Post 8

A literary sponsor can come in many different forms. Brandt defines what a literary sponsor is in "Sponsors of Literacy." According to Brandt literary sponsors are "powerful figures who were usually richer, more knowledgeable, and more entrenched than the sponsored, sponsors nevertheless enter a reciprocal relationship with those they underwrite, but also stand to gain benefits from their success." A literary sponsor could come in many forms, be it a person or an institution. The most common sponsors include political leaders, teachers, priests, supervisors, military officers, editors, and other influential members of society.

Malcolm X’s goal was to gain social justice for African Americans. At this time in the United States this goal seemed far-fetched. In order to succeed, Malcolm relied on influential leaders in the fight for African American justice. These people would be considered his literary sponsors. Some of these leaders included the Norfolk Prison Colony, Bimbi, and Elijah Muhammad. All of these people were knowledgeable and under better socioeconomic conditions to succeed. His access to sponsors was determined by socioeconomic conditions contingent upon race and class because his social isolation only allowed him to gain a tapered view of society. This caused him to have a radical view on over coming white power and brutality against blacks.

 In my opinion, Malcolm’s literary sponsors constrained his literacy acquisition in different ways. While in prison, he had access to limited resources. This may have caused him to read mainly about white people’s oppression upon African Americans. Also, Malcolm idolized Muhammad and wanted to please him. He read things and believed things that he may have necessarily not thought if he had never encountered Muhammad, which may have lead to his radical behavior. Malcolm met Muhammad at a vulnerable time in his life and with hopes of someday being as wise as Muhammad; he may have been missing the whole picture.