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The autobiography of malcolm x summary essays
Brief biography of malcolm x
Malcolm X and the civil rights movement
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In the book, Malcolm X, the recurring theme of racial identity and systemic oppression was plaguing each society like Harlem, Lansing, Mason, and Boston during the birth time of Malcolm, which leads to a lifestyle that would developed into a sense of radical reforms that would makes Malcolm become who he is, as he reflects on the past events and choices that Malcolm made as he told Alex Haley. The short sentences contributes to the beauty of the text by the way of representing the scenes of the past events as it happened to Malcolm while the long sentences shows the reflections of how Malcolm reacts to the past.
The radical changes of Malcolm X was primarily due to the reflections of the events that would include the racial identity because
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“I found Allah and the religion of Islam and it completely transformed my life.” (Malcolm, pg 153). Malcolm X, during the prison time, saw and represent the fate of Islam as a saving grace and that Malcolm have seen how corrupt the white society and the Christian faith was, like their practices and their laws. “But i am spending many hours because the full story is the best way that i know to have it seen, and understood.” (Malcolm, pg 153), which shown that Malcolm is being more of a radical and understandable individual that can see what many cannot in a sense of the corruption and that is where Malcolm took the initiative to preach what is needed in order to let many know why the society corrupt from then to now. “The teachings of Mr. Muhammad stressed how history had been ‘whitened’.” (Malcolm, pg 177). Malcolm informs that the teachings within the white man school have been racially identified which leads to the white supremacy and systemic oppression that soon defines Malcolm as the one radical reformer which shows the power of the text by the description of Islamic
On February 11th 1965 Malcolm X gave a speech at the London school of economics. In Malcolm’s speech Malcolm discussed the racism that plagued the United States during the 1960s. During this speech Malcolm brought up police brutality and the riots that it caused, saying that the riots were nothing more than a reaction by the African community because of police brutality. Since Malcolm x’s time many things have been accomplished for the equality of Africans in America; however In today’s society America still feels the anguish of riots based on police brutality. Malcom X’s view on racism was a “whatever it takes” type of theology, justifying violence to end racism. During Malcolm X’s speech on February 11th 1965 Malcolm sheds light on many of
Malcolm X was often encountered by Muslims from other countries who wished to “enlighten” him with what they felt was true Islam. He was initially very skeptical towards these claims but eventually his curiosity got the better of him. To get to know the religion better, Malcolm was directed by his friends to an Egyptian professor in New York, Dr. Mahmoud Youssef
If there was any one man who demonstrated the anger, the struggle, and the beliefs of African Americans in the 1960s, that man was Malcolm X. The African American cultural movement of the 1920s lost momentum in the 1930s because of worldwide economic depression. The Great Depression helped to divert attention from cultural to economic matters. Even before the stock market crash of 1929, unemployment and poverty among blacks was exceptionally high. It was under these difficult conditions that Malcolm X experienced his youth in the South. Malcolm X was a very controversial character in his time. He grew up in a very large family. His father hunted rabbits to sell to the white people for money, and his mother stayed home to take care of all the children. Several times when he was young, his family was forced to relocate due to the racist groups that would burn or run them out of their home like the Ku Klux Klan. One of these groups called the Black Legion killed his father by tying him to the railroad tracks. Malcolm’s father had life insurance but was not given to his family because they said that Earl Little had committed suicide. This was quite impossible because his head was bashed in and he tied himself to the railroad. Without his father’s income, Malcolm's family was forced to get government help and food. Applying for this type of assistance brought many white Social Workers into their home. They asked questions and interrogated the entire family. Malcolm’s mother always refused to talk or let them in.
This paper is written to give my personal reflection on a book entitled The Autobiography of Malcolm X. It is one of the assignments for EDC3360 Course, Social Work for Community Service. We were asked to read this book because the content of this book has relation with the course we are taken for the current semester.
Malcolm set everything in motion when he converted to the Nation of Islam, an African American movement that combined elements of Islam with Black Nationalism. While in prison, his siblings persuaded him to write to the Nation’s leader, Elijah Muhammad. X was uneasy at first, but came around shortly. Malcolm wrote Muhammad a one-page letter each day in curiosity about the Nation of Islam. Muhammad replied as the “Messenger of Allah” welcoming Malcolm into the “true knowledge” (Haley 195). Before X’s release in nineteen fifty-two, he went under an intense self-educated program by reading books in the prison library, and even memorizing an entire dictionary. He also sharpened his forensic skills by participating in debate classes. When Malcolm was released from prison he had his first official visit with Muhammad in Chicago, he devoted his life to the Muslim ministry. Soon Malcolm began traveling and preaching with other ministers. He picked up their techniques and devoured their knowledge. Malcolm quickly rose in the Nation of Islam ranks becoming minister of Temple number eleven in Boston and Muhammad’s most effective recruiter and spokesman. Soon after, X was rewarded minister of Temple number seven in Harlem, New York, the largest and most prestigious after the Chicago Headquarters and eventually named the National Representative of the Nation of Islam, second in rank behind Muhammad himself. Under X’s lieutenancy the nation claimed a membership of five-hundred thousand, as the numbers grew X’s teachings began to change; he wanted to make a vast difference. He spread the glorious history of African Americans. He urged the Nation to become more active in the civil rights protest instead of being a critic on the side. X articulated the Nation’s racial doctrines of evil
Spike Lee is not only one of the best filmmakers in America, but one of the most crucially important, because his films address the central subject of race, as so does the book. He doesn't use a sentimental approach or political work, but shows how his characters lived, and why. Alex Haley depiction of Malcolm X life as told to him by Malcolm, shares the same perception as the movie, but what Alex provides in the book seems to be almost or all Malcolm’s different interactions with “white folks”, and each interaction Malcolm gained something from it - whether it was positive or negative - and that is one of the things that attracted me to his life story.
