...The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley, is an elongated monologue by Malcolm X in which he tells his life story, and reveals the astronomic transformations that materialized in his ways of life and his thinking. The autobiography explained Malcolm's early life in great detail. It reveals that Malcolm's home was not stable. His father died when he was young, and his mother was placed into a mental hospital. Malcolm and his siblings would move around often and were placed in foster homes. Malcolm moved to Harlem around 1943 and it was then when he started hustling, pimping, dealing drugs, and stealing. At twenty-one years of age, Malcolm was sentenced to prison for 10 years. While serving his sentence, Malcolm depicts the changes...
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...In the Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm purpose is for the readers to understand his change in life. Throughout the first 11 chapters, Malcolm uses flashbacks to effectively draw the readers to understand how his life went from bad to worse. The author Alex Harley writes about Malcolm X’s life to show the readers that a long time ago that the African American society was divided, and did not have the same rights as others. Alex Harley gave us an overview on how racism was in the past and how people dealt with it. When Malcolm was born he was faced severe racism with the Ku Klux Klan and when they burned his family's home. They were forced to leave and go somewhere else. These bad events taking place in malcolm's life made him not only stronger but also a better person. The problems he faced, helped him build on his confidence. The author uses style in the text by showing us that they were using hip words for example dancing and how he was describing the zoot suit. He also used figurative language when he said “ Walking on my own coffin” ( Malcolm X Pg 149 ) for instance when he was saying this he was threatening a police officer and he knew it was dangerous but he took a chance and still decided to say it. The author uses syntax by separating the sentences by commas such as “ It was about two days later, when...
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...In The Autobiography of Malcolm X, he gives detail on his perspective of the world. Throughout his life he was exposed to many events that gave insight and knowledge, which ultimately would play a key role in molding Malcolm X into the man that he would soon become. In the entirety of Malcolm's life he was faced with the problem of racism and racist people. One of Malcolm's first encounters with racist people, as told to him by his mother, occurred before he was even born. On page 2 he says, “When my mother was pregnant with me, … a party of Ku Klux Klan riders galloped up to our home in boston.” So even before Malcolm was born, he and his family were threatened by racist klansmen. This quote also shows infers that Malcolm would have future problems with white supremacist. Now Malcolm's father, a preacher of the words of March Garvey and a member of the Universal Negro Improvement Association, was in turn heavily hated among the klansmen. White supremacist hated his teachings so much that the only thing they could think of to stop him, was to kill him. On page 2 Malcolm says, “And my father was finally to die by the white man’s hand.” Malcolm also says, “It has always been my belief that I, too, would die by...
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...strong example of effective rhetoric in action is found in The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley by Malcolm X. The book traces the story of Malcolm X’s upbringing and displays how he rose to become the person that he is known for to this present day. Throughout his...
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...REVIEW ON THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY MALCOLM X DUE: 27TH APRIL 2011 . "By any means necessary. I'm for freedom. I 'm for a society in which our people are recognized and respected as human beings, and I believe that we have the right to resort to any means necessary to bring that about." -Malcolm X. ABSTRACT As part of the leadership seminar requirements, I was supposed to choose a book from the assigned books to review. This paper seeks to successfully review the leadership approach of Malcolm X. It highlights the main themes of the book and states the arguments of agreement and disagreement with the author. It also seeks to construct the portrait of leadership style of Malcolm X, discusses his strengths and weaknesses. In addition, lessons and personal insights I discovered during my course of reading are included in the review. I chose to review the autobiography of Malcolm X because he was unique revolutionary. He was not afraid to say things that needed to be heard. Also through him, many African Americans were able to stand together and fight for their rights. Another inspiring reason is the fact he continued his struggle for equality despite the numerous death threats on his life and his family. This quality of selflessness, the concern for the welfare of others I believe is essential for leaders to have. People were empowered by his speeches and honesty. SUMMARY OF THE BOOK The autobiography of Malcolm X is a compilation of a series of interviews between Malcolm X and Alex Haley...
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...Malcolm X faced many trials and tribulations throughout his lifetime as chronicled by a collaborative effort between Alex Haley and Malcolm X in The Autobiography of Malcolm X. His biggest tribulation being when he was once imprisoned. Imprisonment is his Call to Action in the hero's journey. When Malcolm was put away he is introduced to his savior in those hard times. The Islamic religion. “.. I had sunk to the very bottom of the American white man’s society when-soon now, in prison- I [Malcolm] found Allah and the religion of Islam and it completely changed my life,” (Haley 174). This is an important moment in Malcolm's life because this religion gave him something to believe in during those hard times. This situation connects to the call...
