Malcolm X only attended school up to the 8th grade which stunted his ability to expand his skills in reading and writing. When X first went to prison, he came across another inmate who had an extensive amount of knowledge under his belt; up until this point, X did not have much desire to expand his intellectual capabilities, he was however inspired by this inmate to start reading.  When he did start reading, he found himself skipping over a vast majority of words because he was unfamiliar with their meaning; because of this, everything he was reading gave him more of a vague concept of what was written rather than the actual message. Eventually, he got his hands on a dictionary and began using it to his advantage. He would go through each page and copy every word and its definition, he says that it was the most writing he had ever done in his life. He continued to study the dictionary and eventually, he found himself knowing more and more vocabulary that in change allowed him to read and write more freely. In Malcolm X’s case, his newfound ability to read and write gave him a new purpose and joy in his life that he hadn’t been able to find before. He found a strong positive correlation between his literary skills and mental freedom; X said “I suppose it was inevitable that as my word-base broadened, I could for the first time pick up a book and read and now begin to understand what the book was saying.” This ability to read and comprehend without the need for assistance is a huge privilege that many who have this ability without needing to work at it take for granted. This can also be seen amongst immigrants who do not speak the local language where they live, it can be incredibly scary to not be able to read something and pick out necessary information; once this skill is acquired, it opens up the world to so many possibilities.

The language that was spoken in Amy Tan’s home – by her Chinese mother – shaped the reader and writer she became as she grew up. She originally perceived the English that she spoke with her mother as ‘broken’ or ‘limited’ but she always felt that those labels put a negative connotation on her mother’s ability to communicate. Once she was required to demonstrate her own skill in language, she noticed that she had a hard time seeing things so black and white. An example that she gave was while taking tests, her mind would often wander way past what the question needed her to focus on. While growing up, she began to see how language affects how someone is treated by others; specifically, an individual who’s English is not considered perfect. A significant example of this was when her mother required medical attention and was initially brushed off until Tan (her daughter) stepped in and received a much more favorable response.

Those who learn English as a second language often go through the same struggles as what Tan illustrated in her narrative. For me, I have seen this with my first-generation mother and my immigrant grandmother as well as with my boyfriend and his family. In both instances, a child who learned English in the American school system and with their peers often found themselves having to communicate for their parents to others and vice versa. English was my first language while my boyfriend’s first language was Spanish, on many occasions I have seen him struggle to communicate in situations that require his language to command respect; for example when calling companies to fight for his rights as a customer or even to call the bank in need of information. Personally, I can tell how someone views me by the language that they use when speaking to me. This happens to me quite often, as a young mother and a person of color, I often notice people talking to me as if I will not understand them if they use ‘big’ words or complex sentences. Eventually, once people hear me speak and can hear the knowledge that I carry, they tend to realize that I do not need them to dumb things down for me in any way. Language holds an extremely vital part of human communication and it allows people’s knowledge to be unfairly labeled.

Hello! My name is Gabriela, my pronouns are she/her and my intended major is Nursing with a specialization in Midwifery.

After reading the syllabus for this class, I’m excited to expand my mind and to learn new techniques to better my writing. On the other hand, I am nervous about keeping up with due dates and keeping organized.

Good writing is subjective, it’s based on the reader’s perspective and their appreciation for certain genres. However, good writing is written with passion and enthusiasm. When a writer is passionate and knowledgeable about their subject, it translates into the written piece. In order to be a good writer, it is important to become familiar with the topic being discussed. Regardless of what genre it is, good writing appeals to the senses; it paints a vivid picture in your mind, like a movie reel. 

Good writing skills are imperative to thrive in today’s world because it is a language understood worldwide. Good writing allows us to walk others through our thoughts and ideas as well as serving as a form of self-expression for ourselves. Writing well serves to move others in ways unimaginable, as it could serve as self-reflection, motivation, or a brief escape from reality. Writing well proves not just that we can articulate well, but that we as a civilization and/or society have evolved to use language as a universal form of communication. We went from artifacts and wall paintings to composing pieces as long as needed to convey emotions.    

The easiest part of writing for me is articulating my thoughts into sentences and organizing them to properly get my point across. I enjoy expressing myself through written language because I can go back and fix things. On the other hand, the most difficult part about writing for me is getting started. I have a hard time knowing where to start. 

As a nursing major, I expect to be writing research papers about medical topics as well as patient care. My future career will require me to utilize good writing skills when applying to work in my field and to communicate with my peers and superiors. Being an excellent writer will help me stand out against other applicants when I am furthering my career and will ensure that my intelligence is properly represented to those who do not know me personally.