Lucy Martinez

Dr. Smith

English 121

February 3, 2017

The Hidden World: Language

Knowledge of a language can set people free. The process of learning a language may be

difficult, but very rewarding. Malcolm X, a black Muslim leader wrote about how he conquered

his lack of communication skills by self-education while in prison. Hellen Keller wrote about her

unique experience of how she came to understand the English language while being both deaf

and blind. Malcolm X and Keller were confined to their own dark bounded worlds with little to

no knowledge of standard English. Although they learned English in different ways, the

following themes appeared in both of their articles: darkness and confinement, inability to

express themselves and frustration, the struggles or barriers faced while learning, and finally,

freedom and revelation. While writers Malcolm X and Keller were restricted by language usage,

they were able to overcome many difficulties by using imitation to uncover the richness of words

which had essentially set them free.

Malcolm X and Keller both experienced confinement, solidarity, and darkness in their

own limited worlds. Since Keller was blind and deaf, she was bound to a whole different world

in which she relied on the sensations of objects to learn about anything, even language. She

describes what life is like to her in the the following quote. In the still, dark world in which I

lived there was no strong sentiment or tenderness(73). At this point in the reading, she had not
yet learned what words were and that words were connected with thoughts and emotions, hence,

she said she felt no strong sentiment or tenderness. Parallel to Kellers description above,

Malcolm X was also physically isolated in darkness and was moved around to multiple prisons

for many years of his life. He said, Between Mr. Muhammads teachings, my correspondence,

my visitorsand my reading of books, months passed without even thinking about being

imprisoned(69). This demonstrates how although he was physically confined, he was able to

use books as a way to escape (mentally).

Humans have a natural drive to communication. How they do that is by means of

language. Malcolm X and Hellen Keller were by ill luck disconnected due to their lack of

English. Unable to express themselves, they had undergone frustration when faced with barriers.

Once Malcolm X was locked up in prison, he realized that he couldn't communicate in standard

English. I had become increasingly frustrated at not being able to express what I wanted to

convey in letters that I wrote, especially those to Mr. Elijah Muhammad(68). This quote

illustrates his lack of language hindering him to express himself in writing. Lack of language

served as a fence of communication for both Malcolm X and Keller.

Like Malcolm X, Keller was unable to properly communicate and express herself

because she was so busy learning about words and the world beyond her limited world. While

with her teacher, Anne Sullivan, Keller states the following quote describing the time she had

difficulty distinguishing the words mug and water. I became impatient at her repeated

attempts and, seizing the new doll, I dashed it upon the floor(73). Kellers frustration led her to

throw a doll she had upon the floor while feeling no remorse in correspondence with her

previous statement regarding there being no sentiment in her world. Keller admits that there were
barriers yet she holds a positive attitude in the next quote. There were barriers still, it is true, but

barriers that could in time be swept away(74). This is the beginning of Keller overcoming her

barriers as she believes in herself and gradually learns to communicate.

It wasnt until she learned to communicateusing language and thought that the

world had unveiled itself to her. The way she learned to communicate and express herself was

both different and similar to how Malcolm X had achieved language. After spending days

copying down every word in the dictionary, Malcolm X mentions that he discovered words that

he had never known were in the world. He recalled the process when he stated, In my slow,

painstaking, ragged handwriting, I copied into my tablet everything printed on that first page,

down to the punctuation marks(69). He addresses how precisely he would re-write the

dictionary despite the fact that he could barely write in a straight line. By doing this, Malcolm X

was able to learn standard English using self education which led him to better communicate.

In contrast to self-education, Keller had been hindered in communication until Anne

Sullivan had began teaching her at age seven. She slowly learned to associate words with objects

as Anne would place an object into one of Kellers hands while simultaneously spelling out what

is was with her finger on the opposing hand. Coincidentally, she had also mentioned her

discovery of words when she said, I did not know that I was spelling a word or even that words

existed; I was simply making my fingers go in monkey like imitation(73). This informs the

reader that Keller had memorized and imitated the motions but it wasnt until long that she

realized that the motions made letters and that words consists of a group of letters. She had

learned language by imitating the movements of Annes fingers just as Malcolm X had learned

by his hand motions while duplicating the dictionary. At first, they used muscle movements, then
made sense of words and their meanings or associations in their brains. Their leaning process

was only the beginning for their end goal in achieving standard English. They had no idea what

was coming.

Malcolm X and Keller each hit their own points of astonishment while breaking through

their language barriers. At the same time Malcolm X was developing his writing and

communication skills, he had also heightened his reading abilities. He stated, Anyone who has

read a great deal can imagine the new world that opened(69). This quote illustrates that by

reading and copying the dictionary, it was words that had revealed the world to him. He was no

longer in his limited world. In the end, he also stated, In fact, up to then, I never had been so

truly free in my life(69). This captures the power and richness of language. Understanding a

language can set a person free from within themselves. It is shocking that Malcolm X said he

was free even though he was realistically still in prison. Keller had undergone a similar

experience when she finally understood that the word mug and water were two different

things. She recalled the moment of rush, Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something

forgotten a thrill of returning thought; and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to

me(74). The mystery of language was revealed to her after feeling the sensation of flowing

water over her and being able to distinguish it from a mug. It was at this moment when she had

overcome her larger barrier. Keller stated, The living word awakened my soul, gave it light,

hope, joy, set it free! The word she referred to is water. Once she learned what water was, the

world had opened up to her and she was no longer bound to her limited world. In both Malcolm

X and Kellers cases, revelation lead to freedom.

 Ultimately, the understanding of standard English whether it be in writing, speaking, or

reading gives one power, credibility, and freedom of expression which is exactly what Malcolm

X and Keller were trying to achieve in their personal stories. Their unique journeys illustrate how

different the world is when one is able to communicate. They had experienced darkness and

confinement because of their inability to express themselves. Since humans have a natural drive

to communicate, this lead them to feel disconnected. This feeling then drove them to learn and

struggle for years before finally knowing how to communicate. All of this due to lack of

language. Once they knew standard English, they had freedom in their minds, freedom of

expression, and were able to effectively communicate. This truly captures the importance and

richness of language usage.

Words: 1,370