Prof. Miller| ENG 1101 - OL62 | Fall 2020

Micro-Activity # 3: Malcolm X

Maybe I Could Save Myself By Writing

Quote 1: “This is another story: Around the time I entered high school, I knew with complete certainty that I needed to move to Mexico. I was living in the wrong country. I didn’t make sense in the United States, but if I moved to Mexico, I would make sense. All my questions about where I belonged would be answered. I could go and live a good, anxiety-free life.”

Response: It demonstrates that people are always comfortable in their native place and they live their life easily. Olivarez had a similar personality. He couldn’t maintain himself with her nation’s people and was facing difficulties. He wanted to move to his native country and live there peacefully because in other nations he couldn’t be comfortable but he indicated we need to know everything like education or languages then we easily mixed with people not to hide ourselves and live alone.

Quote 2: “Luckily, my high school did have a poetry slam club. I didn’t know what a poetry slam was, but the first time I saw my classmates perform their poems, I felt something bloom within me. I leaned forward in my chair. I picked up my head and looked at my classmates. If it wasn’t for gravity, I might have started floating.”

Response: It illustrates that writing is a very strong skill in every path. This skill develops our communication skill, gives us confidence and encourages us to move on with our life. Some people didn’t know what was happening in their surroundings but when they found out those things they felt very excited. Poem was a kind of writing which encouraged people to be artistic and some people take it as a passion or art.

Quote 3: “Writing shifted my relationship to education and power. After I started writing, I stopped being interested in models of education that didn’t consider me an active participant.”

Response: It indicates that writing is a very powerful and essential element of education. Writing is a skill that helps us to get rid of our problems. Sometimes people were not able to speak but that time writing helps them to communicate and solve their problem. Olivarez indicates that writing is very necessary for our life. Writing develops our knowledge and as artists, it gives them peace and happiness. Writers expressed their feelings in amazing ways and included details so readers were understood better. So writing is actually a powerful thing.

1 Comment

  1. Prof. Suzanne Miller

    Response #1:
    “…then we easily mixed with people not to hide ourselves and live alone.” This is such an interesting point! I think a lot of what Olivarez is struggling with is this idea of seeing himself/knowing himself/not hiding from himself etc.

    Response #2:
    Yes! I love this quote & the idea that he was so affected by the poetry that he felt he was floating…

    Response #3:
    Writing is extremely powerful. Yes. I’m so glad you recognize that.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *