Final Thoughts Forum Ali / Discussion

This is the discussion related to the wiki page Final Thoughts Forum Ali.

page 1 of 212next »

Superior Powers

Maymcline 27 Oct 2012 02:58

The identity transformations throughout Malcolm X’s autobiography are merely evolutions where Malcolm trades one sovereign for another, giving the assertion that inequality is a natural part of society. The three superior powers that control Malcolm's life are “white supremacy”, the “Nation of Islam”, and “Allah” (440,352,315). In Harlem and Boston Malcolm's life is dictated by whites "superior" nature and their unwillingness to allow blacks to be equal while Malcolm legitimizes their control by being "self defacing" and by falling into vice (65). When Malcolm "conked" his hair "faithfully" by "burning [his] flesh to have it look like white man's hair" it shows the extent of power that white society had over his actions because Malcolm sacrificed himself to look closer to whites (64). The process of "conking" demonstrate that whites were seen as godlike figures in Malcolm's life at that point that Malcolm would even inflict "a burning pain" on himself just to "look 'white'" (64,65). In Harlem, the white's economic oppression of the black men is seen more distinctly and Malcolm is forced into crime because of the white man's "superiority" over him. When Malcolm states that if the various criminal "numbers" men in Harlem "lived in another kind of society, their exceptional mathematical talents might have been better used, but they were black" he is implying that the white man has limited and confined the black man economically and socially to crime which is what forced Malcolm X to “hustle” (135). Malcolm succumbs to white power by allowing white men to control his economic and social situations; therefore making whites the ruler of Malcolm in Harlem and Boston. In the next transition of power, Malcolm makes the “Nation of Islam” and “ the most powerful black man in America” Elijah Muhammad his sovereigns, which ultimately degrades Malcolm into being a “servant” who “never [thought] for as much as five minutes about [his] self” while the Nation of Islam and Mr. Muhammad are considered godlike and superior (333,352 353). By always “mak[ing] it crystal clear that [he] was Mr. Muhammad’s representative” Malcolm grants Mr. Muhammad power and makes him if “not God, then …surely next to God (335,353). Mr. Muhammed who“ prais[ed] [Malcolm] to [his] face” but “tear[ed] [him] apart behind [his] back” and the Nation of Islam initiated the “death talk” on Malcolm despite “the loyalty which [he] had given to the Nation of Islam”(343). Since Malcolm “lived for the Nation, and for Mr. Muhammad” and the betrayal that Malcolm faces reiterates that their relationship was based on a monarchial system and how Malcolm served and followed a higher power (337). Malcolm’s final transformation consists of Malcolm shifting his loyalty to Allah and making Allah his superior power. In Mecca Malcolm “submit[s] to no one but [Allah]” and emphasizes the “oneness of God” (373). The difference between the reign of Allah and of white supremacy or of the Nation of Islam is that Allah is a superior power that is deemed superior by an equal “brotherhood” where “white, black, brown red, and yellow people… all honer[ed] the same God” (372,386). The tendency to have a symbolic superior figure is constant throughout the autobiography of Malcolm X but the end suggests that the best superior figure would enable equality among all people.

Works cited

Class Notes: 09/12-10/12
Ali, Malik.
Malcolm X; with Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Grove Press. 1965.

