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African Americans struggle for freedom
Essay on the autobiography of Malcolm X
An essay about Malcolm X
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In 1964, Malcolm X broke away from the Nation of Islam and formed the Muslim Mosque Inc. After breaking away from the Nation of Islam Malcolm X traveled to Mecca on the traditional Islamic hajj, while there he saw the beauty of the unity of humanity and embraced a true Islamic culture. After arriving back in the United States he had a different outlook on white people, that some were willing to help his cause. After being back he formed the Organization for Afro-American Unity (OAAU), Malcolm X’s primary concern in 1964 for was to establish ties with black activists, the OAAU was “potential source of ideological guidance for more militant veterans of the souther civil rights movement.” ("Martin Luther King Jr: Research and Education Institute") A month and half before Malcolm X was assassinated, December 31, 1964 he gave a speech “Advice to the Youth of Mississippi” thirty-seven teenagers from McComb, Mississippi made a trip to New York City sponsored by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. In this paper I will be analyzing the speech “Advice to the Youth of Mississippi” by using Larson’s, “Tools for Motivation and Emotion”, three of Saul Alinsky’s Thirteen Tactics and Alinsky’s theory, “A Word About Words.”
Needs are the first process premise in “The Tools of Motivation and Emotion.” Needs are defined as critical needs, things we cannot live without, like food, water, clothing and shelter or non-critical; things we can get along without but want, like, others approval. (Larson) Malcolm X has a need for security, he wants true freedom and equality for everyone. In his speech he says:
We think that if the government says that Negros have the right to vote, and, then some Negroes come out and vote, and some kind of K...
... middle of paper ...
...n the end it was what murdered him, those who thought he needed to be stopped put an end to his life.
Works Cited
Alinsky, Saul. Rules for Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals. New York City: Vintage Books: A Division of Random House Inc., 1989. 48-62, 126-164. Print.
Larson, Charles. Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility. 13th Edition . Boston: Wadsworth , 2013. Print.
"Malcolm X (1925-1965)." The Martin Luther King Jr: Research and Education Institute. The King Center, n.d. Web. 23 Apr 2014. .
The Official Malcolm X. The Estate of Malcolm X, n.d. Web. 23 Apr 2014. .
X, Malcolm. "Advice to the Youth of Mississippi." Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. New York, New York City. 31 December 1964. Speech.
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...
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.
Malcolm X, born in 1925 as Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska lived with the knowledge that his family house was burned down and that his father was killed by the Ku Klux Klan because he refused to vacate an area that was “supposed” to be for Whites only. His father was an independent man who wanted to fend for his family by himself and not have to rely on anyone
In the letter, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr, and the speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcolm X, the authors discuss their very different viewpoints on what form of freedom would it take to accomplished their goal. While King believes that peaceful approaches would allow the black community to achieve equality with the white Americans, Malcolm X thinks achieving equality with white Americans is nearly impossible; therefore, he preaches a separatist doctrine. Although King and X are both fighting for the black community’s rights and their integration into the nation’s system, their approaches differ significantly. King and X differ in three main areas: their ultimate goals, the strategies to accomplish those goals, and their use of rhetoric.
Harper, Frederick D. “The Influence of Malcolm X on Black Militancy.” Journal of Black Studies 1 (June 1971): 387-402.
Until the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his life’s work was dedicated to the nonviolent actions of blacks to gain the freedoms they were promised in the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 by Abraham Lincoln. He believed that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (King, 1963). These injustices had become so burdensome to blacks that they were “plunged into an abyss of despair” (King, 1963). The nonviolent actions of the sit-ins, boycotts, and marches were so the “individual could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths…to help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism” and ultimately lead to “inevitably opening the door to negotiation” (King, 1963). Not only was King’s approach effective with the older black generation, it was also successful with white people. They did not feel threatened when approached by King. White people gained a sense of empathy towards the plight of black freedom as King’s promise of nonviolence did not threaten their livelihood. Malcolm X viewed the world similarly to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., however; his beliefs to changing the status quo were slightly different from his political counterpart. Malcolm X realized that “anger could blind human vision” (X, 1965). In realizing this, X knew that in order to achieve racial freedom blacks had to “forget hypocritical politics and propaganda” (X, 1965). While Malcolm X was more so an advocate for violent forces against white people than King, X merely used force when it became necessary for defense. According to X, “I don’t go for non-violence if it also means a delayed solution. I am for violence if non-violence means we continue postponing a solution to American black man’s problem” (X, 1965). However, this le...
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
Malcolm X, “The Ballot or the Bullet” (speech from April 3rd, 1964), from Malcolm X
X, Malcolm, and Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Ballantine, 1999. Print.
This paper will discuss the different stages of thought processes the former Nation of Islam minister, Malcolm X went through during his lifetime in terms of how he viewed white people, but more specifically “the white man” in America. The reason the focus is on White Americans is because these were the people outside of the Nation of Islam that shaped his life good or bad and put him on the path where he eventually transformed from Malcolm Little to Malcolm X who was one of the most polarizing and controversial figures during his lifetime and even nearly 50 years after his death the name Malcolm X causes certain people to shudder. Malcolm X became a well-known figure during the 50’s and 60’s during the civil rights movement which involved figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. This was a pivotal era in American history because for the first time that there was major push towards full rights for African Americans. When Malcolm X came on the scene he put fear into White people because they weren’t used to hearing the truth about race relations in America and many of them felt that things were just fine because they themselves were living life high on the hog while at the same time exploiting Blacks. Because this type of talk from a black person was new to them they misinterpreted his views as “hate speech” and accused him of trying to incite violence when he was simply trying wake his people up to properly deal with what was happening to them.
Ladenburg, Thomas . "Chapter 6." Martin Luther King & Malcolm X on on Violence and integration. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. .
Malcolm was born on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska to Louise and Earl Little. His Father, Earl, was a Baptist minister and an active member of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (founded by Marcus Garvey). Due to his involvement in civil rights, Malcolm and his family were harassed and experienced racism from an early age, and Malcolm’s encounter before he was even born. In his own words, Malcolm said: “ When my mother was pregnant with me, she told me later, ‘ a party of hooded Ku Klux Klan riders galloped to our home, brandishing their guns and rifles, they shouted for my father to come out’.”
“Martin Luther King, Jr...” Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Edition. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2013. .
The Autobiography of Malcolm X is a personal account of one man’s search for truth in a racially charged world. Born Malcolm Little, in Omaha, Nebraska, his life is marred by injustice and violence at a very young age. His father, a tall and extremely black man, with little education, is mysteriously murdered, forcing his mother into a mental hospital. Malcolm, along with his siblings, were placed in foster homes. His beginnings had always included racism; the family firmly believed, though never proven, his father was murdered by a KKK splinter group, after years of harassment. A turning point came when a teacher asked him what he would like to be when he grew up. As he answered he wanted to become a lawyer, his teacher told him, “you’ve got
The first concept of needs is physiological needs. Man’s needs are to have the ability to be organize . The best way to be organize is hierarchy. At the lowest level , it is important for person to have pre-eminent. A person at the lower levels needs to provide a shelter and food . Another need to that needs to fulfill is safety needs. A man’s need to feel safe from danger, threat , and deprivation. In organization , employees needs to feel safe from discrimination and unpredictable administration . Social needs is another aspect a person need in business. A person needs to belong by accept from their co-workers, and management. It is also important for manager to motivate their employees . Ego needs are important as well. It is important for employee to have high self -confidence and self -esteem . Employees needs to have self-fulfillment ( when a person discovered potential). It is important for person be motivate because they will have confidence to complete