"Let me pull your coat about a cat..."

I read Malcom X's "Learning to Read" during high school, so this text was nothing new to me. Reading it a second time, however, did allow me to fully appreciate the work as a whole.

"Learning to Read" is a very good example of how learning something 'educational' can also help you learn a 'personal truth'. Malcom X, at first, wanted to learn to read so that he would sound smarter when writing his letters to Muhammad - and also understand what Muhammad was writing back to him. Malcom X had no problem admitting that he was not 'book smart'; he even admitted that it was hard in the beginning, which made him seem much more human and relatable to the audience readers.

Malcom X's desire to read into the early hours of the morning reminded me of myself when I was younger and had discovered not all books had pictures in them. Often times, my mother would have to come into my room around 1am to turn off my lamp and take off my glasses. Malcom X's unquenchable desire to read is what makes this text stand out from other anti-racism essays - he wants to better himself so that he can help put an end to racism.

In my opinion, this essay was a much better example than the first two about computers and Google. Malcom X's essay was more about how he became a better person by learning, and didn't just learn how to do something for a job or a social experiment. Also, the way he proudly displays his insecurities makes him more relatable to the readers.

"Learning to Read" was a much better example of what Essay #1 should be written like, especially since my essay is a 'personal truth', much like Malcom X's was.