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Chapter _ Class Discussion Notes
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Jeff
We began class today simply by stating what we noticed in the first chapter of Malcolm X. The responses ranged from comments on the tone compared to past novels to design vs. truth. The chapter came across more detached than we thought it would, X not appearing to fight against the government to stay with his family, in contrast to the lesson he provides for his audience which is "if you want something, you had better make some noise" (11). X seems to fight regularly in his daily life, so this moment seemed out of place. Moving forward in class, we talked about design vs. truth, and the mother as a symbol for this stylistic decision. X states that he "rarely talked to anyone about my mother" in fear that he would cause the offender harm (27). The placement of this statement in chapter one implies a possible stylistic choice by Haley to emphasize the importance of Malcolm's mother. The majority of the class period, however, was used to talk about hegemony within the text. We compared the chapter to the idea of "thought versus afterthought," which was presented to us in Du Bois' text. The main conflict with hegemony and thought vs. afterthought is that, while their ideas may not be truth, people's opinions can alter a person, forcing them to act more like other's views, and forcing them to believe that they are those other views. The government forces Malcolm to believe his family is broken, possibly the reason why he does not put up a fight against the government. His mother, however, seems to be a symbol for the opposite- she refuses to give into the government, but the refusal causes her to go crazy. Hegemony prevents blacks from transcendence, forcing them to cave in order to survive. Marcus Garvey, whose ideas Malcolm's father promotes, believes that hegemony will not go away, and that blacks must move back to Africa in order to survive. These ideas are not supported by whites in the community, as they 'stir up the good ones,' who display qualities that Washington promoted. These same men who do not support these ideas are the ones who smash the windows in X's house before he was born, which we realized mirrors Kristallnacht. The allusion of KKK to Nazis left us with the question of why might X reference this moment, and on the contrary, why would he not want you to make that allusion? We left these questions open ended for our own thoughts
In today's class, we discussed the most compelling passages and recurring concepts of Chapter 1. Malcolm X's skin tone came into play several times during the chapter. He believes that his light skin color influences his treatment he receives from his parents: his father favors him refrains from beating him while his mother whips him often. We determined that his father subconsciously overvalues X (due to the higher monetary value assigned to slaves with lighter skin) and his mother, also fair-skinned, hates her own white blood and transfers her resentment to her son. We went on to talk about X's use of foreshadowing, his conversational yet unfiltered tone (similar to Up From Slavery's, but disimilar to its argument), and the small world view he possesses as a child. Though X's father is a supporter of Garvey and his "Back to Africa" movement, X visualizes a very stereotypical picture of Africa: wild animals and savages. We discussed that his understanding of the world is limited by the lack of American education concerning Africa and by the smallness of Lancing, Michigan (the town he grows up in). We also discussed the welfare agency and the state which persistently interferes with X's family. After his father's death, the state attempts to break apart the family by saying that his mother is crazy (at first, it is because she teaches her children to be proud of their blackness, defying social order, and then it is because, after her life continues to fall apart, she begins talking to herself). Finally, we tied several of these points together to show that they are caused by hegemony in his society. Hegemony is a dominate cultural viewpoint that everyone unconsciously internalizes, like the idea that lighter skin makes someone superior or that Africa is made up of animals and natives.
We began class by discussing the distinct difference between movement and forced movement. For example, Malcolm X and his family move from Omaha to Lansing due to racial oppression, not by choice. We also observed X's relationship with his brother, and boxing's effect not only on the family, but also on the African American community: boxing was the only opportunity for blacks to "whip a white man and not be lynched" (29). X constantly witnesses whites using racist profanities, as if he can't understand or comprehend their meanings (32). White characters remain nameless except Richard Dixon, a menace from X's childhood, and Bill Peterson, who twice knocked X out in boxing matches. X gives Dixon and Peterson names so people recognize these characters with his same perspective, a strategy used by Douglass.
