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Literature as a reflection of society
Literature as a reflection of society
Literature as a reflection of society
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The autobiography of Malcolm X is most widely accredited for its inspirational incentives and exceptionally intense life experiences; the novel itself is a show-stopper. Malcolm X structures his craft through his untold stories and background through the behavior of style and substance. Malcolm creates more than a scene and feel of the novel, but allows the audience to accommodate a tight grasp on his emotions and disposition the life of a young African-American male during a racist time in history. In the initial chapters of the novel, Malcolm depicts his life in an extremely shortsighted way. Experiencing childhood in a relatively small, but racist town (Lansing,Michigan) he was accustomed to a troubled life. Racial tension built up hatred within his town folk, often times fearing for his life and the lives of his loved ones. He was, in fact, academically inclined enough to potentially become a man of …show more content…
great success; however in a town where blacks had been succeeded from the white community very little hope had been raised in a prominent future. “Back when I was growing up, the “successful” Lansing Negroes were such as waiters and bootblacks. To be a janitor at some downtown store was to be highly respected. The real “elite,” the “big shots,” the “voices of the race,” were the waiters at the Lansing Country club and the shoeshine boys at the state capitol” (Malcolm X page 5). Already has the author emphasized the presence of systemic mistreatment within the culture. As it may have been, this was nothing new to Malcolm. What seemed harsh and simply unfair now merely summed up the life of the average Lansing Negro. There was no escape there was no hiding, clarifying that the only way through the racial discrimination was to find a path around it. Malcolm's move to Boston to seek new opportunities took a greater toll on his personality. Moreover into the content, Malcolm begins to add to another persona. A persona reflecting the ambient around him. “Even though I did live on the Hill, my instincts never—and still aren’t—to feel myself better than any other Negro” (page 45). His view of his race never changed, but the sudden change in environment gradually altered his discernment of the cultural behavior over time. It didn’t take long before Malcolm inhibited the hustling lifestyle. Speaking volume of the opportunities African Americans had at the time as well as the confinements they encountered when pursuing an honest and legitimate income. Though they were not the most humble they fed the appetence of the relentless and self driven individuals. As the author progresses throughout the novel, he begins to communicate in a more slangish street fashion. It seemed almost inevitable, more so to a point where his own family could faintly even recognize him. It becomes obvious Malcolm has indulged himself into the alleged, “ghetto society” let alone, it did also lead him to a place he would have never suspected—prison. It was something so commonly seen with the city life. The lack of opportunities to work, the influence of sex, money and drugs had all been engraved into the minds of the black youth; ultimately leading to their incarceration. It was then that a flash had been lighted in the psyche of Malcolm X.
His developing enthusiasm for Allah and the religion of Islam displayed the amazing turnaround in Malcolm's life. With every minute spent reading was a minute spent on creating the humbleness of a man with a series of unforgettable sins. At this point it would be hard to say the audience wasn’t entirely relieved. A man with time and desire is almost impossible to discourage. He began to speak with a greater knowledge and purpose. Soon enough, he felt the need to teach his cellmates. “My reading had my mind like steam under pressure” (page 187). You begin to notice a difference in Malcolm's character once again. He has restrained himself from being the self centered, primitive individual he once was and has toned in on the “True Knowledge”. “It was right there in prison that I made up my mind to devote the rest of my life to telling the white man about himself -- or die” ( page 188).Coincidentally he gave what he had left of his life to sharing the reality of the African American
descendants. The author so far has made a striking, showing of pinpointing the quality and shortcomings over the span of Malcolm X's life and he uncovered the essentials Malcolm has had and keeps on having inside of the issues still usually found in today's world.
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.
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.
It’s almost as if we can feel his pain and distress as he struggles through his early life as a gambler, hustler, pimp and thief; even more so when he enters the Nation of Islam, etc. However, the text certainly lacks objectivity concerning the ideas Malcolm expresses about society, racism, white people, etc. Due to his experiences with racism and social injustice, he has every reason to hate society, white people, and even America. He and millions of other people of color were seriously wronged in this way for far too long, therefore Malcolm could not possibly speak objectively on these subjects. Yet, it must not be forgotten that what Malcolm believes concerning the aforementioned issues are extremely important, controversial and influential. His opinions and ideas inspire thousands and thousands of colored people to follow in his
The story begins with a story from before Malcolm was born. He tells a story of a time when the Ku Klux Klan harassed his mother when then was pregnant with him and bared three children. The Klansmen were searching for Malcolm's father, a free lance preacher of Garvinism. He also tells of how his light skin complexion was derived from a white man who had raped his grandmother, he says that he had at one time seen his light skin as a a status symbol but later "hated every drop of that rapists blood" inside him. The first chapter generally shows how harsh and full of heartache his childhood life was due to the white people of his time. In chapter 2, the reader learns of how smart, likable, and Malcolm was while he was in school. The reader also learns of Malcolm's want for the city life. He found it hard to describe
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
In my opinion, Malcolm X had a very terrible life just after his father’s death. His mother on the other hand was committed to the mental institution and Malcolm left home to live with family friends. He had experienced a troubled youth because in school his classmates (white people) treated him more like the class pet than a human being. The de-motivational situation continuously happened when he told his English teacher that he wanted to be a lawyer but the teacher responded this "One of life's first needs is for us to be realistic ... you need to think of something you can be ... why don't you plan on carpentry?". This humility urged Malcolm to discontinue his studies because there was no point for a black child pursuing education. Here, I learnt that people should not discriminate each other. We have to treat people fairly. The strong racism that had been shown by the black and white people made me think back of ethical egoism for which ethical egoism quite similar to racism. An ethical egoist really believes that the fire-fighters should not save those people because of the risks involved. The white people do not have to help the black and vice versa. Racism will ruin the community because of zero cooperation and the hardest part is riot happens and the ignorant are everywhere.
