Comparison of the 'Autobiography of Malcolm X' and Joan Didion's 'Where I Was From'

The civil rights movement was a monumental part of history and still has a large impact on society today. Martin Luther King Jnr took charge in leading the movement and achieved many things while he was leading it. The civil rights movement may not have even taken place without King and everting he put into the movement to make it happen. Malcolm X was another very influential leader that was taking charge to be a part of the movement, but had a very different approach.

Malcolm X had a very interesting life and there were several aspects that affected his views of American society. In “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” by Alex Haley, the three main things that effected Malcolm’s life was his arrival in the city of Boston, the conk he received, and his brother Reginald. These three symbols changed his life forever. Also all of them were connected as well. Malcolm X, being from Lansing, Michigan, never expected his life to change as drastically as it did.

In the volatile American civilization of the mid twentieth century, Malcolm was born. Much like every other black adolescents, he lived through and felt the pain of segregation, but in contrast to the countless born before him, Malcolm had an overwhelming desire for a change. He was aware that something was happening, he knew that

Malcolm X was a driven, outspoken, and not afraid to make any enemies when it came to civil rights (History). In his life he had a lot of effect on civil rights. Malcolm X preached black supremacy and he felt blacks were treated unfairly as many civil rights leaders did. He had a large effect on civil rights and he changed the way people viewed blacks. For starters, Malcolm X was a

The United States has had many horrible moments in its history that the United States has long tried to correct and distance itself from those mistakes. Many mistakes were made in our history but a few of the big ones were kicking the Native Americans off their land and making them almost go extinct, putting all the Japanese people into concentration camps in World War 2 in belief that they were all Japanese spies, but the biggest flaw is the United States history has been the mistreatment of the blacks from slavery and segregation that has lead to the endless racism that can still be experienced in our present day world. There have been many political and religious leaders over the years that have fought for the black minority in America

First Malcolm X is best fit for the UNICEF spokesperson job because he is sympathetic. He is sympathetic because he feels for him because of the childhood he has. He had a rough childhood and this is proved through the memoir “ The Autobiography of Malcolm X”. For example the quotes on page 633 state, “ In the street I was the most articulate hustler out there. This proves that he was on the street with little to no money and had to hustle to get food and other things needed for life. Also the text states” I’ve said, will think I went to school beyond the eighth grade”. This proves that he had little or no schooling which means that he was out on the street more trying to earn money then at school. A child shouldn’t have to go through this.

Throughout the Civil Rights Movement, many came out of the crowd yearning for their voice to be heard. Freedom activists became well known throughout various parts of the United States, all with different ideas about how to approach such an enormous problem of injustice faced by Negros. With racial injustice at its hand, America was blessed to receive civil rights activists Malcolm X. In order to understand Malcolm X’s philosophies, one must look back and examine his past, paying attention to key events which led him to become the black nationalist he is known as today.

Malcolm Little, now famously known as Malcolm X, Muslim name el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, was born in 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska on May 19. A soon to be well-known and respected African American religious and political leader in the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X had expressed his views regarding the upholding of race pride and black nationalism in the early 1960’s. The Autobiography of Malcolm X, published in 1965, had become widespread after his assassination which deemed him an ideological hero, mainly amongst the black youth.

“Learning to Read” by Malcolm X is an explanation of how Malcolm gained an education as he went from a criminal on the streets into a world admired speaker for African American civil rights. And by doing so, Malcolm’s writing in this piece is a transition of his life as the complexity of his writing transitions from everyday, easy to read vocabulary into convoluted expressions. The beauty of his writing seems as a timeline of his life as it allows the readers to follow Malcolm X through the overall structure of his piece and the choice of words.

Malcolm X, May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965, who was born Malcolm Little, was orphaned as a child. At the age of 6 his father was killed, and when he was 13 his mother was placed in a mental hospital, after which he went in and out of various foster homes. At the age of 20 Malcolm went to prison for larceny and Breaking and entering. As a result of going to prison, he ended up becoming a member of the group known as, the nation of Islam, and after leaving prison on parole in 1952, rapidly climbed the ranks and became leader of the group.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X was about one African Americans struggle during a time of extreme racism and discrimination to make a name for himself. Malcolm had many life experiences before tragically being shot and killed. He was a hustler in Harlem, a porter for a railroad, and was eventually a minister for the black Islam movement lead by Elijah Mahammad. Malcolm Little lived a very interesting life to become the man he will be remembered as.

African Americans have struggled for equal rights since the dawn of time. The movement to stop that from happening more than 60 years ago. African Americans were slaves until 1865 when President Abraham Lincoln ended slavery with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. But that did not stop there from being equal rights for African Americans. It wasn’t until one man “had a dream” that we would all be equal. During the same time there was another man trying to do the same thing. But with a different approach. His name was Malcolm Little; Also known as Malcolm X. He was also a Human rights activist. There was an autobiography about his life. Called The Autobiography of Malcolm X. written by Malcolm X himself with Alex Haley.

For decades, African Americans have experienced and overcame many obstacles. Dana Stevens and Malcolm X demonstrate different obstacles that African Americans have had to face in the past. Malcolm X’s narrative, “Literacy Behind Bars”, and Dana Stevens’s evaluation of The Help titled “A Feel-Good Movie That Feels Kind of Icky” display many different qualities, but also reveal the same objective in their pieces. Dana Stevens’s evaluation assesses how one character from The Help turns the movie from racist to feel-good. The movie

The Autobiography of Malcolm X was the result of a collaboration between human rights activist Malcolm X and journalist Alex Haley. It was based on a series of interviews spanning from 1963 to Malcolm X’s assassination on February 21st, 1965. Autobiography was written for two purposes: to chronicle Malcolm X’s rise to prominence during the Civil Rights Movement and to outline his philosophy of black pride, black nationalism, and pan-Africanism. However, following his assassination, Autobiography’s epilogue (written by Alex Haley) described the development of the book as well as the events towards the end of Malcolm X’s life.

Common sense seems to dictate that most authors build a connection within the paragraphs. Malcolm X has been through many struggles within his lifetime. Malcolm X has experienced being judged by the color of his skin. Malcolm X also experienced the inequality by his skin color. The two central ideas in the story , racial identity and segregation vs integration , interact and build on each other.