A Transition of Trust- Fouad's Final Thoughts Post

fbooch 28 Oct 2012 19:35

Throughout The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm struggles to build strong relationships as a result of his inability to trust. His issues with trust and relationships being in his early life as a hustler. The primary rule of hustling, as stated in The Autobiography of Malcolm X, is, “that you never trust anyone outside of your close mouthed circle, and you select with time and care before you may any intimates among these” (The Autobiography of Malcolm X, 101). This principle is one that stuck with Malcolm X throughout his entire life, and even after his hustling days, the impact that those words had on him remained within his ideals. Although Malcolm X struggles to trust those present in his life, one man, Elijah Muhammad, was able to gain his trust. Malcolm describes that he believed in Elijah Muhammad “more strongly than he believed in himself” (The Autobiography of Malcolm X, 227). As Malcolm slowly progressed into a relationship of trust with Elijah Muhammad, his fear of betrayal turns into a reality when he is kicked out of the Nation of Islam. This showed Malcolm the two-sidedness of life, and even after he had “submitted 100 percent” to Elijah Muhammad, he still was betrayed; a feeling that, to Malcolm, was, “worse than death” (The Autobiography of Malcolm, 352).
The epilogue to The Autobiography of Malcolm X showed a more real, true, raw side of Malcolm X to the reader. Its attempt to give the reader a window into the design of The Autobiography of Malcolm X is successful in showing a more concrete point of view into Malcolm X’s life. In the epilogue, Haley describes in more depth, specific times he spent with Malcolm X. Here, the reader still sees his trust issues, but in a much more exposed way. The first occurrence that is described by Haley was a very normal one. He explains that Malcolm X “never entered the room where we worked without exclaiming, ‘Testing, testing-one, two, three…’ “(Epilogue, 2). Here, something as simple as their discussions were overshadowed by his lack of trust as he suspected the room was bugged. Along with his suspicions about the room, Malcolm makes it clear that he didn’t “completely trust anyone… not even myself” (Epilogue, 3).
Although the reader sees Malcolm X struggle with trust and relationships throughout his whole life, his final moments with Hale show a significant change in his concrete opinion. Haley describes conversations that he had with Malcolm, where Malcolm “would telephone me [Haley], and ask how the book was coming along, and he might set up the time for our [their] next interview upon his return” (Epilogue, 5). Their nightly talks were important to Haley, but he mentions one call that he “will never forget” (Epilogue, 5). Per usual, Malcolm called Haley around “four A.M.” and said very few words, but words that had a lot of meaning (Epilogue, 5). Malcolm said to Haley, “ I trust you seventy percent”, and followed by hanging up abruptly (Epilogue, 5). Malcolm’s transition from an extremely closed off person, to one that admits to trusting someone almost fully marked a major turning point in his life. This talk opened up Haley’s eyes, and gave him insight to a more vulnerable Malcolm X, and his realization left Haley feeling “warmed” by Malcolm X’s openness; a feeling he had never felt from him before (Epilogue, 5).

Works Cited:

Haley, Alex. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: The Random House Publishing Group, 1964. Print.
Haley, Alex. The Autobiography of Malcolm X Epilogue. New York: The Random House Publishing Group, 1964. Print.

Transformation Captured in Names

Gaby Berbey 28 Oct 2012 22:06

A recurring motif throughout The Autobiography of Macolm X is Malcolm’s continuous identity change, correlating with his constant change in location. The transformation of Malcolm’s names and labels captures each intellectual, emotional, and physical transformation he undergoes during his lifetime. Each name and label provides insight to Malcolm’s societal and emotional status. Beginning with his first given nickname, Malcolm embraces the label of Mascot as a societal identity. This first nickname signifies the white perception of Malcolm as a “pet” (32). The white individuals neglect to recognize Malcolm’s “sensitivity, intellect, and understanding” equal to that of a white boy, perceiving his emotional and intellectual capabilities similar to those of animals (32). During his Harlem days, Malcolm eventually gains recognition as Detroit Red. Although identified by his original hometown, receiving a label indicates Malcolm’s “sign of permanence” and acceptance into the Harlem community (111). His successful integration into Harlem and the infamous African-community foreshadows his eventual role as a highly regarded hustler. Gaining the title as Detroit Red serves as the preliminary stage of Malcolm’s complete absorption of Harlem culture, and more importantly, crime. Similarly, his transformation from Detroit Red to Malcolm X demonstrates his separation from the world of crime towards the Nation of Islam. Replacing the white-derived last name, the “Muslim’s X symbolize[s] the true African family” (229). Malcolm’s identity shift exemplifies, and arises from his involvement with the Nation of Islam, and ultimate reconnection with his African roots. Resembling the initial gain of the Detroit Red title foreshadowing his crime-absorbed life in Harlem, acquiring the Malcolm X title foreshadows his eventual role as a leader in the Nation of Islam. In his final transformation, Malcolm re-frames his shift from the Nation of Islam to Orthodox Islam. Discarding the title of Malcolm X, he adapts the name El Hajj Malik El Shahazz, demonstrating his personal movement away from the traditional structure within the Nation of Islam. Making himself an internationalist through the use of labels, Malcolm’s final name change indicates his shift from wanting to help Black men redeem themselves and recognize White men as “devils”, to advocating an internationalist identity (197). The various names from his first identity of Malcolm Little to El Hajj Malik El Shahazz each represent a crucial emotional and societal stage in Malcolm’s life; every name influencing the next identity and acting as a blueprint for the multiple transformations leading to Malcolm’s final identity.

