Homemade Eduction qs.

1, 3, 5, 6
1. He is motivated initially by his inability to communicate effectively via letters. His
lacking vocabulary and bad penmanship end up composing forgettable messages. Later,
in his stint at prison, he is motivated by a fellow inmate, Bimbi, who was a dominant
figure in any conversation. Malcom envied Bimbis talent, and even tried emulating it
himself. Lastly, he despised the lack of understanding that came when he tried to read
books himself. He would often have to skip over many of the words that he simply did
not know, which left him with little understanding of what he was reading.
3. Once Malcom learned how to read and expanded his vocabulary, the entire world of
books and literature opened up to him. He could literally pick up any book and actually
understand what it was about. His previous lack of education was what was holding him
back in this regard. Reading and writing were more liberating to him than anything
before. Even though he was physically in a prison, his mind was free. I have never
personally experienced anything so liberating. I think most of Malcoms feelings have a
lot to do with the life that he led. He came from (almost) nothing, and then discovered all
of these tools. It seems only natural that he would experience these feelings when he
gained valuable skills he didnt previously possess. I do enjoy learning, especially about
topics that are of interest to me, but I still wouldnt say they make me feel freer than
anything else.
5. Studying a dictionary can be an effective way to improve language skills, but shouldnt
be the only tool used. Improving language skills takes more than a single book. The
dictionary is fantastic at giving definitions, spellings, and sometimes providing example
sentence use. All of this is great for expanding ones vocabulary, and this isnt to say that
you cant learn much more from a dictionary, but I believe that using multiple styles of
text helps more overall. Seeing the words found in a dictionary arranged in different
ways gives a better understanding of the proper use of the language. And this, of course,
only comes from reading from a variety of sources.
6. The opening paragraph preps for the story that is about to unfold to the reader. Just by
reading the title the reader knows this segment will have something to do with Malcoms
education. The opening starts to provide the basis for why he was seeking an education.
It draws the reader in with talks of his old hustling connections, and makes the reader
question that. Why would a public figure still be talking to these low lifes? Why is he
telling the reader any of this? These questions were enough to keep me interested, and
also tied into the exact reasons he chose to educate himself.
A Word for Everything qs. 2, 5, 7
2. Despite having no phsyical representation, children are able to learn what these words
mean from the repetition they hear in their environments. Being constantly exposed to
the words, and hearing them in particular situations gives context to children. After
seeing, hearing and feeling these words in their respectful situations, kids begin to
associate words with them. The feeling in their head when they are trying to figure
something out starts to connect to the spoken word think. Hellen Keller was taught

these feelings by her teacher spelling the words out on her hand. Her teacher would wait
for situations to arise where Hellen was experiencing the emotions/feelings, and would
then spell the appropriate word on her hand. Much like a child learns from repetition,
Hellen Keller learned the same way.
5. Kellers descriptions are very emotional and eloquent. She elaborates on feelings one
would experience; what you feel in your heart, your body, or your head. She had to learn
without sight or hearing, which shows in her writing. There is a distinct lack of definitive
descriptions. She doesnt tell you the dimensions of a box, the color, size or shape of the
box, but instead tells the reader how the box made her feel. Keller put a lot of her own
emotion into her writing, which makes it easy for the reader to have a more emotional
connection with her.
7. Keller uses both simile and metaphor to better describe her thoughts. She has to tell a
story, and try and convey to the reader feelings that most people will never experience.
Most people have no idea how difficult being blind is, or deaf, let alone how
excruciatingly difficult it would be to try and learn English this way. Keller grew up
having all these feelings with no words to associate with them, and has in turn given the
readers many words, similes and metaphors that convey the feelings she was
experiencing.
Spanish Lessons qs. 1, 2, 3, 6
1. Christine first learns of the power of her language after an incident during a high
school band trip. She got into a singing battle after one of the Anglo kids called her out
for singing in Spanish. She realized that the Anglo girl felt threatened by her use of
Spanish. When it comes to knowing languages, Christine felt two was better than one,
and felt superior to the Anglo girl.
2. During her freshman year of college, Christine had to deal with an extremely racist
English teacher. The professor refused to accept an essay as Christines on the basis that
Mexicans dont write that well. Unfortunately for her this was a battle she wasnt
going to win, and she ended up dropping the class. Christine has no tolerance for people
who discriminate based on skin tone alone, and took the necessary action given the
circumstances. She goes on to start her bibliographic career, and doesnt think twice
about it.
3. Christine starts to appreciate her heritage around when the Chicano movements were
present in the 1970s. The very term Chicano is what started to tie her heritage to her
identity. Previously, she had only heard that term used by her father and his friends to
one another as a term of friendship. But now it was being used to empower her people,
and this resonated with her. Her generation was coming through at this point, and taking
an old term only used by fellow Mexicans, and making it a term known by all.
6. Christines last sentence is a great one-liner that wraps up the whole story. It touches
on her rough beginnings that dont go unforgotten, and her glorious ending, and still
manages to tie in the overall theme: language. Language is the reason she gets into the

singing fight in high school, the reason she begins to feel empowered about her heritage,
and the basis of her entire career. She is able to give a great closing thought that is
connected to multiple parts of her piece, while still containing it to a single sentence.
The Language of Silence qs. 1, 3, 4, 5
1. When Kingston was employing the silence in kindergarten, she makes it sound like it
was more of an unknown to her. She wasnt yet aware of the trials ahead of her that
would help form a more negative opinion. It wasnt until she knew it was expected that
she talk that she felt the weight of her situation. She hated speaking in the first place, but
now that she was supposed to be speaking, she felt remorse for not doing so-for not doing
what was expected of her.
3. Chinese school was Kingstons escape. Everything that was bitter and wrong with
American school had a brighter alternative at Chinese school. Supervision was much
more lax, and she never felt like an outcast. She refers to most activities at Chinese
school with a great sense of community. Never I or me, but rather we and us.
American school was her prison, which only made her idealize her Chinese school
further. She would get lost thinking of the differences between letter strokes of Chinese
and English during American school readings. Everything she did at American school
put Chinese school in a better light in some way.
4. I think Kingstons black paintings were a representation of herself at the time. She was
trapped and overburdened by her quietness, as if she was hiding behind a curtain, unable
to tell her story. Since speaking was such an issue for her, she didnt have the platform to
communicate the way she wanted, but she had wondrous things to say. . She hadnt yet
told her story on that stage that she kept painting. This was during the thickest part of
her silence. It makes sense that she would demonstrate reclusiveness through her artwork
during the tougher times.
5. Kingston shows some resentment to the western culture she has been forced to
embrace. She has cultural pride that she shows when describing Chinese women, and
how strong they are. She was brought into a world where she was forced to live by
someone elses standard. I would be a little bitter too. Kingston shows her defeat the
second she starts comparing Chinese customs to American equivalents. Once she starts,
everything American is looked at in a negative light, which conveys her defeatist attitude
in the last paragraph.