Malcolm X Analysis Essays - English-language Films, Malcolm X

Malcolm X Analysis Frederick 1 ?[Malcolm X] has become a divided metaphor: for those who love him, he is a powerful lens of self-perception, a means of sharply focusing political and racial priorities; for those that loathe him he is a distorted mirror that reflects violence and hatred? (Dyson, 45). Depending on who listen to you can here many different versions of who Malcolm X was. Some call him a visionary who changed many people's views while others may call him a racist and violent hate-monger. Malcolm X is indeed no ordinary revolutionary figure. He was the anti-thesis of Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. non-violent ideologies yet strived to achieve the same goals as them. He wanted equality for his people and an end to the oppression that African Americans faced. ?He was the ideological leader for black radicalism including black religion (spirituality and morality), black nationalism (institution building and collective action), Panafricanism (identity and internationalism), and socialism (freedom/justice/ equality and anti-imperialism) (Website).? His accomplishments are best understood when analyzing the different periods in his life. Malcolm X went through many phases in his life. He had said, My whole life has been a chronology of changes (Website). There were three main stages in his life. As Malcolm Little, he was a drug addict and a criminal. As Malcolm X, he had transformed from a petty thief to a prominent priest for the Nation of Islam. He taught radical views on solving the racial problems in America. As Malik El- Shabazz, he had transformed from preaching segregation to preaching racial unity and equality. If someone were to hear the beliefs of Malcolm X and hear the beliefs Frederick 2 of Malcolm as Malik El-Shabazz, they might believe that Malcolm and Malik were two entirely different people, with drastically opposing views. Perhaps what made Malik El- Shabazz so great was that bettered himself by acknowledging his mistakes, learning from them, and was committed to teaching the lessons of his mistakes to others, so others could better themselves. Malcolm Little did little in his life that is noteworthy. Little spent his early twenties as a common criminal. Petty thievery and con artistry were two of his trades. With his hair ?conked? and sporting a zoot suit he went by the nickname of ?Detroit Red?. Not being able to get a decent job, Malcolm had to become a hustler to earn enough money for his excessive life style. He became selfish and lost all his scruples. He did not fear any other people or death and used every kind of drugs. Malcolm said ?there were three things to be afraid of: a job, a bust and jail; but I realized I was scared of nothing. I was an animal.? (X) Little's criminal activity and lackadaisical attitude could be attributed to his childhood. As a child he witnessed racism that killed his father and drove his mother into the insane asylum. As a child, Malcolm was at the top of his class. He informed his white teacher of his aspirations of being a lawyer. ?You're a nigger and a lawyer is not a realistic goal for a nigger? said Malcolm's teacher. (X) According to Bruce Perry, his bad childhood was a factor that ?contributed to the mature Malcolm's contorted leadership style. (Dyson 49) Frederick 3 Although he hated the whites, he felt inferior and wanted to be like them. Because of this he straightened his hair and had a white girlfriend. Malcolm wound up in jail on burglary charges, and soon began to reflect on himself. ?Our crime wasn't burglary, it was sleeping with white girls? said Malcolm of his jail term. (X) Malcolm Little had his first religious enlightenment while in prison. He studied the teachings of the Nation of Islam and its leader Elijah Mohamed. This is the point in his life in which I believe he became political. After discovering his new religion he seemed to wake up and tap his unlimited potential for persuasion and oration. He began to realize that it wasn't his fault that he was in prison, but it was the social order of the United States that indirectly landed him in jail. ?Cats who may have probed space or cured cancer . . .