From his visit to Boston, X discovers the possibility of lifting the veil of hegemony, and becoming defined not by his skin tone, but by his intellectual talents like Du Bois. Once Malcolm X has an uncomfortable discussion with his history teacher regarding his future, he shuts down and refuses to tell anyone why he's unhappy. X isolates himself from the community and moves to Boston to avoid becoming a "brainwashed black Christian" and break away from hegemony (46). We left class with the conclusion that after years spent "trying so hard in every way to be white," X realizes he should embrace his race, and lift the veil covering his true being (38).
We started class today by revisiting Tuesday’s conversation of chapter 1. We talked about the conflict between movement, a quintessential American value, and forced movement, the antithesis of society. America revolves around the prospect of moving, socially and physically while simultaneously fears and evades eviction and recession. X’s family is stuck in a cycle of forced movement right from the outset of the text, yet X attempts to break free right away at the end of chapter 2 as he “boards the Greyhound bus for Boston,” suggesting that he recognizes movement as something achievable and desirable (45).
The Edenic garden on page 11 was also worth mentioning. While in Douglass’ slave narrative, Col. Lloyd’s fenced in garden is a false Eden, X’s garden is one of solace and Transcendence. The garden is a lace where he can “lie down… and…gaze up in the blue sky;” it is in the garden that he has the space for individual thought and can experience Whitman’s same revelation in nature (11). We talked about how this moment is homage to Douglass’ text and a demonstration of X’s desire to access Transcendence.
The last thing we looked at in chapter 1 was the specificity or lack there of with which he relates the names of various individuals. While he is quick to mention the name Richard Dixon, X completely disregards the man who lived with his family for a number of years. It is through names and descriptions that we, the audience, can understand how his worldview is shaped by the various events that occur in his life. This moment could also marks the book as an autobiography – the fact that he focuses on the events that were of personal significance suggests that he cares more about the physiological effects on him rather than those same events’ chronology or physical presence.
We then transitioned into talking about chapter 2. X begins the second chapter with a few stories about boxing, a quintessential aspect of the African Americans, specifically in the 1930s, as it was the only integrated sport in the USA; it marked the first time the two races could be evaluated as equals. Similar to the specificity with which he remembers Richard Dixon, X distinctly remembers Bill Peterson, the white boy who beat him in his first fight. This unexpected failure epitomizes his defiance of two American hegemonic stereotypes – one of the “American dream” comeback moment, and another of the expectations of a black athlete – and instead the assertion of his individuality. By doing so, X pulls his readers out of the expectations of society and emphasizes his ability to reject hegemony; while he is terrifying in courage and intellect, he is physically weak.
Similar to the hegemonic moments in chapter one werethe Swerlins othering X, the dances, and the conversation he has with Mr. Ostrowski. Both the Swerlins and the individuals from the reform school call X a series of racial slurs, but he still insists that they “were good people” multiple times (33). The names no longer hold the same weight that they perhaps should because of their overuse. Moreover, at the dances on page 36, X describes a thought/afterthought moment as he recognizes the fact that he is separated from the white children by a “physical barrier,” but that it was “not just from them, but also from within” himself (36). The othering of blacks is so deeply ingrained in society that X’s assigned status as an outcast becomes his reality.
We saved the Washingtonian moment with Mr. Ostrowski on page 43, when he asks X about his plans for the future, for last. X responds that he wants to be a lawyer even though he stresses that he had never given it any thought. He does so in order to break free from black, vocational stereotypes and moreover, because he wants affirmation for his actions. In this moment there is an interesting tension between hegemonic and counter-hegemonic thought. While X wants to “aspire” to something great for the sake of the black race, he fights for hegemonic recognition and praise instead (43). He wants the same positive feedback he receives in school to carry over into his life, yet Mr. Ostrowski can’t break free from hegemony either – while he does give X the grades he deserves, he cannot bring himself to promote his humanity and ability in society. It is in this moment that X “beg[ins] to change – inside;” he stops communicating with his peers and puts up Du Bois’ veil both literally and figuratively. By inserting a space on page 44 after he talks about wanting to be seen as a human rather than as another product of hegemony, X disassociates from society and brings the audience inside with him.
