Mike Rose's "I Just Wanna Be Average" was a sharp contrast to Malcolm X's "Learning to Read." Where "Learning to Read" was formal and precise, "I Just Wanna Be Average," was flowing and personal. Where Malcolm was curt, Rose was poetic. Where Rose painted images, Malcolm placed facts. Reading "Learning to Read," called forth ideas of square rooms, grey walls and prison bars. The writing felt static. "I Just Wanna Be Average," brought forth both bright color and slate, chaotic motion and characters that went deeper then the names that simply existed on the paper in "Learning to Read."
      There were, however, some similarities. Both of the narratives detailed a learning experience that was marked with difficulty and achieved with no little effort. Both gave some personal connection with the author and brought you closer to the experience through writing. And both dealt with an expereience that happen outside of a strictly 'traditional' learning environment.