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
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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
Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" is one of the great screen biographies, Watching the film, I understood more clearly how we do
The author uses pathos and logos in the autobiography of Malcom X to tell us that he fought throughout his life and preceding the events that occurred which made him a strong African American leader in history up till date. Everything being talked about Malcolm’s storyline has to do with race, knowledge, prejudice and transformation. It will be noticed if critically examined that common arguments made all through the book are how blacks were maltreated making them inferior to white folks. It all starts from the intrusion by breaking Malcom’s home window by the hooded Ku Klux in Omaha, Nebraska. His father Earl little was the target, a fearless and strong Georgian Baptist preacher and also a member of universal Negro improvement Association (UNIA) which fights for the return of American blacks to Africa. Louise little, Malcolm’s fair- skinned mother, an educated woman was a homemaker occupied with the family’s eight children.
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.
To begin, Malcolm X’s speech detailing his his political views on black nationalism, the hypocrisy of the United States, as well as the radical steps needed to be taken by the black community to achieve equal rights, is laden with elevated language in order to create an ethical appeal to the audience. For example, Malcolm X states that “The political philosophy of black nationalism only means that the black man should control the politics and the politicians in his own community” (par 2). The use of the elevated language, such as “philosophy” and “nationalism”, sophisticates the speech altogether, which successfully reflects the professional tone used by Malcolm X, as well as the seriousness of the matter; which, in turn, strengthens the overall argument being made. Moreover, through Malcolm X’s sophistication of language, and thus the speech, it
Malcolm X was one of the primary religious leaders and reformers of the 1960, where he fought for and ultimately gave his life for racial equality in the United States. His father was a reverend who believed in self-determination and worked for the unity of black people. Throughout Malcolm’s life he was treated horribly by white people, hence shaping his misconceptions of all white people and developing his strong belief in black separatism. It wasn’t until years later where he embraced his black identity and discovered all races could live and work together for a common goal, brotherhood.
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
But as the sub-context of his controversial crusade, we also learn as the film unfolds that Malcolm X's mother, father, uncles, and countless other relatives and friends were direct victims of the hatred and violence of the white majority in America, during a time when the nation was supposed to be free and equal for all.
Race was shown in the early stages of Malcolm’s life, also how Malcolm starts to fight against racism when he turns Muslim, and lastly how Malcolm’s point of view of race changes during his final stages.
Throughout history there have been many people who have stood out and made an impact in the way we think and comprehend things. During the late 1950's and early 1960's, Malcolm X was no exception. His militant views that Western nations were inherently racist and that black people must join together to build their own society and value system had an important influence on black nationalist and black separatist movements of the 1950s and 1960s. At the beginning of the movie, Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little. He was a young child trying to adapt to society's changes. He was looking so hard that he fell into the wrong crowd.
The film grants audiences to gestate their understanding of the movie and the manner experiences antiquated regarding racial violence and prejudice. The ineptitude of history implies to the intellectual chattels that chronicles and culture can have on all progeny. Malcolm Little would ultimately revolutionize into his worst adversary, that entangled with the decisions he would subsequently make. Malcolm's philosophic mentality and provocation with death was indicative to his life. The remarkable depiction in the film pronounced the indubitable fortitude and essence of the audience.
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.
This quote illustrates where Malcolm X’s passion, towards advocating for minorities, may have been intensified. Malcolm X was an African-American Muslim minister and a human rights activist who, to his admirers, was a courageous advocate for the rights of blacks. Moreover, this quote testifies how his education, even if it weren’t the most conventional, contributed to the level of qualification he had. The degree in which Malcolm X understood the oppression of blacks by not only being a black himself and experiencing it first
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 is the pinnacle example of a man from humble beginnings finding himself, his connection to others, and his voice. His humility made him authentic, meaningful, and resonant with society at large. The Autobiography of Malcolm X has been in continuous publication since its first edition was printed in 1965. Not only a canonized text of Malcolm X’s story, it also contains such an important perspective on the history of inequality. In fact, it has been required reading in public schools for decades. The New York Times called the book, “Extrordinary. A brilliant, painful, important book” (X). Spike Lee, American director who directed the film Malcolm X, Praised the autobiography as, “The most important book I’ll ever read. It changed the way I thought; it changed the way I acted. It has given me the courage that I didn’t know I had inside me.
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