We ended class thinking about the fact that X probably didn’t chose to put the space in the text to mimic the same veil Du Bois metaphorically creates. Although this space was most likely not placed in the text deliberately as a veil, the audience has the distance to find connections between texts in order to piece together a greater understanding of individuals and their thoughts.
Before we began the main discussion of chapters 4-6, we took a look two moments. One of them was during the moment where Malcolm X places the thumbtack on his teacher's chair and gets sent to a reform school (30). We discussed briefly how Malcolm X was telling the readers that he had no rights at school.
The second moment we looked at was the page break on page 44 (towards the bottom). Because Malcolm leaves a moment of silence rather than going deeper into detail, the page break hints towards a point of consequence possibly in later parts of the text.
The whole class split into five groups and answered the following questions about the text:
Group 1: How are race based expectations of natural abilities at work in chapter 3-6?
Group 2: How are race based expectations of types of labor at work in chapters 4-6? Explain the different types of labor and the kinds of "slaves" based on racial distinctions.
Group 3: How are race based expectations of beauty at work? Talk about the definition of beauty racially coded what characters do in the text to appear beautiful.
Group 4: In what ways does Malcolm X employ Washingtonial skills in the text? Explain what he is manipulating in the text that might correspond with Washington, and how Malcolm X rejects DuBois's approach.
Group 5: Do you think the "I" writing the book agrees with the "I" doing all of the actions in the text? Are they not all direct choices? Also talk about how the story about Laura can be challenged. How is sexism employed in the text?
Due to the limited amount of time in class, we spent time focusing on sexism and the story about Laura between pages 80-81 and his description between pages 106-108. Most of the responses to the passage were a hybrid between design and regret. X does not view himself as sexist because he takes the blame for Laura with honesty. However, he shows arrogance with an "over the top" tone because she becomes a prostitute below himself. X also tells the story about Laura within the narrative about himself to convey a shocking regret towards his own actions. We defined a new term called "sorrowgance" (where a person may express sorrow or regret in an arrogant tone) because X masks his apology by driving a woman crazy. He describes the women as "fragile and weak," and that the hustle of men is wit and the hustle of women is prostitution. As the discussion progressed, we also talked about howX also makes broad statements with evidence to disprove them. We were told to make note of his inability or unwillingness to complicate his own vision in the other chapters of the text as we read forward.
Just before the end of class, we discussed how X also springs forward from his own contradictions. Although he blames himself with regret for Laura's fall, he also in a signs his own pictures.
Unfortunately, the class discussion spiraled downwards talking about a slightly unrelated tangent of someone's history class. A history teacher during an interview had her perform a random cartoonish skit from the 20's in a bar. "Mom, I want rum in my coffee," she said. "What the heck is coffee? Let's take a look," said someone else. Despite the amusement, the tangent left Jeff with a bunch of question marks on top of his head.
Regardless of the slight downturn in the class, the class concluded with the comment that the text uses very unusual slang terms, such as "pad parties," which explains why the text may sound amusing and cartoonish (66). The discussion will continue with the other groups in the class.
In class today, our discussion focused on the final pages of the Laura chapter. We focused on X's degradation of women in the text and considered the validity of Laura's story, X's description of her downfall, and how her role is significant to developing X's understanding of women.
X objectifies and degrades women in multiple occasions in chapters 3-6. All of the women in the text thus far - excluding Ella, X's mother, and his sisters - have been prostitutes and women of immoral values. X's decision to choose Sophia over Laura exemplifies the idea that white women are considered the most desirable "prize" for a black man to have in order to gain social status. " To have a white women who wasn't a known, common whore was - for the average black man, at least - a status symbol of the first order" (78). X's claims that his friend, 'Sammy the Pimp' has "an infallible clue for determining the 'unconscious, true personality' of women"(75). X admires Sammy's ability to ability to pick women who are dancing out of crowds and turn them into prostitutes.