El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, or better known as Malcolm X, was an Afro-American minister of the Nation of Islam (NOI) and human rights activist whose journey for racial equality and religious freedom infuriated white-America throughout the 60’s. Malcolm’s courage and ability to overcome adversity has been showcased through the Hollywood blockbuster hit-film Malcolm X, as directed and produced by Spike Lee. I plan to investigate Lee’s film and highlight the primary objective in making Malcolm X, while simultaneously capturing the religious elements of this film. Furthermore, I will conduct and analytical comparison of the films companion book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X as authored by Alex Haley, contrasting similarities between the two.
In The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Muslim leader and black rights activist, Malcolm X, changes through a few significant events in his life. He went from an optimistic young boy, to a mischievous, law-breaking hustler, to a reformed man who sought to improve the way America viewed race. From the start of junior high, to his pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca, Malcolm X experiences three key events that change his life and develop the central idea of systemic oppression in the text.
In fact, up to then, I never had been so free in my life” (Goshgarian pg. 144). He probably felt free because reading can be excited when you put yourself into the story. Having knowledge led him to a freedom that he never felt before in his life. The literacy changed his life and inspired him to find an interest in history. He began reading books on black history and how white people discriminated against black people and how they treated the colored men. In the article it says, “But at that time, I felt that the real reason was that the white man knew that he was the devil” (Goshgarian pg. 142). After reading the stories about the stuff white men did to black men Malcolm decided to join the nation of Islam.
Malcolm believed that Negro in America were lost. He was a strong advocate for tying race religion and together. “We don’t separate our color from our religion ”(25pg ). Islam is the native religion of black people, but when they
Malcolm X's choice of words so that the reader can easily understand, the way he planned out his ideas. and his change of mind throughout the piece show how Malcom X’s experience was diverse and powerful. Two things remain the same throughout all of his writing, and they are his passion and power. These are what impose the importance and significance of the essay into the reader's mind.
The Nation of Islam, which Malcolm X was an important member of, is not a religious organization as the name suggests but rather an organization whose goal was to make the lives of African Americans better instead of actually teaching the proper ethics of Islam. One of the main objectives of this organization was Black Nationalism, through which Black leaders can control the areas where there is a majority of African Americans. This cause was greatl...
Three events in Malcolm X’s life were very significant in Malcolm’s development and influenced his ideas. His interaction with Mr. Ostrowski opened his eyes to a new, more aware, point of view that marked his transition from childhood. His time in prison turned him against white people and led him to completely accept the ideas of Elijah Muhammad and transition away from hustling and crime. Malcolm’s pilgrimage to Mecca transitioned him from the hate-driven society of the Nation of Islam and towards a more accepting society of traditional Islam. All these events progress or completely change Malcolm’s ideas about systemic oppression, racial identity, and separation verses integration and push him to a new period of life and the next event.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley is about a man who changed the history of America. Malcolm (Little) X preached what he believed about racism, discrimination, and segregation. He went through many changes in his fight for equality. The three transformations that really changed the way Malcolm thought and preached where his transformation in prison, his transformation into the Islamic religion (following Elijah Muhammad), and the biggest transformation of all, his pilgrimage to Mecca. In all of Malcolm actions, teachings and transformations we learn different points of view and we get a good look at different aspects of events. The life of Malcolm (Little) X as told in his autobiography should be read by all.
The history of the United States has in it much separation or segregation due to race. For a long time our country has seen racism as a large problem and this has caused ethnic groups to be looked down upon and forced into a lifestyle of difficulties and suppression. Due to this, races, particularly African-Americans, have been forced to deal with unequal opportunity and poverty, leading to less honorable ways of getting by and also organizations that support change. Malcolm X is one strong example of an African American man who became apart of a group acted against it, uniting people to promote the advancement of colored people and change. Malcolm's thoughts towards race and civil right in the previous years were displayed in a less way to the people and "by any means necessary" perspective. After his pilgrimage in 1964 his view of civil rights had quickly changed into a more complete view of civil rights, and the peoples views towards him. No one really knows what kind of impact Malcolm X would have had on history if he had not been assassinated. His beliefs and philosophy did gain him a place in history as one of the best-known Black Nationalist Leaders. Everyone seems to have known who Malcolm X was, and he ranks high with all other Black leaders. His ideas were radical and he was very out spoken. He was a major force in the development of black history. He fought not only for his people but also for all oppressed people everywhere. He was well spoken and he laid the groundwork for the black power movement of the late l960's.