learn how to read.
The process by which Malcolm X learned how to read is so much different from the typical one since Malcolm X learned how to read alone by his attempts and thirst for knowing how to write and read. In contrast, people learn reading and writing through teaching by either a teacher or a parent. Typically, people learn reading and writing mostly in schools or in a school like situation while Malcolm X’s learned reading and writing in prison; a place where it is so tough to settle and do something that needs much concentration as reading. Reading and writing aren’t learned by using a dictionary as was in Malcolm X’s case; it is a process that involves different books as the starting point of learning, the books are of different stages from known to unknown. Dictionary has never been a starting point of reading or a typical situation of learning.
- What the author means when he says, “in fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life” and the effect of the statement on the reader.
The author had vital information in this statement. He was emphasizing and clearly stating how books enslaved him. He was a slave of the books until that time. He shows the commitment he had in reading books that made him forget about his situation and any other thing outside books. This statement affects the reader’s perceptions of reading and time that should be dedicated to reading. It reminds the reader to look back and check the time he/she has put for reading purposes. It also loudly states the importance of reading to an individual, a reader who isn’t much into reading and learning new things by him/herself gets a motivation by the statement. It also shows how a person can take his time for something he likes.
- Reading skills in students in school today.
Reading seized being the most important to students in school today, it is among priorities but not the main priority of students. Most students nowadays prioritize going to school to acquire academic credentials that can give them an upper hand in getting jobs in the future for their survival. Schools have been turned to places of receiving a competitive advantage in the job market. In other words, most people go to school to have ways in which they can develop their talents to get away to survive and interact with others. They go to school for innovation enhancements to get a way of living their lives afterward. We should prioritize research and reading skills, which can, in turn, help in innovations. If a large percentage of students could have an interest in reading skills, then the outcome of this could be so magnificent.
- How my reading has been and the challenges
My reading experience has been on an improvement basis. Reading skills are developed day by day, and that’s how I have been dealing with it. However, I can comfortably report that I have tremendous improvement in reading, and soon, I am joining the category of great readers. It has been than a pleasure, some books have very encouraging messages to readers to adapt the reading culture, and I am currently one of the few motivated readers. Since I began active reading, I have faced challenges like poor comprehension of maybe a chapter that makes me revisit the whole chapter and reread for a better understanding. It is always enjoyable to read a flowing text, and without flow in a book, it becomes tough to comprehend at my first reading. Another challenge is the speed of reading, which is gradually increasing. I haven’t reached the limit I suppose to reach in matters speed in reading.