Anthony Smith

9/1/14
Daybook Entry
Malcom X
The writer talks about how he learned to read from the dictionary. He learned from the
dictionary by starting at A, and wrote down every word. He also talks about his time in prison. The
passage from his biography also talks about how he converted to Islam as his religion. Malcom talks
about how he would read during most of his time in prison. In these books he would read about how
white people have treated not only black people in the course of history, but other cultures as well.

As I was reading through this passage from his biography I couldnt help but feel the hatred he
had towards white people. I read in the beginning of this passage that he changed his last name to X, to
get rid of his white slave masters name. I know black people still have anger towards how white people
enslaved them hundreds of years ago. But I always had an idea about slavery, and its that not only black
people have been slaves in the course of history. Go back in time and Jews were at one time enslaved in
Egypt to build their pyramids. But I dont recall Jews having animosity towards Egyptians to this day. In
Rome, slaves would fight to the death in the coliseum. Chinese men were forced to build The Great
Wall, many workers died in the process of building the wall. All Im saying is black people arent the only
slaved people throughout history.