Young and dyslexic?

You’ve got it going on, Benjamin

Zephaniah

This article was published in The Guardian online, Friday 2

October 2015, and is adapted from Zephaniah’s contribution to
Creative, Successful, Dyslexic (Jessica Kingsley, 2015).

As a child I suffered, but learned to turn dyslexia to my advantage, to

see the world more creatively. We are the architects, we are the
designers.1

I’m of the generation where teachers didn’t know what dyslexia was.
The big problem with the education system then was that there was no
compassion, no understanding and no humanity.2 I don’t look back and
feel angry with the teachers. The ones who wanted to have an
individual approach weren’t allowed to. The idea of being kind and
thoughtful and listening to problems3 just wasn’t done4: the past is a
different kind of country.5

At school my ideas always contradicted the teachers’6. I remember one

teacher saying that human beings sleep for one-third of their life and I
put my hand up and said, “If there’s a God isn’t that a design fault? If
you’ve built something, you want efficiency. If I was God I would have
designed sleep so we could stay awake. Then good people could do
one-third more good in the world.” 7

The teacher said, ‘Shut up, stupid boy. Bad people would do one-third
more bad.’8 I thought I’d put in a good idea. I was just being creative.9

1
Use of the inclusive pronoun “we” makes this an inclusive, positive statement. Zephaniah
turns the usual negative associations with dyslexia into positives.
2
The use of the rule of three here emphasises how teachers viewed dyslexia in the past
3
Another rule of three, contrasts with the first set of three to show how things should have
been
4
Together with “weren’t allowed to” this is negative language used to describe the system.
Zephaniah makes a distinction between the system and individuals within it.
5
This is a metaphor to show how that type of kind approach was almost foreign
6
Here Zephaniah sets up the idea that there was conflict between him and his teachers
7
Zephaniah uses direct speech to give us an insight into the way he thought as a child
8
This aggressive, insulting response reinforces the view that Zephaniah was not supported at
school
9
These short sentences suggest Zephaniah’s shock at the teacher’s harsh response.
She also had a point, but the thing was, she called me stupid for even
thinking about it.

I remember a teacher talking about Africa and the ‘local savages’10

and I would say, ‘Who are you to talk about savages?’ She would say,
‘How dare you challenge me?’ 11– and that would get me into trouble.

Once, when I was finding it difficult to engage with writing and had
asked for some help, a teacher said, ‘It’s all right. We can’t all be
intelligent, but you’ll end up being a good sportsperson, so why don’t
you go outside and play some football?’12 I thought, ‘Oh great’, but
now I realise he was stereotyping me.13

I had poems in my head even then, and when I was 10 or 11 my sister

wrote some of them down for me. When I was 13 I could read very
basically but it would be such hard work that I would give up.14 I
thought that so long as you could read how much the banknote was
worth, you knew enough or you could ask a mate15.

I got thrown out of a lot of schools, the last one at 13. I was expelled
partly because of arguing with teachers on an intellectual level and
partly for being a rude boy and fighting. I didn’t stab anybody16, but I
did take revenge on a teacher once. I stole his car and drove it into his
front garden. I remember him telling us the Nazis weren’t that bad. He

10
Use of direct speech to show the reality behind this anecdote. That he remembers the exact
words shows how the language affected Zephaniah.
11
This shows the contrast between him and his teachers
12
This anecdote shows the teacher’s low expectations of Zephaniah in terms of academic
ability. Instead of giving the help he asked for the teacher advised him to give up the writing
and play football. This is an example of stereotyping. Again note the direct speech.
13
Zephaniah shows that at the time he was happy to go out to play football- he didn’t realise
how this was actually holding him back until he became older.
14
This anecdote shows how Zephaniah’s ability to use language was developing, but was held
back by his problems with dyslexia. These struggles make us feel sympathy with the writer.
15
Use of informal language to reflect Zephaniah’s own way of speaking at the time
16
This statement suggests the tough environment in which Zephaniah grew up
could say that in the classroom.17 When I was in borstal18 I used to do
this thing19 of looking at people I didn’t want to be like. I saw a guy
who spent all his time sitting stooped over and I thought, ‘I don’t want
to be like that,’ so I learned to sit with a straight back. Being observant
helped me make the right choices.20

A high percentage of the prison population are dyslexic, and a high

percentage of the architect population.21 If you22 look at the statistics,
I should 23be in prison: a black man brought up on the wrong side of
town whose family fell apart, in trouble with the police when I was a
kid, unable to read and write, with no qualifications and, on top of
that, dyslexic.24 But I think staying out of prison is about conquering
your fears and finding your path in life.