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...In the book "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Malcolm X ,and Alex Haley, the authors inform us about Malcolm's life. The authors structure and style Malcolm's life revolved around many things that caused Malcolm to do everything that he did. The structure was organized from his early to his adult life. The things that influenced Malcolm's life the most were his education,his family,and religion. Malcolm was considered to be an intelligent person, However many doubted him. In the book it says " It was surprising thing that I had never thought of it that way before, but I realized that what ever I wasn't, I was smarter than nearly all of white kids. But apparently I was still not intelligent enough, in their...
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...coauthored The Autobiography of Malcolm X, and also performed the basic functions of a ghostwriter and biographical amanuensis,[11] writing, compiling, and editing[12] the Autobiography based on more than 50 in-depth interviews he conducted with Malcolm X between 1963 and his subject's 1965 assassination.[13] The two first met in 1959, when Haley wrote an article about the Nation of Islam for Reader's Digest, and again when Haley interviewed Malcolm X for Playboy in 1962.[14] In 1963 the Doubleday publishing company asked Haley to write a book about the life of Malcolm X. American writer and literary critic Harold Bloom writes, "When Haley approached Malcolm with the idea, Malcolm gave him a startled look ..."[15] Haley recalls, "It was one of the few times I have ever seen him uncertain."[15] After Malcolm X was granted permission from Elijah Muhammad, he and Haley commenced work on the Autobiography, a process which began as two-and three-hour interview sessions at Haley's studio in Greenwich Village.[15] Bloom writes, "Malcolm was critical of Haley's middle-class status, as well as his Christian beliefs and twenty years of service in the U.S. Military."[15] When work on the Autobiography began in early 1963, Haley grew frustrated with Malcolm X's tendency to speak only about Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. Haley reminded him that the book was supposed to be about Malcolm X, not Muhammad or the Nation of Islam, a comment which angered Malcolm X. Haley eventually...
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...Xxxxxxx Xxxx xxx xxx When a novel is classified as an autobiography the novel is said to be a recall of a person’s life written by that person. It is also understood that the written work is based on fact not fiction, that the author will expose his or hers life in a truthful manner. Therefore, The Color of Water by James McBride to its full extent can be consider as an autobiography. On the other hand, The Autobiography of Malcolm X to an extent can’t be consider as an autobiography. The novel The Color of Water by James McBride allows the reader to learned the hardships of McBride himself had to suffer throughout his life. For example, “I was lost. My house was two blocks away… I stood on the corner and bit back my tears,” (McBride 9).This specific line is important because the character is full of fear and realizes that he is going to have to learn to walk home by himself without his mother. In addition McBride acknowledges the reader of his abominable life by “To further escape from painful reality, I created an imaginary world for myself. I believed my true self was a boy who lived in the mirror,” (McBride 69). Young McBride created this world in order to escape his real life which was all about hunger and suffering. The boy in the mirror represents the entire opposite life McBride wanted. That quotation “I kissed her and got on the bus quickly to hide my own tears…she hated Delaware and I had talked to her into staying there, now I was leaving,” (McBride 146)....
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...I read was The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley. The book was published in 1965. The genre of the book is autobiography and biography. In this report I will be mentioning what the book is about and my opinion on the book itself. I will also be show the impact it left on me. The book is about the life of an African-American named El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz who later becomes Malcolm X. The book begins with his childhood and how his father was killed, his mother was thought to be crazy. Malcolm had to move with different residents due to the fact that the state took him and his siblings away. As Malcolm grew older he began to see how blacks were treated. In the 8th grade Malcolm was told by his teacher that it was foolish of him to want to be a lawyer. He said he should be a carpenter. Since then on Malcolm was never the same he decided to go live with his sister in Boston. There Malcolm become a hustler only being 16 he was already known in the streets. He began to sell dope, he became an addict & he committed armed robberies. Malcolm got arrested and was sent to prison. This is where his life changed. His brother sent him a letter telling him to become a Muslim and follow Elijah Muhammad. This opened Malcolm's eyes, this is where he began to see the real problem within blacks. He began to feel disgust towards the whites. In prison Malcolm read books after books on Muslim and any history that said the truth of how the whites treated the whites. Malcolm was a great follower...
