(Before attempting this essay, you should review the articles about the learning-to-read experiences of both Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X. Also, you may want to review, and have on hand, the papers you wrote about how Douglass and Malcolm X learned to read and write.) Yes, you may use material from these papers in this nee Douglass/Malcolm X paper as appropriate.

Write an essay that compares the learning to read and write experiences of Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X.
(Before attempting this essay, you should review the articles about the learning-to-read experiences of both Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X. Also, you may want to review, and have on hand, the papers you wrote about how Douglass and Malcolm X learned to read and write.) Yes, you may use material from these papers in this nee Douglass/Malcolm X paper as appropriate.
1. Begin your paper by introducing both Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X. Then at the end of this one-paragraph introduction, say that both of these men were consumed with the desire to learn to read and write well. (Pay attention to transitions to connect writing about Douglass and writing about Malcolm X. Also, you will need a transition connecting writing about these two men and the suggested last sentence.)
2. Next, in a second paragraph discuss why these men had the desire to learn to read and write well. At the end of the second paragraph state your thesis. Here is a thesis you might want to use: (You will need some connecting words and phrases to link what you have said in this paragraph to the thesis.)
In order for Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X to learn to read and write, both faced severe obstacles they had to overcome. Because of the strategies they used and due to their intelligence and character, they were successful and became leaders in the civil rights movements of their times.
Again Note: Everything mentioned in the first two paragraphs must be written in such a way that the thesis stated above in boldface can follow at the end of the second paragraph both naturally and logically. You will need to add connective words and phrases as you write.
3. The third paragraph begins the body of the essay. The body of the essay is a response to the thesis. It is in the body you will want to write about the obstacles that stood in the men’s way to learn to read and write. Then you will want to write about how these two men overcame their obstacles. Write about each man’s experiences separately so that in #4 below you can do a comparison of the two men. At this point, you don’t need to make connections between their learning experiences. You will do that later. All of this will be four paragraphs, like so:
Paragraph Three: The obstacles Frederick Douglass faced in learning to read and write.
Paragraph Four: The strategies Frederick Douglass used to overcome the obstacles.
Paragraph Five: The obstacles Malcolm X faced in learning to read and write.
Paragraph Six: The strategies Malcolm X used to overcome the obstacles. It is up to you to plan and organize the appropriate information into these paragraphs. Don’t include any information that doesn’t conform to the thesis.
Note: As you move from one paragraph to another, you will need to add words and phrases that serve to connect the paragraphs so that everything seems like one smoothly written piece.
Also, you need to locate four quotes, one each for paragraphs three through six above. You must add one quote, and no more than one, to each of the four paragraphs in the body as listed above. Choose your quotes carefully. Information about how to quote will be linked from the assignment announcement page. Please review that information carefully and use it to guide you in quoting.
4. After writing the above four paragraphs, write two paragraphs comparing the learning experiences of the two men. How were they similar and different? Paragraph Seven: Similarities. Paragraph Eight: Differences. Each of these paragraphs also needs a quote.
5. Next, write one paragraph (Paragraph Nine) that tells how an aspect of intelligence helped Frederick Douglass learn to read and write well. Then in another paragraph (Paragraph Ten) write about how an aspect of character allowed Frederick Douglass to learn to read and write well. Do the same with two more paragraphs (Paragraphs Eleven and Twelve) about a certain aspect of intelligence and a certain aspect of character that allowed Malcolm X to learn to read and write well. (Quoting in these four paragraphs is recommended but optional.)
Note: While you listed many aspects of character and intelligence in a discussion forum, just write about the single most important aspect of intelligence and character for these two men. (You should not write or even mention more than one aspect of character or intelligence in a paragraph.)
Note further:
An aspect of intelligence is related to a mental ability like the ability to remember something easily. An aspect of character is related to behavior like persevering in the face of difficult obstacles. If you need ideas, refer back to the discussion forum where aspects of intelligence and character were discussed. Please do not conflate or confuse aspects of intelligence and character. They are different.
6. Continue by writing one paragraph (Paragraph Thirteen) that tells how, as a result of their learning to read and write so well, both men became great communicators and leaders in the civil rights movements of their times. Exactly what did these men do that allows us to say this? You may use the posted background information to write this paragraph. Don’t go to Wikipedia. A quote in this paragraph is recommended but optional. Do not place two quotes in this paragraph.
7. Conclude by summing up how it was possible for these men to learn in their very difficult, obstacle-laden environments. Refer again back to the experiences of Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass. Quoting here is optional. (Paragraph Fourteen).
Then in a second concluding paragraph, you are to connect to your personal experience (Paragraph Fifteen). Do you think you could learn in such difficult circumstances as these two men had to endure? Why/why not? If not, do you believe these two men were so exceptional and unique that only someone like them could survive such environments as slavery and prison and still learn?
This last paragraph is your analysis/opinion. It’s possible, though not required, to quote in these last paragraphs when making reference again to Frederick Douglass and Malcolm X. Quoting in this last paragraph is optional.
All together you will need a minimum of 15 paragraphs to write this paper well. Depending on the length of your paragraphs, you will need to write from 4 to 5 1/2 pages.
Requirements:
1. Your paper must be 4 to 5 1/2 pages.
2. You are required to include quotes in your body paragraphs. Normally, college papers should have at least one quote per paragraph. All together six quotes are required. See the scaffold above for the paragraphs that require quotes.
3. Follow the MLA rules of style when quoting.
4. Just quote once in each of the paragraphs requiring quotes. (You may quote in additional paragraphs if you want.) Right now, I just want single complete sentence quotes. And, don’t begin or end a paragraph with a quotation. After quoting, explain the quote, paraphrase the quote, and comment on the quote.
5. Remember that after the first mention of an author’s full name, we refer to that author by the last name only. However, Malcolm X is an exception. We always refer to Malcolm X by the full name: Malcolm X.