When I go into prisons to talk to people I see men and women who, in
intelligence and other qualities, are the same as me. But opportunities
opened for me and they missed theirs, didn’t notice them or didn’t
take them. 25

I never thought I was stupid.26 I didn’t have that struggle. If I have

someone in front of me who doesn’t have a problem reading and
writing telling me that black people are savages27 I just think, ‘I’m not

17
These statements are made in direct, straightforward language. The anecdote about the
teacher is shocking and the fact that he “could say that in the classroom” suggests that it would
have been unacceptable in wider society. Knowing that Zephaniah grew up in a predominately
black area of Birmingham suggests that the teacher’s comments could be racially motivated –
as the Nazis believed in white supremacy. This is a further example of the struggle Zephaniah
has within the system.
18
Borstal: prison for young offenders. Also note the language of crime Zephaniah is using in this
part of the text: stab…fighting..revenge…stole
19
Another example of informal, colloquial language reflecting Zephaniah’s speech
20
This statement shows that Zephaniah was not “stupid” and foreshadows improvements that
he will go on to make in his life
21
This is a contrast between two very different parts of society – Zephaniah creates a surprising
link between them.
22
The use of the direct pronoun “you” involves the reader in his individual situation
23
The modal verb “should” emphasises what society expects from someone like him
24
listing is used to show all the stereotypes he has overcome
25
This is a list of three.
26
Clear, direct language showing his self-conviction
27
He refers back to the teachers again here
 28
stupid – you’re the one who’s stupid.’ I just had self-belief.

For my first book I told my poems to my girlfriend, who wrote them

down for me. It really took off29, especially within the black
community. I wrote ‘wid luv’ for ‘with love’. People didn’t think they
were dyslexic poems, they just thought I wrote phonetically.

At 21 I went to an adult education class in London to learn to read and

write. The teacher told me, ‘You are dyslexic,’ and I was like30, ‘Do I
need an operation?’ 31She explained to me what it meant and I
suddenly thought, ‘Ah, I get it. I thought I was going crazy.’

I wrote more poetry, novels for teenagers, plays, other books and
recorded music. I take poetry to people who do not read poetry.32 Still
now, when I’m writing the word ‘knot’, I have to stop and think, ‘How
do I write that?’ I have to draw something to let me know what the
word is to come back to it later. If I can’t spell ‘question’ I just put a
question mark and come back to it later.

When I look at a book, the first thing I see is the size of it, and I know
that’s what it’s like for a lot of young people who find reading tough.
When Brunel University offered me the job of professor of poetry and
creative writing, I knew my students would be officially more educated
than me.33 I tell them, ‘You can do this course and get the right grade
because you have a good memory – but if you don’t have passion,
creativity, individuality34, there’s no point.’ In my life now, I find that
people accommodate my dyslexia.35 I can perform my poetry because
it doesn’t have to be word perfect, but I never read one of my novels
in public. When I go to literary festivals I always get an actor to read it
out for me. Otherwise all my energy goes into reading the book and

28
Through these statements Zephaniah hints that it is his self-belief which brought him
opportunity instead of a life of prison.
29
Colloquial expression to show how popular his poems were
30
Colloquial language
31
This shows how naïve he was. He recalls it with humour
32
Here Zephaniah switches to present tense, as he is still engaged in this work
33
Words such as university and professor illustrate the changed direction of Zephaniah’s life
34
rule of three to emphasise the qualities needed
35
This shows that dyslexia is something which needs to be accommodated and lived with. It
won’t be “cured” or made to disappear.
the mood is lost.

If someone can’t understand dyslexia it’s their problem.36 In the same

way, if someone oppresses me because of my race I don’t sit down
and think, ‘How can I become white?’ 37It’s not my problem, it’s theirs
and they are the ones who have to come to terms with it.

If you’re dyslexic and you feel there’s something holding you back,
just remember: it’s not you.38 In many ways being dyslexic is a natural
way to be.

What’s unnatural39 is the way we read and write. If you look at a

pictorial language like Chinese, you can see the word for a woman
because the character looks like a woman. The word for a house looks
like a house. It is a strange step to go from that to a squiggle that
represents a sound.

So40 don’t be heavy on yourself. And if you are a parent of someone

with dyslexia don’t think of it as a defect. Dyslexia is not a measure of
intelligence:41 you may have a genius on your hands. Having dyslexia
can make you creative. If you want to construct a sentence and can’t
find the word you are searching for, you have to think of a way42 to
write round it. This requires being creative and so your ‘creativity
muscle’43 gets bigger.

