Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
the autobiography of malcolm x intro essay
two perspectives of malcolm x
two perspectives of malcolm x
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: the autobiography of malcolm x intro essay
Fate, Freewill, and The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Malcolm X, as a character in his Autobiography, believed that fate and prophecy guided his life. When he was sent to jail for ten years, he believed that his incarceration was part of his predetermination to find Allah in the Nation of Islam; it didn't ever dawn on him that he was solely responsible for his time in prison. Malcolm viewed his indefinite suspension from the Nation as a prophecy he was destined to fulfill, not as an act of jealousy and underhandedness by his fellow "Black Muslims." His own violent death was not a surprise to him, for he always had chosen to believe that he would die at the hands of another and that it would be his fate. He did not believe his tragic death was only a result of his recklessness in offering his candid opinions to the press. Although he sometimes believed that he was powerless to resist fate, the happenings in the life of Malcolm X were caused by his choices and were influenced only by the circumstances he was brought into without his control.
Malcolm believed that the underlying purpose for his incarceration was not to punish him for robbery, but to give him the opportunity to discover Allah and to educate himself. Before he was arrested, Malcolm chose to live a wild life in the slums of Harlem, New York. His various "hustles" included number running, "steering", gambling, drug dealing, and robbery, which would later lead to being forever removed from the immorality of Harlem ghettoes. Since all of the occupations Malcolm chose were potentially hazardous, Malcolm believed it to be so wondrous that he had survived that it had to be destiny that landed him in jail. He knew that he had lived evilly in the ghetto, and...
... middle of paper ...
...avior caused his death. Malcolm X's "fate" was really only the outcome he knew would be a result of his stand for the American Negro. Malcolm had known of this "destiny" since he was an inmate and was always preparing for and delaying his murder. Malcolm never had a doubt about the terrible "fate" that he would suffer.
Malcolm X lived a life of difficulty, in which some might believe would have been impossible to control. From his days as a Harlem hustler, to his imprisonment, to his death, Malcolm X remained an unchanging man of faith. He put this faith in things such as "fate" or his god, Allah, never fully realizing that he had worked for, and stumbled towards, everything that he ever got out of life. He was the master of his own destiny. Even though many "decisions had been made for [him]," (pg. 312) he had the power to do or become whatever he wanted.
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.
During his stay in prison, Malcolm continually lashed out at the guards and fellow inmates. After realizing that this would never get him anywhere, he began to study the teachings of Islam. With the aid of a fellow convict he cam to the mindset that it was his new mission in life to convert fellow blacks in order to unify them as a people. He felt that there was no real way that blacks and whites could come to a mutual agreement in America, and the only solution would be a great Diaspora back to his "homeland" of Africa.
Malcolm X while in prison completed his first transformation. Like many great figures and history makers had a low point in is life. At this time Malcolm was into drugs, hustling, women and money. He became so dependant on making a lot of money he and some of his friends decided to rob the house of an old white man. They were caught for this crime and were not only charged with this crime but were also charged with having sex with white women. Malcolm and his friend "Shorty" were sentenced to six years in prison. The two white women that were Malcolm and Shorty’s accomplices were sentenced to a year in jail. During the first couple days of prison Malcolm was coming off a drug high and was having withdrawals. These withdrawals led Malcolm into solitary confinement for two months. When he was let out of his chamber he met the man that would later be responsible for Malcolm’s transformation. This man was a follower of the nation of Islam and the great Alijah Muhammad. Malcolm learned a great deal form him. This shows us that even in the worst of circumstances we can learn and become better. This transformation was a great test for Malcolm and starts to let us see what a great influence he would end up being in the lives of many Americans.
Of the people whose names are mentioned in history, some men like Thomas Edison are praised for their genius minds, while others such as Adolf Hitler are criticized for leaving a depressing legacy behind. While it is relative easy to notice the type of legacies these two men left, legacies of other men are often vague and they seem to be imbedded in gray shadows. This is how many people view the life of Malcolm X. Malcolm X during his lifetime had influenced many African Americans to step up for their rights against the injustices by the American government. One on hand, he has been criticized for his hard stances that resemble extremism, while on the other hand he has been praised him for his effort in raising the status for African Americans. The extremes in viewing his life from the modern day perspective have often come from reading his climatic speech The Ballot or the Bullet that he gave in many cities across America in 1964. When he was with the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X favored Blacks to be separated from the Whites, and during this time he strongly opposed White Supremacy. This also seems quite prevalent in his speech The Ballot or the Bullet. However, one events during the last year of his life reveal that he wanted the Blacks and the Whites to coexist as peaceful Americans.
Malcolm's mom felt very strange and uncomfortable about it. So before he had gone to far, she tried to catch up with him and tell him that she had a bad feeling and for him to come home. So later on that night two policemen came to their house to inform the family that Malcolm's father had been killed by an train cart. The accident was speculated because it was said that he was forced under the cart for it to hit him by the Klan. This whole ordeal had an very negative impact upon Malcolm's life growing up.
