Malcom X Essay, Research Paper

Malcolm X

May 19, 1925 was just like any other day for most people. The sun would come up and the sun would go down just like any other day. Except there was one thing about his day that is unlike no other. This would be the day that Malcolm Little was born in Omaha, Nebraska. You probably don t recognize the name Malcolm Little, but I am positive you have heard the name he went by later in life.

Many would think that a civil rights leader would grow up a normal child or Maybe even had it a little rough. Malcolm little had it like no other kid. HeGrew up in Lansing, Michigan. Racism was still strong there and as a resultOf which, Malcolm father was murdered and places don the railroad tracks toMake it look like a suicide. Malcolm would attend school up until the 8thGrade living with different families, where he decided to drop out and move inWith his older sister Ella. Ella lived in roxbury, a small town right outsideof Boston, Mass. In Boston, Malcolm got a job at a local ballroom as a

shoeshine boy. But that didn t keep his attention. He soon found himself

getting into a life of crime.

He would make a life out of selling drugs, robbery, theft and he

Actually worked as a pimp. Malcolm X was a pimp! But in 1942, Malcolm left

Boston and head for the big apple. More specifically, Harlem, New York. There

He continued his life of crime but it would soon come back to get him. He goes The nickname ” Detroit Red” on the streets. Detroit meaning where he was

Form and the red mean the color of his hair.

In February of 1946, Malcolm was convicted and sentenced to seven years in Prison for his actions. While his time in jail, Malcolm had some time to Think and read. And he did that a lot. He started to read the work of Elijah Muhammad, a leader of a black cult named the ” nation of Islam” The more he Read the more he became interested in the beliefs and ideals of this group. Malcolm began to mail Elijah and the two corresponded for a long time. But the Straw that broke the camel s back was the visitation of Malcoms 2 brother Philbert and Reginald. They convinced Malcolm to join the cult and while still In prison he did so. One of the things that Malcolm would do was to change his Last name from Little, which he believed, was his ” slave name” to the letter X. He would now be known as Malcolm X. Malcolm would increase his knowledge by Reading such books as the encyclopedia and the Koran. He would also follow The strict dietary laws and moral codes while in jail. Can you imagine, even With the lousy food they give you, he would still not eat certain foods. He Continued his beliefs until he was released on parole in 1952. Then he became An all out member of the Nation of Islam. Under the guidance of Elijah Muhammad, Minister Malcolm X founded many mosques in Boston, Philadelphia and Harlem. Around 1963, the member shit of the nation of Islam would grow to be over thirty thousand members. Malcolm also helped to found the Black Muslim newspaper Muhammad Speaks . One of his famous quotes was only a Negro could stop a race riot or start one . Because Malcolm was doing so well in his occupation as a minister of the nation of Islam. Many other ministers and even Elijah himself began to become jealous. So due to the fact that Elijah and his ministers were jealous of Malcolm, Elijah would silence Malcolm for 90 days to teach him that they are one and they should not be conceived as individuals. Malcolm did not care for this idea so he left the Nation of Islam and formed his own group known as The Muslim Mosque Inc. in March of 1964. In this group he began to advocate a more controversial Black Nationalism and that black should control the politics within their won community. They should have more of say in what goes on in the immediate environment surrounding them. By hoping to accomplish this feat Malcolm encouraged his followers to vote.

In the height of his power, Malcolm X was one of America s most influential men of his time. People Listened to him and trusted him. They believed in what he said and they understood him. Malcolm would spread his ideas throughout Europe and Africa. In Africa, he set up his Organization of Afro-American Unity. He believed that the black struggle was due partly to the struggle of the efforts of the third world nations for human rights. In 1964, Malcolm would go on a pilgrimage to Mecca where his total outlook on life would soon change. He soon found that both blacks and whites could in harmony together. After his experiences in Mecca, He would change his name to El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. Upon returning to America, he no longer preached the teaching of Elijah; he referred to his old teacher as a racist and a faker. This did not go over well with the follower of Elijah. They did not like someone of their won culture calling their leader a racist and a faker. On February 14, several of Elijahs followers would torment Malcolm and his family by firebombing his house in Queens, New York. By doing so they would ruin everything Malcolm and his family owned and all of their memories. Exactly one week later, on February 1,1965, Malcolm X was killed during a speech in Harlem s Audobon Ballroom. Three black Muslims were convicted of his murder and sentenced to prison. Malcolm as most remembered for his strong anti-white man speeches and his avocation to fight back by any reasonable means possible.

In the book The last year of Malcolm X , written by George Brietman, the author explains about the last year of his life. He goes into detail about certain aspects of his life that no other author that I know of has. He digs deep into the life and searches for little nooks that would make his book that much more interesting. That is what keeps the reader reading and not put the book down. I myself do not like to read and really did not want to read this book, but once I go into it, it was okay. The book is very factual in that he conveys a lot of information in a little book. The book itself is only about 170 pages long. So it is a short book but I think it covers his life quite well. From May 19,1925 to February 21,1965, it tells about everything he did. It seems as if Malcolm kept a diary of his actions day by day. He divided Malcolms life into little sections of his life. In which my opinion was good because you can focus on once section until you fully understand it. Fr instances, the first section if the book is entitled The Spit. In which the author goes on to talk about house Malcolm would split his alliance with Elijah Muhammad. Then every other chapter deals with a certain aspect of his life. Such as the fourth chapter deals with His Allies and his Alliances. They are people who would follow him and become his believers. One aspect of the book in which I thought was unique was the concept of giving the reader an option to see what Malcoms critics say. There s a whole portion of the book dedicated to a bunch of people ripping Malcolm apart. This part of the book is written by five different authors. That allows the reader o get more than one opinion. That allows the reader to have a more broad idea of the topic and to be able to make their decision based on not just one author s point of view.

As for the authors personal writing technique, that s is a little different, He uses a lot of big, multi-syllable words. Most of which I have no idea what they mean. I spent most of my time looking up words in Webster Dictionary then I did reading the book. I think as a future reference, I think the author should maybe use not so big words just on my behalf. I am sure I am not the only person who has read this book and did not have a clue what a quarter of the words meant. Well at least I hope I am not the only on. One thing I did like though was the fact that the author did not beat around the bush at all. He got right don to his point and said whatever he needed to say. Some authors will try and explain themselves and try to get their point across by telling you needless information that relates to the topic. This author cuts the crap and goes straight to the information. He makes you think about what he writes. I think you learn more about the subject if you have to think about it. It makes more sense in your head if you work it out for yourself. Kind of like the old saying You can catch a fish for a man and he ll eat for a day, you can teach a man to fish and hell eat for a lifetime . This kind of applies to the book. If you come out and say what you mean then the reader just reads it. But if you make the reader think about it and work for it, then he will understand it better and remember it longer. Another aspect of the author s ideas is the fact that he uses a lot of quotes and citations in his book. These quotes and citations help to exemplify the concepts he is writing about. He gives excerpts form speeches, different comments from critics and even different comments from Elijah. The author uses footnotes to explain himself also. I have not seen footnotes in a biography before. I like the idea of it though. Again, it gives the reader more of an understanding of hat he is writing about.

But overall I would say that this book is a very good and useful material. It gives a whole lot of information in a short amount of time. It does not beat around the bush at all. I like the fact hat it just give you what u want to read and that it. I like the fact that it gives certain opinion from both sides of the page.