Because X objectifies women so much, we discussed the possibility of X's inauthentic depiction of Laura's downfall as a portrayal of his lack of understanding and respect for women. At the end of the Laura chapter, X summarizes Laura's decent into a immoral life in a single paragraph. Then, he transitions with "in any case" and proceeds to talk about Sophia and his new job, completely dismissing the his wrongdoing in helping corrupt Laura. This brief summarization of Laura's downfall portrays X's lack of understanding and respect for women and also the fact that his actions, at this time, are driven by his desire for social status, which he will obtain by parading a white women around town. " Now, with the best looking white women who ever walked in those bars and clubs…even the big, important black hustlers and 'smart boys' were clapping me on the back" (80). It is also crucial to mention that X is only 16 or 17 years at this time; he acknowledges that, looking back on his actions towards Laura, he feels guilt and shame. "To have treated her as I did for a white women makes the blow doubly heavy. The only excuse I can offer is that like so many of my black brothers today, I was just dumb, deaf, and blind" (80).
Though X claims that he carries great shame for the mistreatment of Laura, we are curious as to whether this shame is authentic or if X is more interested in using Laura's story to create the design of a confessional narrative. The class generally agreed that it is highly unlikely that Laura's story is completely true - it seems created to depict the worst possible corruption X could imagine for a girl at that time. "Defying her grandmother, she started going out late and drinking liquor. This lead to dope, and that to selling herself to men…she also became a lesbian" (80). However, the fact that X gives her a chapter title - the only chatter title in the book that isn't directly about himself - portrays that Laura is certainly a significant figure in X's life. A relationship Laura with represents a possible opportunity for X to avoid his downward spiral toward a life of crime, but he is not mature enough to choose her over Sophia. Through his confessing his wrongdoings and acknowledging his mistakes, X is creating a confessional autobiography; he must tear himself down and make his readers dislike him before he is able to build himself back up and win back their admiration.
We began class by exploring the connections between Malcolm X's outlook on race and the viewpoints of Washington and Du Bois. We agreed that when he is a teenager, X's motives align with those of Washington; X focuses on undermining white society by earning money. We studied the moment in the text when X gets his first conk, and we concluded that this childhood decision is Washingtonian; X admits that a conk is a black man's "emblem of his shame that he is black" (65). X realizes that black men get conks when they accept that they are inferior, and seek to become more like white men. We discussed the judgmental nature of X's claim about the meaning behind a conk, agreeing that his statement is a generalization, and not necessarily true of all conks.
While X's behavior as a teenager is Washingtonian, his reflection on getting a conk overlaps with ideas put forward by Du Bois. X declares that "if [blacks] gave the brains in their heads just half as much attention as they do their hair, they would be a thousand times better off" (65). X emphasizes the importance of using one's intellect to advance, which link to Du Bois' vision of the talented tenth.
Class discussion shifted to considering the limitations of job opportunities for blacks. X claims that blacks are "victims of the white man's American social system," by which he means that blacks are pressured to meet three sets of societal expectations: general American ideals, white definitions of "blackness" and inter-racial expectations (104).
Keeping these expectations in mind, we looked at X's descriptions of his experience as a drug-dealer and thought up different reasons as to why he included these memories. X's straightforward style in describing his drug-dealing episodes normalizes the practice, suggesting that blacks are caught in a system that forces them to resort to such dishonest and dangerous jobs on a regular basis. X's drug-dealing stories also highlight the importance of movement in the text. X wants to emphasize his ambition and ability to innovate. These qualities overlap with Franklin's ideals, but X is unable to connect with the American dream in a meaningful way because of his race. Instead, he fulfills the black stereotype of committing crimes for money; he embodies white expectations placed on blacks by becoming a "hustler."
Looking back on his decisions, X admits that he was foolish and naive, but he does not utterly condemn himself; on the other hand, he seems to be somewhat proud of his childhood. By refraining from completely denouncing his younger self, X leaves the degree of honor displayed by his past actions up to his reader and allows space for other characters in his book to escape harsh judgment by the reader. X pays homage to the past, while looking towards an improved future.