Works Consulted

Class Notes
Malcolm X; with Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Grove Press. 1965.

Alec R 29 Oct 2012 01:06

Malcolm X and Alex Haley tell a tale of a man who can never seem to make up his mind. Malcolm, throughout the book shows a lack of commitment. Malcolm’s tendency to change paths constantly stems from his childhood and the lack of an authoritative figure. He is stronger from this experience because he is a self-built man, his own boss and the mistakes he made were excellent learning experiences.
The first step to Malcolm becoming his own man was loosing his father, because after his father there was no strong male presence in his life. “So there we were… no husband, no provider or protector to take care of her eight children” (14). The lack of a father leads to Malcolm’s next stage in his life where again he receives no guidance from anyone especially his teachers. He learns for himself a lesson about white people in mascot. He was treated like a “pet canary” in Lansing and learned because he was black he would not be valued as a human being by whites (32). The first figure to guide in his life was Ella, and she is important to his development because she gets Malcolm started on a life of his own. She gets him to dream big after his trip to Boston, “It was then that I began to change – inside” (44). This is the first change in Malcolm’s life, the first step into his development of his very own persona.
In his life, Malcolm follows different people, his parents, the Swerlins, Ella, Shorty, Bimbi, Mr. Muhammad and so on. However, Malcolm only becomes himself, a unique person, when he is following Allah. Malcolm grows apart from the views of people on this list, and had he grown older he may have grown away from Allah. There is such a strong connection between Malcolm and Allah because he needs a figure he can count on to lead him, he is a passionate man and devoted learner who desperately needs an alley through which he can channel his unbreakable spirit.

Works Consulted
Malcolm X; with Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Grove Press. 1965.
Ali, Malik

Influence of Surroundings

Juliensmith 29 Oct 2012 04:39

The autobiography of Malcolm X emphasizes the strong beliefs, hard work and integrity that Malcolm X represents throughout all part of his life. Although, the many phases of his character might also sum up Malcolm to be confused of his identity and confused about the way he is supposed to think. The constant changes in Malcolm’s identity suggest that he is easily influenced by his surroundings. When he was young and surrounded by family he was known as Malcolm Little, then, later when he lived in Harlem and was surrounded by pimps, prostitution, and drugs, he was known as Detroit Red, a drugs dealer. The significance of the conk that Malcolm had at that time also provides a decent example of how Malcolm has always been easily influenced by his surroundings. In chapter 3 Malcolm X describes in detail the first time he got his hair conked. During that time, most black hustlers and pimps had conks, influencing Malcolm to do the same. In the narrative, Malcolm X implies that the reason behind his desire for a conk, had to do with the societies value of white culture. This reasoning might have been true early on when the first few people started conking their hair, but after a while it was just a matter of style. The integrity of Malcolm X’s as a person was easily noticeable in almost every chapter of the book. No matter what Malcolm X is doing, or how he thinks at a certain point in the autobiography, Malcolm X always goes to the extreme. He is never a “normal” follower of Elijah Muhammad just like he was never a normal hustler. “Eventually the men in the cellblock nicknamed me Satan” (177). Due to the fact that Malcolm X at one point was nicknamed “Satan” by prisoners suggest he must’ve come off as the baddest of the bad. The way for him to cleanse himself was to take the extreme step in the exact opposite direction. This is exactly what Malcolm did when he joined the Nation of Islam, it is also why he eventually became more famous than Elijah Muhammad himself. The autobiography of Malcolm X is a story of a man, heavily influenced by what’s around him, that goes to great extremes to promote what he believes in.

