From the Autobiography Of Malcolm X Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

From the Autobiography Of Malcolm X - Essay Example It is a moment in which a person develops wisdom and comprehension that transforms his or her life. Malcolm’s a-ha moment, from the excerpt, is the period in which he developed literacy and proficiency in English. This moment of development was a period of relief because it terminated Malcolm’s initially developed frustration regarding his poor ability to communicate in writing. He explains that he previously wrote letters to different recipients but the parties never replied to his letters, and although he believes that they might not have received the letters, he admits that the letters were written in sketches and the inability to communicate in writing, as he communicated orally, frustrated him. Malcolm then begun to improve his literacy level by reading while he was in Charlestown prison. This however faced a challenge as he did not understand many words but he pressed on, motivated by people around him. The learning moment however culminated through his study of t he dictionary while he was in Norfolk Prison College and he was later able to read and understand diversified literature (McGraw 21-23). The learning moment was his defining moment because it garnered him the required knowledge and wisdom that he previously lacked. His self-concept of the two periods, before the learning moment and after, explains this. Before the moment, Malcolm was unable to read and write. He admits to this by reporting his frustration from the fact that he could not communicate his opinions in writing as adequately as he could do orally. He was accustomed to slang corrupted language to the extent that he could not write a formal communication, even in Basic English. Malcolm however recons with a high level of literacy and proficiency in his later communications that people associated with a formally educated speaker, but he points out that the achievement is attributable to the learning efforts and opportunities that he had during his moments in prison (McGraw