When comparing and contrasting movies and books, the majority of the time the book presents more of a detailed atmosphere and illustration of events. However, in this case I think the book, "Autobiography of Malcolm X” and the movie, “Malcolm X” quoin side with one another.
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
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During a pilgrimage to Mecca, he was embraced by Muslims of many colors and returned to America convinced that there were good people of peace in all races. Not long after, in 1965, he was assassinated - probably by members of the Muslim sect he had broken with. Denzel Washington stands at the center of the film. He never seems to be trying for an effect, and yet he is always convincing. Denzel captures the life of a civil rights leader Malcolm X, from his criminal activity to his rise in power under the Nation of Islam. Not only does Denzel present his speech, his policies and his charisma.
The movie and book tells the life story of an interesting and important man. As a sociological study, it provides fascinating insights into ghetto life and the ways which one man learned to survive in the ghetto. As a religious work - which is perhaps the way Malcolm intended the book to be read - it tells of his struggle to find his God. Yet it is as a political work that the book rather than the movie has had its strongest impact. Through his story, Malcolm has continued to exert great influence over the various black radical political movements since his death.
Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" is one of the great screen biographies, Watching the film, I understood more clearly how we do
He studied hard to get high grades and he was even elected as the class president. He was doing his best, until his teacher went up to him and told him that his dream to be a lawyer, is not possible all because he is black. Instead, he insisted him to become a carpenter. From then, something started to changed within him. Malcolm sees the limit to the white acceptance, and the inevitable truth of what life awaits for the colored. He starts believing that in the white society he was living in, there is no success nor future. Spike Lee never really focused on Malcolm's childhood in the film, except for this particular part. He chose this moment to highlight, because this scene single handedly explains why he hated whites, why he became a hustler, and why he became a civil rights activists. It was the hatred against the whites. From then, he stopped accepting the whites. This was the moment when Malcolm's view on integration between whites and blacks became possible, to impossible. The historical figure of Malcolm X’s philosophy started here, with the hatred of his enemy. Malcolm X in his speech, preached that the black man should have their own power, by separating themselves completely from the white society, similar to what his father was preaching. His childhood tragedy gave him the reason to fight for, and the belief for uniting the black race for separating them from the cruelty. Malcolm X we all know of, would have never existed without
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley is the story about a man who greatly impacted American history. Malcolm Little, or Malcolm X as he is more widely known, taught what he believed in regards to segregation, racism, and discrimination. Growing up in a large family with a father Earl Little, a Baptist minister, and his mother Louis Little who was a homemaker, Malcolm’s life at the time seemed very promising. His father’s involvement in support of the Black National gained him many death threats at the hands of white supremacists. In 1929, they lost their house to a fire, and two years later the body of Malcolm’s father was found mutilated. This lead to the emotional breakdown of Malcolm’s mother and in turn she was institutionalized. Malcolm and his siblings were separated and placed in foster homes, and from then, his life began a path of drugs, sex, and crime. It was not until he was imprisoned in 1946, that he decided to make some changes for the better. This essay will assess and discuss those changes whether negative or positive, on a micro, mezzo, and macro level. It will also cover some of the effects of racial prejudice on human behavior, and how society today keeps the ideology of Malcolm X alive.
The author’s purpose for writing the book was for the reader to gain knowledge of Malcolm X as an individual and not as a phenomenon. He wanted to deliver truths that spanned his brief lifetime.
Spike Lee would have the film flash-back to Malcolm X’s childhood. Images of the Ku Klux Klan would appear of them killing his father and harassing his mother. Breaking Malcolm X’s home windows with the butt of their rifles. All of this had occurred because Malcolm X’s father was a strong minister that stood up for what he believed, and spoke out against the Ku Klux Klan. Malcolm X’s father had already embedded a strong foundation into Malcolm, but it was buried by manipulation. He receives a good K-12 education, but also a healthy dose of skepticism. It took him his whole life to uncover the buried foundation that his father had provided him with. If, a person truly things about it at the end of Malcolm X’s life, he resemble his father’s
The Autobiography of Malcolm X is the story of Malcolm X, an African American male growing up in the United States in the mid-1900's. At this time in America prejudice and segregation were widespread and much a part of everyday life. Malcolm takes the reader through his experiences with American society, which rejects him. This rejection, along with the inferiority cast upon all Black Americans, forces these males to search for acceptance. They are forced to search for purpose in causes greater than single individuals. As the book shows, this is evident in Malcolm throughout his life and in the life of other African American males. The Autobiography shows how during this time in American history
