Malcolm_Keller

Malcolm X & Helen Keller: Models of Multiple Intelligences Annetta Jolivette Ms. Alex English 91 19 October 2010 Jolivette 1 Introduction Professor Howard Garner believed that there are more than one intelligence, in fact there were 8. The intelligence problem in America is that most people believe there is only one type of intelligence. I also believe people’s actions are evidence of this thought process. Professor Howard Garner discovered and explained that in fact we use several parts of our brains for different things. Malcolm X and Helen Keller both struggled throughout their lives developing multiple intelligences such as linguistic (word smart), kinesthetic (body smart), spatial (visually smart) and interpersonal. Linguistic (word smart) means the capacity to use language, to express what’s on your mind and to understand other people (a meaningful unit of speech, the study of human speech. The science of language. The study of the structure of human speech. Malcolm X said, " I had written so much at one time but I’d written words that I never knew were in the world. Moreover with a little effort I also could remember what many of these words meant. I reviewed the words whose meaning I didn't remember." Malcolm X, with only an eighth grade education, went on to self-educate through to the degree of a college education. All of Malcolm’s education started in prison where he read many books in the library and in his cell. He read whenever he had the opportunity. Malcolm read a lot of history books, especially pertaining to black history. It took a lot of courage and faith to do what Malcolm was doing behind bars. These are examples of Malcolm X using his linguistic smarts he attained because he looked up words, gave himself the power to learn and use language. Jolivette 2 Helen Keller once said, “ Ms. Sullivan slowly spelled into my hand the word d-o-l-l when I finally succeeded in making the letters correctly. Running downstairs to my mother I held up my hand a made the letters for doll.” This is an example of Helen Keller using her, and developing linguistic smarts. Helen Keller was born deaf and blind so she had her teacher Ms. Sullivan there to help her in understanding words and language and how they are used. Intrapersonal intelligence is having an understanding of yourself, of knowing who you are, what you can do, what you want to do. It is also how you are reacting to things, which things to avoid and which things to gravitate toward. An example of Malcolm’s intrapersonal people smarts is him preaching and ministering to his congregation. It took skills to deal with various personalities and socializing with the people in his Muslim Mosque. Helen Keller was also “people smart.” Because she could not see or hear through her eyes or ears, she was forced to try to understand things that were around her with her other senses. She had an extraordinary ability to understand what was happening around her without hearing anything. An example of Helen’s intrapersonal intelligence is her ability to communicate with her teacher and then with her mother. Helen Keller said, “I did not know that I was spelling a word or that words existed, I was simply making fingers go in monkey-like imitation.” Helen Keller with the help of her teacher Ms. Sullivan learned how to spell words and the meaning of them. It was hard for her because she was deaf and blind. Spatial intelligence (visually smart) is the ability to represent the spatial world internally in your own mind--the way a sailor or airplane pilot navigates the large spatial Jolivette 3 world, or the way a chess player or sculptor represents a more circumscribed spatial world. On page 6 Malcolm X said, “I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity because you can hardly mention anything I’m not curious about.” Helen Keller’s example of spatial intelligence comes from a powerful statement she once made. Keller said, “ I did not know that I was spelling a word or that words existed. I was simply making my fingers go in monkey-like imitation.” She also said once, “She brought me my hat and I knew I was going into the warm sun.” This is an incredible example of visually smart intelligence. Helen Keller was both deaf and blind (page 7) and learning words and understanding them being written into her hand. This was remarkable. This ability did not come easy for her but over a period of time she learned to understand with the help of her teacher Ms. Sullivan became very successful with learning and understanding words and their meanings. Interpersonal (self smart) having an understanding of yourself of knowing who you are, what you can do what you want to do, how you react to things, which things to avoid and which things to gravitate towards. Kinesthetic (body smart), is defined as the ability to use your entire body or parts of your body to solve a problem, make something or put on some type of production. Helen Keller in my opinion, spent much of her life displaying this wonderful smart. Helen Keller’s teacher, Ms. Sullivan, spent many years writing into Helen’s hands, persuading her to use her fingers, her other senses (smell, touch) to figure out words and to solve problems and frustrations she was having. An example of this was found on page 8 when Keller said, “ I was learning beads of different sizes in symmetrical groups, two beads, Jolivette 4 large beads, three beads. I made many mistakes. Ms. Sullivan had pointed them out again and again with gentle patience. Helen spent her whole life learning through her whole body, mostly her hands. She learned about water being poured over her hands. Also on page 6 Malcolm X made reference to his use and ability with kinesthetic intelligence. He said, “ As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside of me a long dormant craving to be mentally alive.” Malcolm had awakened his body smarts, his desire and want to solve problems with his senses and his new found language (words). In conclusion, I think Malcolm X and Helen Keller were both remarkable people. Malcolm X self-educated himself in prison, learning to read and write and one. At one point Malcolm could not understand his own handwriting. Since attaining this ability he was able to become a Muslim Minister and was able to educate others. Helen Keller was unable to hear or see but she understood words through her hands and other body parts and senses. This is how she could understand other people. This shows one of Professor Howard Gardner’s 8 multiple intelligences.