Bibliography:
Malik Ali A block English Class

The Autobiography of Malcolm X (As told to Alex Haley)

Man's Dominion

TheRealEmmanuelReyes 29 Oct 2012 06:11

Malcolm X's autobiography has been interpreted as many ways in regards to transformation and change over time. Malcolm X is a very important image that has been represented in all aspects raging from music to clothing. One way in which the autobiography of Malcolm X can be interpreted, because he a symbol that represents a greater truth, is that his autobiography can be a symbol for the struggle that the black community has faced of being under the control of man's dominion and transitioning into freedom.

Malcolm X's story is an example of how the black community had and and can be free from man's dominion. The black community in America originated because in order to stimulate economic growth slaves were needed so that they could work for free under the rule of man. Because Malcolm X was such an influential figure, his childhood represents the origin of African Americans and how they were controlled. As a boy Malcolm Little's lifestyle was not based off any certain philosophy, instead it was based on a white man's society. Malcolm Little saw very little wrong in being the " 'nigger' of [his] class, [he] was in fact extremely popular", which made him feel as if it was normal to be degraded (34). Later on in his life when Malcolm Little makes his transition into Detroit Red, it seems as if he might not be under the control of anybody in particular simply because he can do so many illegal acts and not have any repercussions, but when further examined we see that Detroit Red is just a product of his environment, a man made environment. Because he wasn't willing to kneel to the white man and get a regular job his environment forced him to choose to indulge in "numbers, pimping, con games of many kinds, peddling doom and thievery of all sorts, including armed robbery", and because his environment was influenced by men, he was still being controlled and influenced by a form of man's dominion (96). Once Malcolm suffers the repercussions from his days as Detroit Red, he converts to the Nation of Islam. He would be considered free. Because the leader of the Nation of Islam happens to be another corrupted leader, the man , now known as Malcolm X, is being used as a puppet further adding to the list of situations where he has been under man's control. It is not until he converts to Orthodox Islam, when Malcolm can be considered free. We can assume that he is free, because he no longer depends on what man dictates, instead he focuses on what needs to be done to improve American society so that others wont be under the dominion of man as he was. Although his lifestyle is heavily influenced by a religion, the religion itself is based upon something otherworldly, whereas his past aliases have all been influenced by man. The connection to the larger entity, which is the black community, is represented by his story because they both have a story based on struggle and eventually reach a point where they are considered free because they are no longer governed by man's oppressive laws, but instead live freely as those who once controlled them.

Just like the black community, Malcolm struggles through hardships to reach a point in his life where he considers himself to be free. Now, his story doesn't mean that all African Americans need to convert to Islam in order to be free. However perhaps Malcolm X's autobiography does lead groups that have suffered oppression, to depend on a higher power, wether that be religion or universal peace between distinct groups.

Works consulted
The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Grove Press. 1965.