The Autobiography of Malcolm X, told by Alex Haley, details the incredible journey of one of the most inspiration and life altering leaders the world has ever encountered. The book begins with the illustration of Malcolm’s early life experiences and ends with X predicting that he will die a violent death prior to seeing the publication of his autobiography.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley is the story about a man who greatly impacted American history. Malcolm Little, or Malcolm X as he is more widely known, taught what he believed in regards to segregation, racism, and discrimination. Growing up in a large family with a father Earl Little, a Baptist minister, and his mother Louis Little, who was a homemaker, Malcolm’s life at the time seemed very promising. His father’s involvement in support of the Black National gained him many death threats at the hands of white supremacists. In 1929, they lost their house to fire, and two years later the body of Malcolm’s father was found mutilated. This lead to the emotional breakdown of Malcolm’s mother and in turn she was institutionalized. Malcolm and his siblings were separated and placed in foster homes, and from then, his life began a path of drugs, sex, and crime. It was not until he was imprisoned in 1946, that he decided to make some changes for the better. This essay will assess and discuss those changes whether negative or positive, on a micro, mezzo, and macro level. It will also cover some of the effects of racial prejudice on human behavior, and how society today keeps the ideology of Malcolm X alive.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley is an account of Malcolm X’s evolving perspective on racial justice. Malcolm X was a prominent figure in the Nation of Islam who advocated for black nationalism and separatism. The man who became one of America’s most powerful voices for African Americans was deeply affected by the terrors of racism, which shaped his view of social justice and the condemnation of the white man. The way Malcolm X narrates his experiences changes as his views on race change. At first, he wants readers to feel the destructiveness of racism, so he conveys his experiences through provocative language. When he aims to promote universal peace, he takes on a more optimistic tone. As a
Malcolm X once wrote, “My life has always been one of changes” (Haley 404). In his autobiography, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, it is very evident that through his life, he went through a series of drastic changes that went from one extreme to another. He went from being at “the bottom of the American white man’s society,” to become one of the most influential advocates of Black pride (150). Throughout the novel the most evident changes are when Malcolm X moves to Boston, goes to prison, and going on Hajj.
Malcolm X is an extremely critical figure that contributed in shaping American social life. He was a famous man who articulated the struggle, anger, and beliefs of African Americans. He was a radical man who fought for change despite the situation. His struggle for equality for the black nation landed him in prison. While in prison, Malcolm was able to study, and earned a college degree. However, most importantly while in prison, Malcolm X was introduced to the Islam faith by one of the prisoners. He received teachings from the Muslim faith, which made him realize that, his people were being oppressed and abused by the whites. While out of prison, he went to visit honorable Elijah Muhammad and later on went around preaching Elijah
The theme of this book was first person. At the beginning of the book, Malcolm spoke about his life but at the end of the book the other author Alex Haley spoke in first person about his experiences with Malcolm. The main idea of this book was to get an insight on Malcolm X. Throughout the book the reader will be able to find out how Malcolm was raised, about his life as a muslim black man, and also about his death. This book was different from other autobiographies because the reader was able to read about Malcolm through his own eyes and also through the eyes of the man who was documenting his life. The book really did not have an argument but it did give information about how Malcolm X handled racism. Malcolm X lived by the saying by any means necessary which means that he would get respected by everyone by any means necessary. One of the quotes in the book that stood out the
Malcolm X often referred to as “ The Prince of Islam” was as a blunt, straight forward, and a respected Civil rights activist that coin the saying “By any means necessary”. Many people wanted to get into the mind of this influential leader. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley would allow people to have a crucial perception into the mind of an important figure during a time of racism and oppression to see the lasting impact it has on oneself. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley came to be as a collaboration between Malcolm X and Alex haley to merely tell the life story of Malcolm Little, but in it really shed light on an important issue that was going on in America at the time, the problem is still going on now.
In chapter twelve Malcolm talks about the “raping, red headed devil”, which is Malcolm’s grandfather, a white man who father his mother by raping her. The part of the book that resonate to be the most was the change of Mr. X when he was in prison, he went from street hustler to reading the corona and praying more. I too had some difficulties growing up as a young girl, being put in a rehabilitation center I then change my ways reading the bible more and becoming closer to myself like Malcolm x did when he was put in prison. The book is very relevant still in today’s world blacks still gets discriminated by whites and even other races. People are still trying to make a change in the world and get everyone to come together as a whole but not much is
This biography of Malcolm X was a book, which had a purpose of enlightening people on how blacks were treated, it mainly focused on the life of Malcolm and how it affected his life and changed him. Malcolm X is born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, America. A country where racism is so prevalent that his family frequently gets into a confrontation with the KKK and Black Legion society due to his father being a preacher. This results in his fathers’ death, his mother 's mental breakdown, and the separation of his family. It completely put a strain on all of them, as they were forced apart. Throughout the story Malcolm’s personality goes through many transitions due to the various scenarios he went through, and all of them shape up to make up the man he becomes. It was written in first person even though Malcolm X didn’t write it; Malcolm X draws both on his past and his present understanding. So we get the feeling that this is the absolute truth even though it was written by Alex Haley, Its almost as if he chose first person for a reason, this was the controversy surrounding the book.
The novel details Malcolm’s early life in a racially discriminatory America. It expands on Malcolm's difficulty childhood dealing with the death of his father and constant threats from the KKK. Malcolm explains how he had to become a hustler to survive and finds himself in the Nation of Islam. The Muslim community ultimately leads to his demise when he is shot down by a black Muslim at one of his speeches. The tone of the book is full of passion and anger.