X By Ilyasah Shabazz Summary

Richard Wright and Malcolm X are two African Americans that struggled so much in the pursuit of knowledge in other to gain power and figure. Richard wright is from Natchez, Mississippi; he was in the south around the year 1925 and worked for the white men helping them get books from the library. During the process of obtaining books for the white men, he wants to read and know of the black history. Malcolm X is from Omaha, Nebraska, he was in prison for burglary, during his time in prison then came the passion for knowledge and he wants to build his vocabulary on how to speak, and write letters appropriately to Mr. Elijah Muhammad. Richard wright becomes motivated when he comes across an article that made mention of H. L. Mencken being a fool and wants to know the reason for such a saying, Richard wrights’ difficulties was how to get a library card without cut reading the novel of H. L. Mencken. Richard Wright becomes transformed greatly not only has his vocabulary improved but had known a great deal of black history. Malcolm X is motivated to read so he can write good letters to Mr. Elijah Muhammad. His difficulties was learning how to read, write and himself not having enough time to read because the lights had to go off and they were watched by a moving guard, he becomes transformed by studying the dictionary to improve his knowledge of vocabulary in reading, speaking and writing good letters to Mr. Elijah Muhammad.

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.

The author’s purpose for writing the book was for the reader to gain knowledge of Malcolm X as an individual and not as a phenomenon. He wanted to deliver truths that spanned his brief lifetime.

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

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.

Maxlcom X was born on May 19, in Omaham Nebraska, also knows as Hajj Malik Elshbazz, His family lived in in Omahan his father was a preacher of a Baptist church he was an active man where he dedicated himself to preaching to the community of blacks his father Belonged to a movement called Marcus Garvey. Maxlcom X and his family received many threats from the Ku-klux klan group where many times they had to move through the established threats. However one of those groups of racists set fire to their house. After that, Malcolm Little named so grew up with much hatred towards the white race. His mother Louise was a housewife with eight children. After the death of her father, the mother lost custody of her children where she underwent break-out and was submitted to a psychiatric hospital when she saw the separation of her children where they were scattered in orphanages. - After living in orphanages. At an early age Malcolm X showed his vocation for advocacy he was one of the best students in his class when one of his teachers gave him a justification that he managed to quit school. “Malcolm was a bright student and, in fact, was at the top of his class in junior high school. In the eighth grade, however, one of his favorite teachers told him that his dream of becoming a lawyer was “no realistic goal for a nigger” At that point he lost interest in formal education and

Instead of going to school to get a traditional education, he dropped out of school at fifteen and learned the ways of the streets. Malcolm associated himself with thugs, thieves, dope dealers, and pimps. He was convicted of burglary at age twenty and remained in prison until he was twenty-seven. During his prison sentence, he became a changed man. He educated himself and he learned about and joined the Nation of Islam, studying the teachings of Elijah Muhammed. Elijah taught Malcolm how history had been “whitened by the white man” (p.184) and he echoed “the black convict’s lifelong experience” where “the white man is the devil,” (p. 186). This thought process encouraged many black inmates to discover the Nation of Islam.

Malcolm X was a public leader during the time of the civil rights movement. Malcolm was a public voice of the Black Muslim faith, he challenged the mainstream civil rights movement and the non-violent pursuit lead by Martin Luther King Jr. Malcolm wanted followers to defend themselves against the white aggression and he said to “by any means necessary”. He was born with the name Malcolm Little, and he changed his last name to X to show his rejection of his “slave” name. Malcolm became an influential leader of the Nation of Islam, which combined Islam with black nationalism which was placed to encourage young blacks to fight for equal rights. Malcolm was a determined leader and he was willing to take any means necessary to achieve equal rights for black Americans, but unlike King’s peaceful approach Malcolm wanted to take a violent approach and without King he may have been the head of the movement causing black Americans to all take a violent approach. A violent approach may not have worked well and would

Malcolm, after moving in with his sister Ella to an upscale black neighborhood attends a dominate white high school where he is elected class president and feels that although the school allows him to succeed, he was only allowed to succeed because he was not challenging the white order. Malcolm realizes that the white society bestows privileges on him, when they know that

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

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 once wrote, “My life has always been one of changes” (Haley 404). In his autobiography, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, it is very evident that through his life, he went through a series of drastic changes that went from one extreme to another. He went from being at “the bottom of the American white man’s society,” to become one of the most influential advocates of Black pride (150). Throughout the novel the most evident changes are when Malcolm X moves to Boston, goes to prison, and going on Hajj.

When his mother was send to a mental hospital the family was split apart. All the children except for the oldest two were sent to foster homes. Not long after the separation, his mother passed away. After getting into a trouble at school Malcolm X got sent to detention home where he finished up to eight grade. Malcolm X then went to Boston to live with his half sister, Ella. It didn't take Malcolm X long time to get involved with the wrong things and with the wrong people such as Shorty, drugs,gambling and dating a white woman who was much older then him. On the other hand, his sister Ella wasn't happy with what he was up to, so he moved in with Shorty. Later on he finds a job as a porter on a Boston to New York train line. Malcolm X was amazed by the wealth and the luxury of New York that he ended up moving there. In New York Malcolm X worked at various jobs but ended up doing the same things he did in Boston such as selling drugs and stealing. When things starts to warm up in New York, Malcolm X headed back to Boston. There he teamed up with Shorty, Sofia and her sister and becomes a house burglar. Later on, Malcolm X was arrested and was sentenced ten years in prison. In prison, he under goes a spiritual transformation and

Malcolm X was first named Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska. His mother, was a homemaker, and his father, was a Baptist minister and an outspoken supporter of Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. His civil rights activism was the cause for death threats from the Black Legion, a white supremacist organization. They had forced Malcolm X to move four times before his fourth birthday! Even though they had tried to run to run from the legion, two years later, Malcolm’s dad’s body was found across the local town’s trolley tracks. His mother than

In his book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm faced with adversity from the beginning of his life. Malcolm was born May 19th, 1925, during times of extreme racial violence and harsh discrimination . His family moved to Lansing, Michigan to avoid the persecution of local white groups, but they could not escape racial injustice. White supremacists burned Malcolm’s family home and murdered his father. Overcome with grief, Malcolm’s mother was confined to a mental hospital. Malcolm was then given to foster parents. He felt out of