Prison has a negative connotation. Prison is a building where you are forcibly held for punishment. You are locked up yearning to see the world. Malcolm X thought differently. Prison for Malcolm X was an area where he finally found his freedom. Effectively, this is where the irony plays a role. Some may think: “How does one find freedom in prison?” In this narrative, Malcolm X begins to explain that his literature journey started out very poorly, but ended with joy. During the time he came across a book, he was imperfectly aware of how to read the words and phrases. Even though he skipped through them, he was not sure of what the book was telling him. “I saw the best thing to do was get a hold of a dictionary…I’d never realized so many words existed.” Malcolm X goes about to take advantage of his time in prison in order to perfect his literature and writing skills. He did this by copying every page and reading it back to himself. Malcolm realized that he see’s a difference and was fascinated that he finally remembers and recognizes new words. Not only was he strongly engaged, but also he finally felt free. Someone like Malcolm X never knew how much power reading had until he actually picked up a book. This narrative suggests the quantity of love literature and freedom have within one another. Malcolm X conveys the idea that because he was curious on learning how to read and write, he made worth of this important opportunity. Malcolm X ends his narrative off by stating: “Where else but in prison could I have attacked my ignorance by being able to study intensely sometimes as much as fifteen hours a day.” Alternatively stated, reading and writing is something that is built with passion and affection, just as Malcolm X did. Malcolm’s determination of reading made him grow as a person with power. He is finally liberated.

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