36
Use of conditional sentence to emphasise the writer’s feelings that people with dyslexia are
not to blame
37
The comparison with racism again echoes Zephaniah’s school days when he felt that he was
stereotyped both for his race and dyslexia. Use of rhetorical question to challenge the reader
with his point of view.
38
Zephaniah uses direct address and an advisory tone to communicate directly with readers
who may suffer similar problems
39
The contrast between natural and unnatural links the two paragraphs.
40
The interjection “So” indicates that he is coming to a conclusion
41
The colon is used to emphasise the importance of the second clause of the sentence
42
The imperative is used to emphasise the importance of this advice
43
Inverted commas are used as this is an invented term. It adds physicality to the statement -
this is ironic as it contrasts with the physical muscles Zephaniah’s teacher expected him to
develop at football. Also this invented term shows us how Zephaniah creates the solutions to
the problems he outlines in the paragraph.
Kids come up to me and say, ‘I’m dyslexic too,’ and I say to them,
‘Use it to your advantage, see the world differently. Us44 dyslexic
people, we’ve got it going on45 – we are the architects. We are the
designers.’46 It’s like these kids are proud to be like me and if that
helps them, that is great. I didn’t have that as a child. I say to them,
‘Bloody non- dyslexics ... who do they think they are?’47

44
The collective pronoun “us” creates a sense of camaraderie
45
use of urban idiom to show that although he has become a professor Zephaniah still
understands his roots
46
Parallel statements create a positive feel as the text draws to a close
47
This is a colloquial and light-hearted question. Zephaniah tries to create a rapport with the
kids who approach him.
Structure
The text is mainly structured in time order, starting from the struggles Zephaniah had as a child
and working through to his present day.

• The text begins with a summary of the change Zephaniah was able to affect in his life –
and a positive assertion about dyslexics.
• Next, Zephaniah focuses on the challenges and conflicts he faced in school
• At the seventh paragraph Zephaniah shifts the focus away from his problems at school
to explain how he had begun writing poetry – getting his sister to write down the words
for him. After this paragraph the focus shifts back to problems with school and getting
expelled. The paragraph about his writing stands out as different from the paragraphs
around it. It shows how Zephaniah’s creativity was starting to form, despite all the
barriers he faced. It also seems a bit disorganised, reflecting the chaotic life he was
leading at the time.
• Next the text moves on to Zephaniah’s experience of borstal and his thoughts on what
made him different from others who were on the prison path. This seems to have been
a turning point in his life when he could have continued a life of prison. He concludes
these thoughts with his assertion in his own self-belief.
• The text moves on again to Zephaniah’s achievements from his first book to becoming a
professor. At this point the text switches to present tense.
• The text ends with advice to others on how to be positive about their dyslexia

Key points on structure:

• Chronological order used to recount key experiences in Zephaniah’s life

• Circular structure – reference to positive assertions about being ‘the architects and
designers’ at both the beginning and end
• Use of past tense to recount events in the writer’s life – interspersed with passages in
the present tense which reflect on the influence of the past experiences.
• At the end of the text the focus shifts to giving direct advice to the reader

Suggestions for Question 4
• Use of key structural features listed above
• Use of direct address
• Use of personal anecdotes
• Use of contrast
• Use of rule of three, listing and patterned sentences
• Use of short, direct sentences
• Use of direct speech
• Use of metaphor
• Use of informal language
• Use of different tone in different parts of the text (including use of humour)

Ideas and Perspectives

• Zephaniah presents his view that dyslexia is not a defect, it is just a difference.
• He uses his example to show that people with dyslexia can achieve highly
• He shows that he was always opinionated and willing to speak his mind, even if that
meant challenging those in authority
• He argues that dyslexia should be accommodated for in society as it is not a measure of
intelligence
• Zephaniah presents the education system when he was a child as being outdated and
prejudiced against dyslexics. It was also racist.
• He suggests that prejudice and stereotyping contribute to producing criminality
• He believes that conquering fears and having self-belief are the ways to success in life
and staying out of prison
• He believes that he had opportunities he was able to take advantage of
• He shows that dyslexia is still a problem for him now, but that he knows how to cope
with it
• He thinks that dyslexia can make a person creative
• He believes that people with dyslexia should feel positive about themselves

Methods used to present ideas and
perspectives

• Zephaniah uses many personal anecdotes to tell his story
• He uses clear, direct language to tell his story and explain his views
• He uses informal and colloquial language
• He uses direct speech
• He uses punctuation for effect, specifically the colon
• He uses some short sentences for specific impact
• He uses patterned sentences, with pairs of ideas, or rule of three. Sometimes these are
combined, such as in the second paragraph.
• Some of the sentences have the rhythm and beat of dub poetry (I never thought I was
stupid. I didn’t have that struggle). Dub poetry is a form of performance poetry of West
Indian origin.
• Zephaniah uses inclusive pronouns (we, us) and direct address (you) to draw the reader
into his way of thinking.
• He uses an encouraging, positive tone when advising other dyslexics.