Haley gives the reader a feeling of inspiration and strength because Malcolm X died fighting for what he believed was right for blacks in America and human beings in general. The Autobiography of Malcolm X paints a picture of who Malcolm X was and what racism looked like from the 1920s to the 1960s in America. Alex Haley’s book shows what Malcolm X felt throughout his life. Even though Malcolm X did not have a good life he was still able to use his struggles to try to make things better for people in America. He discussed issues about racism, religion, and politics that were important and controversial during his lifetime.
Sam Conklin Lamberti English III. 7 7 March 2014 Misunderstood “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” - Malcolm X Before the civil rights movement gained momentum around 1955, the African-American community was looked upon by many as a group of second-class citizens who were undeserving of rights enjoyed by white Americans. This started to change when men like Malcolm Little (Malcolm X) stood up for the cause and fought back against segregation. He was a man from humble beginnings and who dealt with racism and hatred from a young age, all of which shaped his activism. Malcolm, after his death, was recognized as one of the most important people of the 20th century by TIME Magazine.
William Henry is resentful of his fair-skinned son Jackson, believing wrongly that Jackson is not of his own decent, "This here’s a white baby”, he said, deformed after all"(Grady 82). Though he managed to live with him, he always harboured hatred towards him and gave him a sense of rejection, "It was always Jackson this and Jackson that. A person would think Jackson was Harlan's son, not William Henry's. The truth was Jackson was a disappointment. Worse than that a disgrace"(Grady 6).
The Autobiography of Malcolm X The Autobiography of Malcolm X is the story of Malcolm X, an African American male growing up in the United States in the mid-1900's. At this time in America prejudice and segregation were widespread and much a part of everyday life. Malcolm takes the reader through his experiences with American society, which rejects him. This rejection, along with the inferiority cast upon all Black Americans, forces these males to search for acceptance. They are forced to search for purpose in causes greater than single individuals.
By reading the principal’s speech, Richard was saying what the white power wanted him to say and to Richard this would be giving in to the very thing he hated so much. Richard was willing to leave school without a diploma instead of this. White people alienated Richard from his environment because he did not accept the way of life that other black people did. Richard’s relatives never understood Richard and because of this he was alienated from his family and his own people. Shorty is the young black boy who gets beat by the white people and jokes about it.
This is the image of the black male that must be recovered, restored, so that it can stand as the example pf revolutionary manhood” According to Hooks almost all Black men have had to repress themselves emotionally so as not to be perceived as troublemakers or even risk being punished for allegedly making trouble. Curious Black boys are perceived as troublemakers while their white peers exhibiting same behavior are rewarded. All three authors concur for the educational status of black men to change then there has to be a restructuring of America and the education system and then and only then will Black males become overachievers instead of underachievers.
Over the course of years, the black man has become free from the white man's oppression. This significant extremity of history is one of the most important building blocks our nation. We as a people have learned and grown from the knowledge of the harsh treatments of blacks as slaves. Although the world has yet to completely rid itself of all racial injustice and prejudice, the seemingly appearance of the release of from the fetter of society is a mere step in the right direction. The plight of the black man has lasted from the very beginnings of the founding of our young nation, they have been enslaved and neglected, culture and people-wise.
He made speeches on black pride, and black separatism and the use of violence for self protection. Malcolm X was a very blunt and to the point man, he inspired many people. The way he came off as, made reactions of respect and hatred towards him. Malcolm X believed that practicing what he preached was a very important aspect as a leader of the islamic nation. In the events during the Civil rights Malcolm had a brief belief on the way of handling it.
Bill Cosby, an influential black voice of America, claims that he does not “know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” Ralph Ellison illustrates in the first chapter of his the Invisible Man, “Battle Royal,” that even after eighty-five years of freedom from slavery, black people’s willingness to comply with silence and to keep pleasing everyone’s needs except their own allows white people to continue to use and define black people for their own propriums which kept black people from advancing and living out the American Dream. “Battle Royal” conveys that the self-denying flaws are the causes of the struggle of a young black boy who strives to overcome the white’s dehumanizing treatment, which prevents him from determining his identity and attaining social equality in his quest to realize the American Dream. “Battle Royal” expresses the need to find one’s identity to gain access to one’s potential. The black narrator seeks to find himself but cannot until he perceives himself as “an invisible man” (Ellison 227). As a first-person narrator, he allows insights into his character’s thoughts and feelings as he gives his personal perspective on the actions he endures.
Malcolm X believed in the civil rights movement to such an extreme that during one of his speeches he stated "If you're not ready to die for it, put the word 'freedom' out of your vocabulary"("Malcolm-X.org" 2). He was so infatuated with freedom that he would even accept death if it means that he achieved his goal for freedom. Originally known as Malcolm Little, he endured numerous trials and tribulations by being born into an African American family in the time of the great struggle for equality for minorities. At a tender age Little learned about the hate the predominantly white society harboured towards black people. Little developed his attitude towards civil activism as he was growing from his father Earl Little a charismatic Baptist minister and activist ("Malcolm-X.org").