Last edited on 29 Oct 2012 06:23 by TheRealEmmanuelReyes Show more

The Dependence of Women

BenKulli 29 Oct 2012 06:32

Malcolm’s simultaneous admiration and distrust of women stem from his early childhood, and his experience with his mother. Early on, Malcolm’s mother is forced to raise him and his many siblings after the suspicious death of her husband, and the absence of any other permanent male role models for her children. Malcolm’s father leaves his family with minimal life insurance money, forcing Malcolm’s mother into working multiple jobs and relying on welfare to support her many children. As time goes on, their family becomes increasingly poorer, and Malcolm’s mother becomes decreasingly stable mentally. She is unable to care for her children, and by the time Malcolm moves out, his mother is taken “to the State Mental Hospital at Kalamazoo” (25).
Malcolm sees his mother’s unfortunate failure not as her fault, but as a basis for the majority of women’s inabilities to be independent. Malcolm believes that his mother broke down in the absence of a strong male figure to take care of her because she is by nature dependent on men, and not solely because of the difficult situation she fought to rise above. Malcolm also significantly mentions a man whom his mother sees for a brief time, although he never names this man. Although Malcolm knows that this man is their only hope, he also recognizes that this man would be “taking on the responsibility of those eight mouths to feed,” as Malcolm’s mother would rely on him to do so (23). Still, Malcolm does not expect this man to help them, as he would be taking on “a tremendous responsibility,” one that Malcolm feels is too much for his bother to handle alone (23). From this experience, he is convinced that most women are dependent on others, and are not strong enough to support themselves.
Because Malcolm believes that women are inherently dependent on others, he is impressed by and admires the independence of prostitutes in Harlem. Malcolm recognizes that prostitutes, while performing a degrading job, possess incredibly social skills, similar to those that he recognizes to be characteristics of their managing pimps. He recognizes that they have both the ability to read and to manipulate people for their own advantage. One woman “known as ‘Alabama Peach’… could put everybody in snitches,” being popular as a white woman in a crowd of black people, a feat for someone who would normally be shunned in such circumstances (103). Malcolm also admires their ability to be self-sustaining, and fend for themselves in the sometimes-dangerous environment of Harlem, a world where people “view everyday living as survival” (105). To Malcolm, prostitutes are among the few women that, unlike his mother, are not dependent on others, due to their excellent social abilities.
Malcolm’s mother’s inability to support her family and herself in the absence of a supporting male figure gives Malcolm his sexist view on life. He believes that women are unable to be both independent and equal members of society. While he finds some women to be impressive individuals, such as the prostitutes in Harlem, Malcolm remains skeptical of most females, even his wife, “whom [he] would trust seventy-five per cent” (Excerpt, 3).

Works Cited:

Haley, Alex. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: The Random House Publishing Group, 1964. Print.
Haley, Alex. The Autobiography of Malcolm X Epilogue. New York: The Random House Publishing Group, 1964. Print.

