Eng 111- Righteousness Through Knowledge

Ernie Barkley

Eng. 111-08b

08/26/2011

Even when the enemy has taken you without release I do believe that God still has a master plan for you to gain righteousness through knowledge. Through my life of education and happenings this has been true nearly all the time. From Kindergarten through High School, my challenges have been often self created but some have been unseen. When it comes to reading, my life has been kind of an out of control spiral, ups and downs and in betweens. As for Malcolm X he paid his debt in prison, for a crime he committed, but he could have never paid an amount of money what he gained.

Malcolm X once stated, "I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity." Wow, is this not the basic desire of all people in the world. Curiosity should be marketed as a drug of sorts, nothing illegal but actually a drug that should be pushed. As for Malcolm X he had the drug and he was definitely a user. Under most circumstances people do not learn to read in prison, they learn in a classroom or bedroom. Did it mean more to learn in prison maybe but for some they have to learn while being abused, being economically challenged or in some cases alone. As for me I was not really in any category, just a student that needed to find who I was.

Malcolm X had a choice, and some would argue he had no choice. Choosing to do wrong can sometimes be the beginning of a road of righteousness. If he did not do the crimes that landed him in that Charlestown Prison, would he be the man he became? Is it God who intervenes in cases like that to provide a means to an escape? Or do you believe in just simple dumb luck? For every action there are repercussions. But for some they are necessary actions that lead to a new life. In Malcolm X's case you can argue his religion, but his wisdom for what was happening and what had happened to his people was realized through his writings and through his words.

Why then is literacy so important, just ask anyone who has been in trouble and then taken that higher road to education and redemption. It is a form of seduction to what is pure; now yes in fact literacy can be used to negatively impact society just ask anyone who fought in WWII. The choice is up to the individual, the way you look at redemption and also how important it is to you. God does play a role I believe he always will. Education is part of spirituality; it is a journey not a destination

Haley, Alex, and Malcolm X. "Literacy behind Bars." Norton Field Guide to Writing. Ed. Richard Bullock and Maureen Daly Goggin. 2nd ed. New York: Norton, 2010. 577-81. Print.