Malcolm X Reflection Paper

Biography of Malcolm X On May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, Malcolm Little was born to Reverend Earl and Louise Little. Rev. Little, who believed in self-determination and worked for the unity of black people. Malcolm was raised in a background of ethnic awareness and dignity, but violence was sparked by white racists trying to stop black people such as Rev. Little from preaching the black cause.

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 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

Have you ever thought about what the future of the U.S. would be without Malcolm X in the Civil Rights Movement? Malcolm X was one of the main activists in the Civil Rights Movement. He helped shape the U.S. into what it is today. Who had the best philosophy, Malcolm X or Martin Luther King Jr.? Malcolm X was a humongous factor in the Civil Rights Movement who believed in separatism and perceived reality as it actually was. MLK was also a giant factor in the Civil Rights Movement, but he believed in blacks and whites joining together and had dreams about how the future might be. In my opinion, Malcolm X had the better philosophy for the south in the 1900’s. My three reasons are since he was a realist, a separatist, and an activist.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X had a common purpose for African Americans; justice and equality. Illustrated through their speeches, Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” and Malcolm X’s “Talk to Young African Americans”, the two did not share techniques or ideas. Yet both men had the support of millions and millions of people.

MLK will respond to the violent actions taken by the people or the government by showing them the capacity to endure suffering. MLK’s main goal is to gain civil rights with nonviolent protests. Their capacity to suffer is going to defeat the government and the people against them and they will win their freedom. MLK’s philosophy makes more sense for America because after learning that Gandhi freed a nation with nonviolence, it clearly stood out to MLK that nonviolence is the key.

The history of the United States has in it much separation or segregation due to race. For a long time our country has seen racism as a large problem and this has caused ethnic groups to be looked down upon and forced into a lifestyle of difficulties and suppression. Due to this, races, particularly African-Americans, have been forced to deal with unequal opportunity and poverty, leading to less honorable ways of getting by and also organizations that support change. Malcolm X is one strong example of an African American man who became apart of a group acted against it, uniting people to promote the advancement of colored people and change. Malcolm's thoughts towards race and civil right in the previous years were displayed in a less

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

He was son to Earl Little, a Baptist minister and avid supporter of Black nationalism. Earl’s civil rights activism led to death threats from the Black Legion, a White supremacist organization similar to the Klu Klux Klan. After this, Little was forced to relocate twice for the safety of his family. Regardless of Little’s efforts to elude the Legion, in 1929 their Michigan home in Lansing, was burnt to the ground by another White supremacist group. Around two years later Earl’s mutilated body was found lying across the town’s trolley tracks. Police ruled the incident as suicide despite the fact that he was most probably murdered by the Black Legion. This, therefore invalidated his life insurance and made the Little family significantly poorer than before. Several years after the death of her husband, Louise had an emotional breakdown and was sent to a mental institution, leaving her children behind. All ten children were split up amongst several foster homes and orphanages.

Malcolm Little popularly known as Malcolm X was a former member of the Nation of Islam religious group, known for his outspoken views on segregation and his human rights activism. On February 21, 1965 Malcolm X was shot to death in the Audubon Ballroom in New York City by radical members of his former group, the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X was killed due to many peoples dislike of his, at the time, radical opinions; and his, as many members perceived it, betrayal of the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X had quit the Nation of Islam lead by Elijah Muhammad, and “had accused Muhammad of infidelity and left the Nation in March 1964” (Drash).

Unlike most people Malcolm’s life started off extremely rough and ended with bang. Growing up life was hard for him with his family not being for him. Which later became ok since he was then later visited by his siblings which lead to his great spiritual change. Ultimately he then had another change of heart as far his spiritual side which then abruptly ended his life.

Lansing did not hold many opportunities of any kind for a young black man then, so without a particular plan, Malcolm X went to live with his half-sister, Ella, in Boston. Malcolm X looked, and almost immediately found trouble. He fell in with a group of gamblers and thieves, and began shining shoes at the Roseland State Ballroom. There he learned the trades that would eventually take him to jail dealing in bootleg liquor and illegal drugs. Malcolm X characterized his life then as one completely lacking in self-respect. Many journalists would emphasize Malcolm X’s “shady” past when describing the older man, his clean-cut lifestyle, and the aims of the Nation of Islam. In some cases, these references were an attempt to damage Malcolm X’s credibility, but economically disadvantaged people have found his early years to be a point of commonality, and Malcolm X himself was proud of how far he had come. He spared no detail of his youth in his autobiography, and used his Nation of Islam ideas to interpret them. Dancing, drinking, and even his hair style were represented by Malcolm X to be marks of shame and self-hatred. Relaxed hair in particular was an anathema to Malcolm X for the rest of his life; he described his first “conk” in the autobiography this way: “This was my first really big step toward self-degradation: when I endured all of that pain of the hair-straightening chemicals, literally burning my flesh to have it

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated after delivering a speech to the Organisation (the spelling used by the group) of African-American Unity. Four men were involved in the assassination, but only one was convicted: Talmadge Hayer (a.k.a. Thomas Hagan). The theory accepted by most historians is that the government ordered the assassination of Malcolm X. There is significant evidence to support this theory. One key component in the government theory is the New York Bureau of Special Services, B.O.S.S., an extremely covert spy agency (Hutchinson 1). A week before his assassination, Malcolm’s house was firebombed. Although some thought that Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam, was the bomber, most of those

“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind” (Orwell, George). Politics has been practiced since the beginning of humanity, it has been crucial to decide who rules, who makes the rules, and what rights do people possess. Over time people have been divided either due to their beliefs or their desires, with each group striving to have more power and control in a governed society. People have sought many ways to get what they want, they have protested, debated, schemed and worst of all, murdered. Man has proven that he is willing to do the worst crime against humanity in order to achieve his goals, and not just that, but to justify to his conscience and

The 1950's and 1960's were a time of racial turmoil throughout most of the United States. Segregation between blacks and whites was still in full effect, African Americans had to drink from different water fountains, eat at different restaurants, and even shop at different stores than their Anglo "neighbors". Many people and organizations fought valiantly for equality in the U.S. such as Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King jr. and the NAACP. The roles they played were critical in the civil rights movement were critical, the actions they took included peaceful demonstrations and marches, public speeches, and boycotts such as the one that took place in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. One man stands out among all of these leaders though, Malcolm X.