Malcolm X Discovering The Power Of Language Analysis

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Response Paper –The Power of Language In the article "Discovering the power of language", Malcolm X tells of his embarrassment due to his lack of knowledge and inability to express himself through writing. Malcolm X was an African American who grew up on the streets among thieves, gamblers, pimps, drug dealers and other hustlers. On the streets, they often used slang and colloquial expressions, which they all understood. This was acceptable to them because the one who was able to express himself with the use of more colloquial language was regarded as a smooth talker. Malcolm was considered to be the king in that respect. He would say things like "Look daddy, let me pull your coat about a cat." This simply means let me talk to you about someone. However, in February 1948 Malcolm X was detained at the Norfolk Prison Colony. Being the flamboyant and expressive person that he was he decided that prison could not keep him from spreading his message. He wrote letters to the people he knew and that he wanted…show more content…
He did not have the knowledge necessary to communicate with people outside of the circle of the street runners, gamblers and dope dealers. He did not possess the words that he needed to express himself to them, which disappointed him, he said; "I become increasingly frustrated at not being able to express what I wanted to convey in letters that I wrote." In his quest for fulfillment, Malcolm began to study the dictionary. The dictionary provided him with a wealth of knowledge including a wide variety of words. He acknowledged that, "the dictionary was like a miniature encyclopedia", he learned of people, and places and events from history that he never knew existed. It also helped him develop his penmanship and reading skills because he copied every word and their meanings as he studied them and read them to himself over and over so that he could commit them to his

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