Whites

zeric 29 Oct 2012 06:48

Examining Malcolm X’s relationships with white people throughout The Autobiography of Malcom X serve as a great way to mark his ideological transformations. In the beginning of the text, Malcolm is presented as a naïve teen. He was “unique” had the highest grades at his school, and was “proud,” and while his experiences as a black mascot alienated from the dominant culture he still tried “so hard” “in every way [he could], to be white” (37, 38). Malcolm is partially blind of the American racial status quo, and in an effort to cope with his imperfect understanding he makes a fruitless effort to integrate. In this chapter of his life, Malcolm believes the racial problems he experience can be solved on an individual level, but his teachers dream crushing comments bring him back to reality. While Mr. Ostrowski may have simply suggested carpentry as a suitable “realistic” career for Malcolm, whom he called a nigger, Malcolm internalizes this comment and “changes – inside” (pg 44). This change signifies Malcolm’s newfound perspective on White people. At this point he blames Mr. Ostrowski’s comment on his “nature as an American white man,” but Malcolm does not outright hate the entire White race yet, he is merely more aware. His life from that moment on, is lived almost completely amongst Blacks.
After being put into prison, Malcolm’s perception of Whites is again radically changed for the second time, again significantly changing his life. Malcolm’s brother Reginald explains to Malcolm that “the white man is the devil,” to which Malcolm innocently replies “what about Hymie” (184). Clearly Malcolm has doubts about Reginald’s blanket statement, for he remembers the New York Jew he thought to be genuinely kind, but after much reflection Malcolm traces the intentions of Whites to evil. It is after this reflection that Malcolm “made up [his] mind to devote the rest of [his] life to telling the white man about himself,” and Malcolm’s life again changes dramatically (213). Even though, Malcolm had remained around Blacks before, when he leaves prison his newfound devotion to his Black race inspires him to condemn Whites harshly, and uplift his community against what he believed were the White man’s wishes, rather than destroy his community.
Finally, Malcolm’s beliefs transform once more, taking his life in a completely new direction. During his Hajj to Mecca, Malcolm notices the stark difference in race relations between the United States, and the Middle East and Africa. In these foreign lands he notes the “brotherhood” of “all races, colors coming together as one” (389). This observation ultimately leads Malcolm to claim “the white man is not inherently evil” and his ideology shifts completely (427). While Malcolm still remains highly critical of Whites, her detaches himself completely from the fallacies of the Nation of Islam to set up his own Muslim organization. Malcolm is willing to cooperate with some Whites, yet his association with Blacks dominates. Unfortunately, however, Malcolm’s life is cut short, and his death can be partially attributed to this new racial discovery that leads him away from the Nation.
While Malcolm attaches himself to Blacks for the majority of his life, it is by interactions and perceptions of Whites that his life is divided into three major stages; the hustler, the Muslim agitator, and the cooperator.

Works Consulted:
Class Notes
Haley, Alex. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: The Random House Publishing Group, 1964. Print.

From Malcolm Little to Malcolm X

Audrey Hector 29 Oct 2012 06:59

Malcolm's opinion on white people and black discrimination has changed throughout the book. From his conversation with Mr. Otrowski as a young boy to his religious and final belief of white people and black discrimination as a wise man. Malcolm's discussion with Mr. Otrowski is "when [Malcolm] began to change - inside" (38). At a young age, Malcolm learned that no matter what he did, or how smarter he was "than nearly all of those white kids," Malcolm was still not intelligent enough, in the eyes of white people, "to become whatever [he] wanted to be" (38). "Even though [Malcolm] might be with them, [Malcolm wasn't] considered of them. Even though they appeared to have opened the door, it was still closed. Thus they never did really see [Malcolm]," for he was a human being, the only thing that white people and other people in his society saw was the color of his skin (28). As Malcolm Little, Malcolm began to draw "away from white people," beginning his path towards white and black separation. Malcolm Little began to recognize the language around him, "where 'nigger' had slipped off [his] back before, wherever [he] heard it now, [Malcolm] stopped and looked at whoever said it. And they looked surprised that [he] did," because Malcolm was no longer a "brainwashed black Christian" (38,40). Malcolm had recognized the discrimination of black people at a young age and his opinions of black discrimination would stay with him throughout his life. As Malcolm's location changes, along with his name, his opinions of black discrimination and separation also begin to change. In chapters Homeboy, Laura, and Detroit Red, Malcolm seems to lose sense of his realization of black discrimination and separation. Malcolm begins to get things like conks, that make his hair look more white, and zoot suits. Malcolm "had joined the multitude of Negro men and women in America who are brainwashed into believing that the black people are 'inferior' and white people 'superior'- that they will even violate and mutilate their God created bodies to try to look 'pretty' by white standards" (56-57). Now being called Detroit Red, Malcolm almost lost this realization of black discrimination and separation but was able to recover from his time of brainwash when he entered prison, another transition in Malcolm's life that also transitioned his realization of black discrimination and separation. After being taught by the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, Malcolm is known as Malcolm X, another transition of setting and name, and his beliefs of black and white separation have changed again. No longer showing hatred for white people, Malcolm X believes, that he has learned "the truth in Mecca," that his "dearest friends have come to include all kinds- some Christian, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, agnostics and even atheists! My friends today are black, brown, red, yellow, and white!" (382). By the end of the book Malcolm understands that not all white people are bad and he should not group them together. Instead of showing hatred towards white people, he should figure out a way, without violence, that white people and black people can live in once society. Malcolm Little, Detroit Red, and Malcolm X, are three completely different character, believing in different beliefs about black discrimination and separation, but by the end of the book Malcolm believes that finding a way, without violence, for white people and black people to live in the same society is what mankind should focus on.

