Even though Malcolm X was incarcerated, he learned how to read and write fluently. Bimbi’s knowledge gave Malcolm the motivation to learn how to read and write efficiently. Malcolm states, “It had really begun back in the Charlestown Prison when Bambi just made me feel envy of his stock of knowledge. Bimbi had always taken charge, of any conversation he was in, and I tried to emulate him.” With Bambi as his motivation, he studied and copied the whole dictionary while in prison. He did not let the fact that he was imprisoned get in the way of educating himself. The more he studied, the more he understood and he learned of people, places and historical events. Once he knew words and the meaning of them, he understood the books he read. While he was in prison, he read mostly in his bunk or the library. Malcolm states, “never had been so truly free in my life”. While he was in prison, the reading and writing opened his mind to new opportunities. Malcolm states, “Anyone who has read a great deal can imagine the new world that opened.” Although he was imprisoned physically, he was not imprisoned mentally. He felt freer to pick up another book and read. When he read his books, he did not feel like he was in prison. He felt freer than he felt in his entire life.

Prison had changed the man Malcolm X had become. His experience in prison made him more educated than he was before. He became a role model or inspiration to so many people and that is how we remember him. He is proof that with patience and determination, you are able to achieve anything you put your mind to.

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