Education changes life - Essay Example

nd uninterested, but through his own liaison with books, Alexie was given an opportunity that many of these people deprived themselves of by grasping the various facets of the world around him, which he discovered in books. By learning to read, Alexie was able to view his world in a new, vibrant light, one that he would have never gotten a chance to see if he had succumbed to the shallow beliefs of others. When Frederick Douglass decided to act on his impulse to learn to read and write, he was living as a slave.

The opportunity at receiving an education was not available to him, and even after his mistress promised to teach him to read, she quickly withdrew this promise at the request of her husband. Instead of being deterred, Douglass was even more eager to learn the symbols that were being hidden from him, that had piqued his curiosity. Over the years, Douglass enlisted sympathetic neighborhood boys as his teachers, and with “their kindly aid . . . I finally succeeded in learning to read” (Douglass 101).

These newly acquired skills were amazing enough to this boy who had been denied a proper education, but he was able to use them to understand that, despite the color of his skin, he was still human. Among the books that he read, Douglass favored stories and histories about the past and present fate of his people. He detested what he read, and “often found myself regretting my own existence . . . but for the hope of being free, I have no doubt but that I should have killed myself” (103). Douglass did not like what he was learning, but what he discovered was life-changing: he was entitled to freedom.

Malcolm X coaxed himself to learn to read and write while he was in prison, desperate to convey in writing his appreciation to Elijah Muhammad. Furthermore, “the. This essay demonstrates how important the education is in the life of each person on the examples of Alexie, Douglass, and Malcolm X. Through their unique experiences with learning to control language, write effectively, and read with strong comprehension, Alexie, Douglass, and Malcolm X not only gained a firm understanding of the world around them but also of themselves.

However, these had not been their goals when they began the journey of learning the written word. When these men taught themselves to read, they did so for the sake of their upbringing, curiosity, and for freedom. I do not think that these three men expected to discover what they did upon learning to read, which were completely new worlds beyond the ones that had become familiar to them. As their comprehension of the written word strengthened, these men were soon finding truths and answers to the pressing questions of life within the pages of books.

By looking at what Alexie, Douglass, and Malcolm X gained from learning to read, it can be said that the effect of these skills is discovery, both of the world and of the self. Through their personal experiences, reveal how life-changing education can be. These men, happy as most of them were with life, longed for something more, something that allowed them to explore themselves and their world in a way that offered virtually no boundaries. This ability was discovered in the skills of reading and writing, which let these men learn from others and have the skills required to share their own knowledge and discoveries.