Today we began our discussion by having Jeff explain to us what the numbers racket is. As a class, we came to the conclusion that it was essentially an illegal lottery where the head of the numbers racket would read the last digets of the stock exchange. Since the last digets of the stock exchange were completely random, this method of choosing the winner made the racket more fair as there could not be any favoritism. We also talked about the two different types of lottery tickets that you could get. One type was the unboxed set of numbers where the number on your card had to be called exactly how it looked on your card to win. The other type of card was called the boxed card where any combination of the numbers on the card could have been called for you to win. For example, if there was a boxed card with the number combination of 123, the combinations 123, 132, 213, 231, 312, 321 could all be winning numbers. However, the boxed number card costed more money.
Next, we talked about the different methods of deception and image construction regarding the "hustle." We came up with a couple of moments in the text that resembled the different methods: sandwich porter on the train, the suits and the conks, the shoe shining, and dealing with the police. Then after discussing what these jobs had in common, which was that it enabled the whites to access negro soul. We also realized that when X brought up this idea of whites gaining access to negro soul represented his authentic voice. Some of those moments listed above are examples of pride, moreso than others.
Then we went on to compare Washington to X and how they received their notoriety in different ways but had the same ulterior motives. Washington's way of achieving notoriety is by creating Tuskegee Institute. The difference between the two is that X has a lot of street credit but he receives that street credit illegally which makes him well know. In the end, they both wanted the street credit or notoriety for personal gain and to be able to have more "power"
Lastly, we talked about how X is conflicted regarding death. The moment where he holds the pistol to his head and plays russian roulette proves to the reader that he does not fear death. However, whenever someone seems threatening like West Indian Archie, X becomes very distraught and timid which shows that he is actually afraid of death and that the russian roulette moment is him just trying to impress people to gain street cred. For example, when he is at the bar and West Indian Archie approaches him, X becomes frantic and from that moment on X refuses to sit with his back towards the door which shows that he is scared of death.
In today’s class discussion we focused on three race-based observations that X makes. We briefly reiterated that the autobiography has five parts. The first part ends when Malcolm gets on the bus for Boston. The second part is when X is “the hustler” and part three is the prison years of X. In today’s discussion we finished part 2. The three race based observations that X makes are about beauty, labor, and natural talents. We talked about the major mentions of beauty in Malcolm X are zoot suits, outlandish shoes, and conking. We talked about how zoot suits symbolized hip culture and catering to whiteness. The outlandish shoes mirrored the race-based advertisements we see nowadays. Jeff compared this to a burger king commercial in Oakland compared to a burger king commercial in San Francisco. Jeff also brought up that the first black millionaire created hair straightener in a box. We also talked about how X is attracted to Sophia because she’s white and rich which elevates his status. An interesting observation is that X is way more regretful in his changes in beauty then his job choices. He even says the blacks that don’t change are now most beautiful.
X has a series of jobs when he comes to Boston including shoe shining, drug dealing, selling sandwiches on a train, and hustling. These are all forms of manual labor that do not require formal education but more of individual mentoring. Jeff then posed the question are these jobs authentic for black people or are we suppose to see this and say how tragic that he had to perform these jobs. Abby brought us to page 64 to a quote saying “I had joined that multitude of Negro men and women in America who are brainwashed into believing that the black people are “inferior” and “It makes you wonder if the Negro has completely lost his sense of identity, lost touch with himself.” We were then brought to a point that white society has given blacks an ultimatum. To become a hustler or to become a “hill” person. The “hill” people are also called the 400, which is a dig at Dubois elitism. The 400’s jobs appear dignified but they are really just servants. Is X hypocritical for ridiculing people for trying to integrate? X chooses hustling because he can be more of a badass.
Since the beginning of the book, X has said that he doesn’t associate with primitive Africa yet he says the African Americans are natural dancers. He says “my African instincts broke loose” which has a wild and jungle vibe about it. X also thinks that white clients prefer black prostitutes because of the authentic Negro “soul”. By the end of chapter 9, X is at the bottom of the literary V and so we expect him to start going up soon.
