Malcolm X Respons Answers

1.      Who or what motivated Malcolm X to begin his studies?

Malcolm X received the motivation to begin his studies through jealousy of his colleague Bimbi’s knowledge.  When he was in prison he would try to emulate Bimbi, but because of his lack of knowledge he was unable to keep up.  This prompted his reading which then led to the copying of dictionaries improving his vocabulary along with penmanship.  When he began writing letters to Elijah Muhammad and he wasn’t able to express himself with words he copied the dictionary.  This prompted him to be able to express himself in letters to Elijah Muhammad, head of the Black Muslim Movement.

2.      What did Malcolm X do to increase his vocabulary?

Malcolm X first started reading books to increase his knowledge which frustrated him because of his lack of vocabulary.  Eventually he started writing out the words in the dictionary to develop a sense of vocabulary along with increasing his penmanship.  After completing a section in the dictionary he then began to read his handwriting out loud to connect the meaning with the word.

3.      This piece is sometimes printed under the title “Prison Studies”; what’s the difference between the initial responses a reader might have for an essay called “Homemade Education” vs. one entitled “Prison Studies”?

The title “Prison Studies” implies that the studies were incurred during imprisonment versus the title of “Homemade Education” which implies being taught by oneself.  The reader might not be as interested in the work under the title of “Prison Studies” versus “Homemade Education”.  In my personal opinion, I wouldn’t be as interested in an essay with Prison in the title.

4.      What are the different ways someone might react to the term “homemade”? What does the word mean to you, in terms of the way you were raised? (think food, clothes, or family projects…both positive and negative)

The term “Homemade” in my opinion refers to something you cannot purchase, and is made with materials around the house placed together to form an item.  One example of a homemade item is waffles.  When I was younger and stayed with my Nana she would get up every morning and fix homemade waffles for my brother and me.  She mixed the flour, baking powder, and other ingredients to make waffles instead of buying Bisquick and simply adding water.

5.      At the end of the essay, Malcolm X states that even though he was in prison, he “had never been so truly free.” What do you think he means by this…how is this possible?

I think since he was able to teach himself a whole new vocabulary while he was in prison he didn’t think about his imprisonment.  This opened up so many opportunities in his life and once he got out of prison he was free to make better choices.  He was free from his old life because he had the opportunity to sit down and make himself learn.  With this new knowledge he was able to communicate with people he previously only dreamed about.  This opened so many doors for him and made his confidence grow so he didn’t have time to think about the fact that he was still in prison.