Since the beginning of American history their has been iconic people and groups that has stood out through their voice, actions, and philosophies to challenge the way others based upon the events and ways other people acted. In the late 1950's and early 1960's, Malcolm X was one of those many people that exemplified a challenge to the government system. His opposed views about Western nations, was that America was founded and born on the system of racism, and that black people must unite to create their own society built with values that will progress the black communities. Such philosophy was influenced and supported by black nationalist and black separatists movements like that of the Marcus Garvey, Nation of Islam, and then after the Black Panthers.
Now, at the beginning of the movie, we see Malcolm X being named Malcolm Little. Where his dad was murdered by racist Ku-Klux-Klan members and his mom went crazy after her husbands death raising over more than five kids by herself. During his young adolescent life he was trying to fit, and by the
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The movie displayed to me how the media can work for or against outspoken leaders based upon the medias bias agreement or disagreement with what a person may have said, therefore deterring the context of what a person may have said to fit their wants and needs for the listener to hear. My perception and view of Malcolm X has become more appreciative of how Malcolm, in a sense transformed from promoting the rights of only blacks, and then re-examining his own pre-suppositions and challenging not just others views, but his own views as he got older and more mature with realization, to where he at the end of his life started promoting rights for all races , through joining forces with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Malcolm X has become a known name to history. His story shows, that the world can be changed through just the power of voice and the message that the voice
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.
Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925, in Omaha, Nebraska to Earl and Louise Little. His father, a minister and devout Christian, was known for being an outspoken follower of the black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Garvey’s message promoted the “back-to-Africa” movement that encouraged African Americans of the time to sever ties with
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.
Malcolm X, an African American leader and prominent figure in the Nation of Islam, was a significant individual in the African American fight for justice and equality. In contrast to the mainstream Civil Rights Movement with its nonviolent pursuit of integration, Malcolm X voiced concepts of race pride and Black Nationalism during the 1950s and '60s. Although many argue that Malcolm X did not actually “do” anything for the black community, his nontraditional programs brought a new perspective to the Civil Rights Movement, and this perspective is of relevance today in the black community.
Malcolm X shows nothing but pure fanaticism throughout his speech and encourages the listeners to make a changes. This intensity and passion makes his overall point stronger. He addresses multiple topics such as voting rights, civil rights, and social inequality and voices his opinions in a more aggressive way than other activists, making him more unique and stand out from the
Unlike King, Malcolm X encouraged his followers to rebel against whites. Malcolm X, for the most part, believed that non-violence and integration was a trick by the whites to keep African Americans oppressed. “Don’t you run around here trying to make friends with somebody who’s depriving you of your rights” (X 1964). He was furious at white racism and encouraged his followers through his speeches to rise up and protest against their white enemies. “They’re not your friends, no, they are your enemy. Treat them like that and fight them”(X 1964). He encouraged African Americans to stand up against the white America that oppressed them.
Malcolm X on the micro level involves interactions with many individuals throughout his life. From his parents and siblings to girlfriends and his wife, and even those he met in prison and after prison, they all played significant roles in Malcolm’s
Malcolm Little commonly known as Malcolm X was born in Omaha Nebraska. Malcolm’s trouble has started before then even while he was in the womb of his mother. Clansman would often circle his house in search of his father who was a preacher who talked about the evils of the clansmen and wished for a day when African Americans will return to the ancestral homelands in Africa. In chapter 1 of the Malcolm X book I will describe his childhood has rough he seen his father killed been relocated to 4 or 5 different houses and at the end of it all his mother was killed. Malcolm little commonly known as Malcolm X have been through a lot in his upbringing. He was separated from his seven siblings and put into foster care Change would be one word to describe his childhood as he was in and out of schools and by the age of 13 he was in a reform school. The book takes a major shift when he heads out to Boston with his sister Ella. From here he tours the town and find other African Americans who are just like him. One in particular by the name of shorty becomes one of his closest friends. He introduces them to the locals and takes Malcolm under his wing. One thing in particular that Malcolm falls in love with is the Roseland Ballroom. With the help of shorty he gets a job as a shoe polisher. While doing this he falls in love with a new dance called the Lindy Hop. This ultimately leads to him quitting from shoe polishing in a short time because he cannot do both. However he only works there
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.
“White America is doomed! God has declared that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is you only means of escape” (3) spoke Malcolm X on December 4, 1963. During the ten-year period after 1954 a revolution had occurred. A revolution challenging the social construct of “separate but equal” in public facilities for African Americans and whites had surfaced. Malcolm X was one of many leaders to emerge from this movement.
Thesis Statement: Malcolm X was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans. Detractors accused him of preaching racism, black supremacy, anti-Semitism, and violence.
There have been many people throughout United States History who have greatly influenced the nation, including Malcolm X. Malcolm X both positively and negatively affected American society. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history, while being a tremendous public speaker and human rights activist, specifically advocating for the rights of African Americans. However, numerous individuals view him as controversial figure due to the widespread portrayal of Malcolm X as a violent and racist character often considered to be the opposite of Martin Luther King, Jr. Overall, it is clear that Malcolm X is one of the most significant people in United States history because of his various positive
In conclusion, what is seen in Spike Lee's Malcolm X is a break from the traditional cinema of its time which was a film of historical fact, biography and political commentary with the intended effect of raising social consciousness. Lee pushed the limits and dared to create controversy and shock viewers. Furthermore, Denzel Washington portrayal of a much wounded young boy who evolves into a very powerful speaker and political figure is outstanding and helped shaped the movie into an incredible historical depiction of Malcolm X’s life.
Spike Lee used racial theatrics that liberated the audience to procure feelings of interest, and at the same time he used fundamental features that were significant to portraying the true story and reclamation that brought Malcolm Little to Malcom X. He expressed an emotional anger that was shared by most Black Americans who endured a similar experience. Malcolm could establish a strong audience among blacks who perceived passive resistance as an insufficient capture for dismantling institutional racism. Malcolm saw no place for himself in white America of Jews and Christians. In the movie he stated that before there was such a person as a Republican or Democrat or even American he has always been black that is his message which was amazing and politically correct among the least. Throughout the movie, Malcolm encountered a profusion of conflict within himself. Malcolm says, “All of us were