Black Nationalism played a very large part in the way Malcolm X organized and strategized his tactics. After joining the Nation of Islam in prison, Malcolm X made good use of the prison library. He educated himself so that he would be knowledgeable of Elijah Muhammad’s teachings (Benson, Brannen, and Valentine 949). Malcolm X’s message for many whites was located in the conversation from militant black separatism multicultural universalism (Baker 239). After leaving the Nation of Islam Malcolm X did not desert all of his Black Nationalists convictions. He still talked about black-sponsored business ventures, African American-run schools, and a cultural renewal of African American communities (Benson, Brannen, and Valentine 949). Malcolm X traveled to the Holy City of Mecca and throughout North Africa. He discovered Orthodox Islam and changed his views greatly (Benson, Brannen, and Valentine 949). The Middle East and Africa experiences greatly broadened Malcolm’s mind (Baker 239). His limited vocabulary of Black Nationalism was insufficient to address the challenges he so clearly saw when confronting Africa (Baker 239). Black Nationalism was a huge part of Malcolm’s beliefs and strategies and they in...
This essay will be talking all about Malcolm X. It will also have some key events that had happened to him in his life. All the key events are going to be from 1925-1965. In detail this essay will be about from when Malcolm was born all the way until he died. In between of that this essay will also talk about Malcolm's struggles and success. The struggles and success of Malcolm will start from his early life and end to where he had died.
He went from a person who thought nothing of laws, breaking them carelessly to someone who lived by his newly found religious laws. The autobiography takes the time to lay out some of the rules that Malcolm had been accustom to breaking to show how much he really had to change. The book states, “Any fornication was absolutely forbidden in the Nation of Islam. Any eating of the filthy pork, or other injurious or unhealthful foods; any use of tobacco, alcohol, or narcotics. No Muslim who followed Elijah Muhammad could dance, gamble, date, attend movies, or sports, or take long vacations from work. Muslims slept no more than health required. Any domestic quarreling, any discourtesy, especially to women, was not allowed. No lying or stealing, and no insubordination to civil authority, except on the grounds of religious obligation.” (Haley Ch. 13). His devotion to the Nation of Islam ran
The central theme of the report is to reflect the perspective of a black man in an era that called for equality struggles between races in the United States while battling views on racism and his rise and fall within the Nation of Islam religion. The research paper was constructed so that the reader would gain knowledge of Malcolm X as an individual and not as a phenomenon. A reflection regarding amiable truths that spanned his brief lifetime and the apparent transformations the man and his psyche underwent from childhood to his untimely death.
The different steps of Malcolm X life started as Malcolm Little in a poor family. His father, Reverend Earl Little was a Baptist Minister who fought for equality and tried to protect his family against the KK and was later found dead and his death was ruled as a suicide the prevent his mother from receiving the insurance policy. As you boy, Malcolm was often frustrated by racial injustice and barriers. He would be very upset when he was called “coon” and nigger on the basketball court. Also, he wanted to be a lawyer and his teacher, stated to him it was not a realistic goal for a nigger. (p. 43) All of these things lead to his move to Boston at the age of 15 years old. When Malcolm quit school and moved to Boston he became Detroit Red.
Throughout the The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Alex Haley, the author, makes his main determination to analyze how the structure style, and content contribute to the power and beauty of the text. His purpose to engage the reader by allowing details and imagery to communicate Malcolm X’s Development. The author sets a strong emphasis on the details of Malcolm X’s life throughout this book, so that readers understand how Malcolm X becomes the person he is. Other factors that are an incredible impact on the text in this book are central ideas such as separation vs. integration, systemic oppression and racial identity. They provide the author's purpose to rely on a stronger platform of detailed ideas. These Central ideas help the reader get a closer look on Malcolm’s Development and set compressions of the past versus today in the mindset of those central ideas. Most importantly,
Malcolm was terrifying to many whites. Although, blacks, too, were disturbed, Malcolm also inspired black Americans. After the ‘seeker of truth’ traveled to Africa and Mecca, he returned with a deeper understanding of Islam and a willingness to accept white allies. "The white man and the black man have to be able to sit down at the same table," he said in his last year. "Then they can bring the issues that are under the rug out on top of the table and take an intelligent approach to getting the problem
I believe this was done intentionally due to time constraints. The few brief scenes that they do show do gave me the impression that there were a lot of negative messages being sent to Malcolm. A teacher tells Malcolm that he cannot be a lawyer because he is African-American, something a young Malcolm accepts as being true and seems to give up on school. He witnesses two violent events against his family by the Ku Klux Klan, which had to have influenced the way he felt about white people in general. In addition to those two events his parents had a very strong dislike for white people and his father believed that whites and blacks can never live together peacefully. He also has to deal with his father’s death at a young age and the fact that he may have been murdered by white men. Malcolm had to have internalized all of these negative messages and probably had a very loud very destructive VOC telling him that he would never be good enough because of his skin color. It was probably also telling him that all whites hated all African-Americans. This is important because it may have made him more susceptible to the beliefs of the Nation of Islam.