Dialectical Notebook: Malcolm X and Sherman Alexie

Before You Read:

Malcolm X's original name was Malcolm Little. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19, 1925. Malcolm X was a civil rights activist who converted to Islam. After befriending and ministering to boxer Cassius Clay, the boxer decides to convert to the Muslim religion and join the Nation of Islam. In February 1964, Clay announces he has changed his name to Muhammad Ali (MalcolmX.com).

Response	Quotation
This quote shows how Malcolm X was able to come from a dysfunctional lifestyle into one of the most influential people of all time. This shows how if anyone works hard enough, they can do great things.	“In the street, I had been the most articulate hustler out there—I had commanded attention when I said something. But now, trying to write simple English, I not only wasn’t articulate, I wasn’t even functional” (Malcolm X 354).
This shows how by practicing literacy like Malcolm X did, we can improve our vocabulary, writing, reading, and public speaking skills.	“Many who today hear me somewhere in person, or on television, or those who read something I’ve said, will think I went to school far beyond the eighth grade” (Malcolm X 354).
This quote shows how schools and universities don’t encourage reading and literature as much as they used to. Today, we tend to focus on the math and science fields.	“No university would ask any student to devour literature as I did when this new world opened to me, of being able to read and understand” (Malcolm X 356).
I like this quote because Malcolm shows how if we read on our own and practice literature, that we can understand the world and enable ourselves to look at it from a different perspective.	“My homemade education gave me, with every additional book that I read, a little bit more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness, and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America” (Malcolm X 360).
I like this quote because Malcolm explains how important literacy really is and that it should be practiced daily.	“I told the Englishman that my alma mater was books, a good library” (Malcolm X 360).
This a good quote because it’s not only true, but it also gives good advice. We should try and really read and analyze texts in quiet and non-distracting  place.	“I imagine that one of the biggest troubles with college is that there are too many distractions…Where else but in a prison could I have attacked my ignorance by being able to study intensely sometimes as much as fifteen hours a day (Malcolm X 360).

Response	Quotation
I like this quote because I could relate very well to this. I remember that I learned to read from my first grade book. This also shows how kids usually start reading from something that they find interest in.	“I learned to read with a superman comic book” (Alexie 363).
I like this quote because I feel that kids should learn the basics of literacy before they become literate. If a kid learns the terms of literacy before reading, I think that it would come more naturally to them.	“I still remember the exact moment when I first understood, with sudden clarity, the purpose of a paragraph. I didn’t have the vocabulary to say ‘paragraph’ but I realize that a paragraph was a fence that held words” (Alexie 363).
I really like this quote because I believe that this is key for a child when he/she is trying to learn how to read. Kids usually follow in their parents’ footsteps.	“My father loved books, and since I love my father with an aching devotion, I decided to love books as well” (Alexie 363).
I found this quote significant because it showed how many Indian children were segregated against, even while in school. This most likely prevented Indian children from wanting to learn.	“A smart Indian is a dangerous person, widely feared and ridiculed by Indians and non-Indians alike. I fought with my classmates on a daily basis. They wanted me to stay quiet when the non-Indian teacher asked for answers, for volunteers, for help” (Alexie 364).
I like this quote, because it shows how Alexie was able to make something out of something that he loved doing and I feel that we all want to do what we love.	“Despite all the books I read, I am still surprised I became a writer” (Alexie 365).
This is a great quote because it shows how persistent Alexie is and how he wants to let other Indian children know that he went through the same thing.	“I throw my weight against their locked doors. The door holds. I am smart. I am arrogant. I am lucky. I am trying to save our lives” (Alexie 365).