Syntax

"I put the letter into the box for the prison censor. Then all the rest of the night, I prayed to Allah. I don't think anyone ever prayed more sincerely to Allah. I prayed for some kind of relief from my confusion" (215).

      The passage above is unique from most of the book, as its wording and sentence structure is very simple. Each sentence here is periodic, and the contents of the sentence are quite direct, explaining in few words exactly what he is doing, without any complexity to permit digression from understanding. The simplicity of the sentences may mirror his thoughts at the time. Having recently converted to Islam, X has undergone a complete spiritual transformation. The sincerity of his heart at this time in the passage is reflected in his writing, as it is very concise and lacks any verboseness.

"They had been told how to arrive, when, where to arrive, where to assemble, when to start marching, the route to march" (323).

      The above sentence is interesting due to its complexity and length. The several independent clauses with the omission of any conjunctions mashes the parts together into one long sentence, almost seeming to have no end. This idea may be a reflection of the actual chaos that they black men feel from their white oppressors, constantly being monitored and told what to do. In addition, several of the words are italicized, which thus create emphasis on. In doing this, focus is centered around these few words, which, again, mimic the complexity of the thoughts of the black men, as they must remember all of these in a small period of time, constantly bombarded with new information.