Malcolm X didn’t have it easy. Being in prison means there wasn’t a whole lot of opportunities to do much. While he was in prison he tried to not fall into the crowd the kind of assembly where individuals of men or a group of men would want. It is where men try and act tough to be someone whom people follow while in prison. That’s why Malcolm turned into becoming someone better than the rest of the men who were in prison as
Malcolm grew up in Lansing Michigan on a farm majority of his life. Malcolms life of crime started when he began stealing goods for his family. He felt the need to due to his family being so poor. Malcolm lived with his mother Mrs. Little, who was not so stable herself. She was bombarded by bills and tax collectors that eventually led her to go into depression and have extreme anxiety. She later became so bad that she was admitted to the mental Institute and Malcolm was now a child of the state. This was his first true resentment towards white authorities after he blamed them for the detention of Mrs. Little and being a child of the state.
The autobiography of Malcolm X captures the personal growth and the journey of Malcolm Little, also known as Malcolm X. Throughout his life, Malcolm’s experiences shaped him into the human rights activist that we are all familiar with today. In his early age Malcolm believed every white person was malicious, he was a criminal, and he believed that Christianity prevented the progression of African Americans- later on in life, Malcolm became a controversial human rights activist, believed that white people were “well-meaning” people, and was a devout Muslim (pg. 383).
In the autobiography of Malcolm X, the life of one of this nation's most notorious activists is explained in a depth that very few people have had the privilege of experiencing before. The author shows all the factors went into play to make Malcolm X the man he was. When reading the text, the reader begins to feel the passion and fire that X had inside himself. The general idea and direction of the story is made clear on the first page of the book.
Malcolm X had an interesting childhood that ended up shaping how he would end up as an adult. Malcolm had a very large family, he was one of eight children. His mothers’ name was Louise Norton Little. She was a stay at home mom and cared for her children. His father, Earl Little, was a very outspoken Baptist minister and an avid supporter of the Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. This is where his life started to get interesting. Earl's civil rights activism prompted death threats from the white supremacist organization Black Legion, forcing the family to relocate twice before Malcolm's fourth birthday. ( www.malcolmx.com p 1). Earl wanted nothing to do with violence and wanted to keep his family safe from harm. He tried to put as much distance between him and the Black Legion. Despite his efforts to elude the Legion, in 1929, their home in Lansing, Michigan, was burned to the ground. Two years later, Earl's body was found lying across the town's trolley tracks (www.malcolmx.com p 1). Police declared that both of these incidents were in fact accidents and not attacks on the family by the Black Legion. This violent end to Malcolm’s father’s life ...
Malcolm X’s forceful declamations attracted a lot of publicity as well as a large personal following. In his speeches he implored black people to separate from the whites and gain their freedom “by any means necessary.” This became his “motto.” Through many public political and religious protests Malcolm X became notorious with the white community. He became the most well known figure in the Islam Nation.
The release from jail was the start of a new life for Malcolm. He became a passionate person, trying to covert African American. His charism and exceptional preaching skills gained him favor among official in The Brotherhood. Soon he gained enough power due to his radical views, but still maintained his composure, and keeping faith in Allah. In the film he incorporated some of his father beliefs as a Christian preacher into some of his own sermons. The film shows parallels between Malcolm and his father. In a way Malcolm has become his father, or developed the characteristics of his father.
Malcolm X, born Malcom Little, was a human rights activists and American Muslim minister who was greatly revered for his preaching about black rights and criticism about the civil rights movement. Malcolm had very troubled beginnings with his mother’s descent into insanity following the tragic murder of his father by racists; as a result Malcolm was separated from his siblings and orphaned at a young age. Malcolm dropped out of school and eventually plunged head first into the life of a thug, participating in, dealing drugs, pimping, and robbery. In 1946 Malcolm returned to Boston and was arrested after committing multiple burglaries and was sentenced to serve an eight to ten year sentence at Charlestown State prison and Norfolk Prison Colony.
Malcolm X served prison for seven years. During the times in prison, he changed to a whole new different person. Before he was sent to prison, he was a hustler, drug addict, thief, and etc. jobs was discriminated against the colored skin people during Malcolm’s time and the jobs he was able to achieve was low status. He had many reasons why he went rogue. Malcolm’s mental model “Doing Time” was Influence by his social relations and material conditions in prison.
Malcolm is just as much of an over-analyzer as Hamlet. Malcolm over-analyzed the situation between him and although he knew that he would eventually die he didn’t know it would be at the hands of some of his own brethren. Malcolm became a member of the religion Islam to begin his own movement powered by his own words and by not confronting the nation he had doomed himself. Also just as Othello he did not realize his own mistakes till it was too late. Leading himself to an untimely death, that is why he is our tragic hero.