Works Consulted:
Malcolm X; with Alex Haley. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: Grove Press. 1965.

Final Thoughts

Sayles 29 Oct 2012 08:10

The Autobiography of Malcolm X encompasses the dynamic transformation of one man’s ideology as he journeys through different communities and identities, struggling to understand the complex interaction between races, and empower African Americans to gain their rightful status and fulfill their latent potential. Malcolm X’s transformations correlate with the changes in his environment. The exposure to diverse communities and social groups reveal to Malcolm a deeper truth about power dynamics, because he becomes part of them. His experience comes from the harshest parts of American society, and he is educated, or conditioned, “in the streets and in prison, where you see the truth” (Haley, 4). Malcolm gains a broader scope as his experiences and environment extend from the small Lansing to Boston and then Harlem, and after the confines of prison, the Middle East and Africa. Ultimately, his views are shaped by individuals’ response to a larger community dynamic, proving that surroundings define a person’s identity. In Harlem, hustlers who engage in the dangerous life of crime are victims of their surroundings; limited by a power dynamic. For example, West-Indian Archie possesses sharp skills of perception and manipulation, the capacity of a businessman. The inhibition of West-Indian Archie is due to his environment; the cyclical dynamic of a hustling lifestyle. Malcolm realizes that given other circumstances, because of his intelligence, Archie could become a wealthy, influential upper-class man. X parallels the numbers game to the stock market; the illegal world shares its fundamental components with the legal world. West-Indian Archie’s response to the larger community, his submission to the dangerous and disreputable life of crime, exemplifies the forcefulness of an inescapable power dynamic, and how surroundings shape a person’s identity. For each new city that Malcolm calls home he receives a new name, each defining his identity through the circumstances and person who gave it to him. The two most dramatically different identities, Mascot and Satan, represent how significant a different environment has on a person. In the chapter “Mascot,” Malcolm feels the pressure of fulfilling a certain identity, which is recognized and established by white children. At post-basketball school dances with the other team, the newcomers’ discomfort is obvious to Malcolm. But “[the freeze] would start to ease as they saw that I didn’t try to mix” (36). When he satisfies an expectation, the tension lessens. Malcolm’s conscious submission fulfills the ambient power dynamic. In prison, Malcolm’s identity as Satan, a new inmate with outrageous “evil-tempered” behavior stands in stark contrast to Mascot (176). Though the same person, Malcolm’s change of character is due entirely to the exposure of a different people; a different dynamic. Malcolm’s final conviction about race relations occurs on the religious pilgrimage to Mecca. He reassesses his entire view of race interaction upon seeing how humanity as a whole can unite and be blind to judgment by skin color. When meeting Dr. Omar Azzam, Malcolm reflects how the man is white in appearance, but in demeanor he is black (381). This event is a critical realization for Malcolm. He realizes that the racial divide is exclusive to the American political and social system. As a result, Malcolm is able to distinguish how certain community, racial, and national dynamics are formed within a certain environment. His exposure to the vast power dynamics within America and the lack of them internationally shape Malcolm as a person and create his ideologies. Essentially, the transformation of Malcolm X’s identity and ideology is a direct result of his changing, surrounding environment and social dynamics.

Works Consulted:
Class Discussion
Class Notes
Haley, Alex. The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York: The Random House Publishing Group, 1964. Print.

Last edited on 29 Oct 2012 08:15 by Sayles Show more

page 1 of 212next »