Emily Redd, Education Narratives

All three pieces, “Learn to Read” by Malcolm X “The Memory of My Grandmother” by Anita Jiang, and “Chapter 7” from The Narrative of the Life by Fredrick Douglass are all educational narratives stemming from real-life lessons and experiences. These pieces are all different stories told from the life of the writers, yet they all share a common attribute. All three pieces share the lesson of how learning takes time and isn’t always easy.

 In “Learn to Read” by Malcolm X he talks about his journey with books and how he learned what he knew through dictionaries. Malcolm X gained his knowledge by rewriting the dictionary word for word, you could imagine the hardships he had to overcome while learning in prison. Malcolm X didn’t give up because it was overwhelming and he didn’t discourage himself. Malcolm X knew it was going to be hard to learn and grasp new knowledge in his situation. The idea of wanting to get better, fight back, and speak up for what he knew was right got him through it. Learning new things can be hard enough, but learning it on your own is harder. Malcolm X grew to be a leader to many and spoke out against equality expressing in his piece that even though learning new things can be hard it is always possible. Another piece, “The Memory of My Grandmother” by Anita Jiang conveys a lifetime of learning. In Jiang’s piece, she mentions the analysis of the Mona-Lisa from when she was a little girl in her parents’ room looking at the art with her grandmother, to growing up with an Art and Design background being able to analyze the Mona Lisa with a new perspective. Jiang expresses that learning could take a long while, and looking back on what you’ve learned can always look different from what you now know. One last piece that expresses the hardship of learning is “Chapter 7” from The Narrative of the Life by Fredrick Douglass. In this piece, Douglass expresses how hard it was for him to learn how to read and write as a slave. Douglass knew he wasn’t able to have access to any form of education, yet tried everything to learn. He offered bread to boys in order for them to help him read and learn to write by watching what letters were written on the timber from the shipyard. Douglass acquired these skills over time and it wasn’t easy, but he knew reading and writing would teach him new things and it did. When Douglass learned to read he would read about abolitionists and soon became one himself. Overall all three educational narratives speak about learning and how it takes time to acquire a skill, but most importantly how it will benefit you in the future.