Malcolm X, "Prison Studies"

  Prison Studies by Malcolm X is written eloquently around his thesis; "Where else but in prison could I have attacked my ignorance by being able to study intensely?" X first illustrates pathos by talking about his envy of a fellow inmate's "stock of knowledge," and how even though he tried to compete, it was a lack of basic understanding that held him behind. He then addressed logos with the fact that being in prison was actually an optimal study environment, giving some 15 hours a day solely to self-educate. Using ethos, X credits the Norfolk Prison Colony for having a "heavy emphasis on rehabilitation," a feature which further motivated his efforts. In one particular quote, however, Malcolm X tastefully utilizes all three rhetorical appeals; "My homemade education gave me, with every additional book that I read, a little bit more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness, and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America."