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Gender Roles In Malcolm X

Decent Essays

Showcasing the riveting life of an ex-hustler gone Muslim preacher and black separatist, Malcolm X, directed by Spike Lee, vividly portrays three major interactions between religion and popular culture. The film depicts the transcendence of popular culture in civil rights movements into a formative religion, the commodification of religion as an escape, and the outlining of gender roles and sexual purity.

Firstly, Malcolm’s sheer skepticism makes a powerful vehicle for Lee, as he sharply juxtaposes religious values with Malcolm’s own daily necessities and “quick fixes.” Early in the film, West Indian Archie indoctrinates an already seditious Malcolm into the life of hustling, gambling, and doping. As a segue into Malcolm’s transition, Lee …show more content…

Lee emphasizes the sex/gender-focused aspect of Malcolm’s campaign through his direct teachings, his relationship with Sister Betty, and with Malcolm’s own father. Malcolm proclaimed the protectoral nature of men and the nurturing, loving disposition of women while sermoning. Later, the film briefly flashes an actual photograph of Malcolm’s chalkboard teachings. Entitled “Husbandry,” his board states that “man = husband = father, man = protector = provider, man = controller = elevator, man = authority = head.” Prior, however, Malcolm and Betty’s relationship––wherein Malcolm travels, preaching and earning for his family, while Betty raises the children at home––seems to resonate with the Nation of Islam’s standpoint on gender and sexuality. Thirdly, Malcolm’s own father clearly establishes his position as his family’s guardian by shooting away the KKK who burned his family’s house to the ground. Malcolm’s father even directly shouts, “I am a man!” In response to the cowardice the KKK embody in hiding themselves behind bedsheets and running scared. This is how Malcolm X depicts sexuality and gender

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