Similarities Between Malcolm X And Frederick Douglass

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Sandra Cisneros, Malcolm X, and Frederick Douglass’ experiences with reading and writing greatly impacted each of them in a specific way that allowed them to overcome the difficulties of their time. In a way, they were all imprisoned, whether it was literally or figuratively. Frederick Douglass was a slave, therefore, his freedom was extremely limited. He commenced his road to literacy through the assistance of his mistress, but was cut short when she ceased to continue. “My mistress, who had kindly commenced to instruct me, had, in compliance with the advice and direction from her husband, not only ceased to instruct, but had set her against my being instructed by anyone else.” Due to the abrupt end of his lessons, he turned to befriending poor, little, white boys on the streets, who furthered his education. “With their kindly aid, obtained at different times and in different places, I finally succeeded in learning to read...this bread I used to bestow upon the hungry little urchins, who, in return, would give me that more valuable bread of knowledge.” Over time, he increasingly grew to understand words on a page. This understanding also …show more content…
This can be demonstrated by observing how Malcolm’s interests contradicted Frederick’s. Malcolm did advocate for liberation from whites, but unlike Frederick, he fought for segregation of his race. In other words, he opposed the idea of integration. As people, each of them had stereotypical labels associated with them. Sandra, as a woman, was expected to simply become someone’s wife, bar none. Frederick was an African American, therefore, it would be typical of him to belong to a white family. Malcolm did not assemble as many followers as he would have like because of the epithet “drug dealer”. Prior to his arrest, he dealt with illegal substances, thus initiating distrust among the crowds Malcolm tried to
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