Malcolm X’s Narrative vs. Mike Rose’s

I enjoyed reading both of these stories. Malcolm’s narrative was about how he learned to read and become a better writer. He talks about the struggles he had expressing himself the way he wanted to and what he did to change that. The first thing he did was copy the entire dictionary! That is crazy! But he was determined and in the end, along with the constant reading he did, it made a huge impact on his life by making him a better reader and writer.

            Mike Rose’s narrative was about the time he spent in the vocational track while attending school. The vocational track was “the bottom level”; it was for the students that the school defined as “slow”. It was designed to teach the students skills they would need to be successful in the workplace, but he discusses how in his case it did very little, and was designed more to occupy the students.

            In both narratives they each started from low points but through determination, personal motivation, and education they broke societal expectations. Malcolm became a very famous and successful human rights activist and Mike Rose went on to become a highly successful professor and writer. They both proved that you truly can do anything you’re determined to do.