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...What does it mean to be mentally alive? In the Autobiography of Malcolm X, he briefly writes about a time in his life when he became mentally alive. Though Malcolm doesn’t come forth and specifically state what it means, its assumed that to be mentally alive is to be aware of what is going around, and to be open to information; to be ready to dig deep and pick apart each and every little detail. Not only does he describe his mental epiphany, he also raises the question: how is this related to learning, and why should individuals strive to be mentally alive? In the Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm writes of his time in prison. He even goes as far as to say that the time he spent there actually motivated him to become mentally alive in his education. He writes, “I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I see it today, the ability to read awoke inside me, some long dormant craving to be mentally alive” (X, 2013, p. 199). Because he had a lot of time to himself, Malcolm had the opportunity to take up reading. This awakened his mind, and caused him to think beyond the surface. He states, “And I read the histories of various nations, which opened my eyes gradually, then wider and wider, to how the whole world’s white men had indeed acted like devils, pillaging, and raping and bleeding and draining the whole world’s nonwhite people” (X, 2013,...
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...of Malcolm X. They were present at a rally in New York City on that tragic day in February 1965. Malcolm X was a grassroots leader, and the stories that my grandparents shared with me was impressed by his honesty and devotion to his idea of self-emancipation (Sales Jr., 1994, p. 207). His charismatic leadership helped him involve street elements in the struggle for Black liberation. My grandparents belonged to that social stratum, as well as their friends who also were present at that rally. From the stories I heard about him, I considered him with all sincerity of my heart to be a great teacher whom I revered for his morality. He did not receive any formal education. He challenged me, a person in his early twenties, with his idea of a better world in which we all were destined to live. He has verbalized some of my thoughts in an open way. His speech was not wordy but very precise. From his speeches, I was able to get a better understanding of the Black history. Whatever he said, he was honest; I believed his words as I read his work and was influenced by his awakening forces; I wanted to transform myself within the framework of Malcolm’s civic movement. I enjoyed learning and reading about Malcolm X because his words were truthful and trustworthy. It felt as if he was talking to me personally. It was a great and unforgettable feeling. He expressed his...
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...I read three books this semester and they definitely had an effect on me. The books I read were, “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” “The Hiding Place,” and “Siddhartha.” I am going to focus on the first two I listed because those ones had the most impact on me. The Autobiography of Malcolm X was a true inspiration to me. Malcolm X, the main character in this book, tried to fight for equal rights for African Americans most of his life. He fought for what he believed in and I really liked that about him. Equal rights were a major issue in the twentieth century. I had a lot of respect for Malcolm X making a transformation from being a hustler in Detroit who did drugs to a religious Islamic man. What I found most surprising about this book was how drastically Malcolm’s view on white people...
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...Influential and Morally Different African Americans Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. are both household names of men who fought diligently for African American rights in the postmodernism 1960’s. The 1954 Supreme Court ruling favored that segregated educational structure left blacks at a disadvantage. This was the spark that triggered uprising in the following years. Malcolm X and King Jr’s emphasis on their beliefs is evident in the works and actions that they have done through their lives. Their philosophies do differ from one another, as we will see in “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” and with “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. Both men had different approaches and desires for the black community as well as different upbringings that influenced them. We will see how such differences are reflected throughout their work to get a better understanding on how they compare and contrast. Known as Malcolm Little, the Omaha-born future activist suffered an impoverished start in life due to his father’s early demise. Prior to his death, Malcolm’s father was a “follower of Marcus Garvey, who instilled racial pride among the masses of African Americans” (Lauter 3088). To make end’s meet, Malcolm became a drug dealer and thief while living in Harlem, which landed him time in jail. His experience in jail and childhood shaped him and encouraged him in to becoming the activists that he was known for. Malcolm “replaced his own last name with “X” which stands for the African name his ancestors...
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...your life. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury what if I said to a student, “You’ve got to be realistic… A lawyer is no realistic goal…”(Mascot pg. 34). As a man in a position of high regard, and a role model and mentor these words are profoundly discouraging. Although, the student triumphs over their peers academically, for some reason this student does not suit my standards. These are words of advice Mr. Ostrowski had given to a young Malcolm X. Malcolm had the highest grades in his class, But Mr. Ostrowski belittled him but not his peers. Malcolm stated that the students, “All reported that Mr. Ostrowski had encouraged what they had wanted, yet nearly none of them had earned marks equal” (Mascot, pg. 34) to his own. Even though he was the smartest in the class, he still wasn’t intelligent enough, like his fellow classmates to be what he wanted to be (Mascot, pg. 34). What I find to be interesting is that Malcolm was never capable of reading or writing during his younger years at school and it would be in prison that he learned to read and write. Malcolm said, “I...
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