Essay about Malcolm X 2

Submitted By hottguy424
Words: 1115
Pages: 5
Open Document
Afro-American Struggle: Malcolm X’s Views on the White Race Malcolm X was a controversial figure in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s. He was well known for his extremist ideals involving religion, politics, and most importantly, race. X was very explicit while he described the white race in his autobiography. He blames the whites for the majority of everything bad in his life. His hasty views on the white race created media frenzy and boosted him to be one of the leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. The Autobiography of Malcolm X, as told to Alex Haley, successfully depicts the transformation of X’s social and political views regarding the white race in the 1960’s. His stories justifying his beliefs are very persuasive and effective, however they are incredibly narrow-minded and do not present plausible cause for such extremist views on an entire race. In the beginning of Malcolm X’s life, his views were very focused on the wickedness and immorality of the whites. He described them as “devils” and “liars.” “Every time you see the white man, you see the devil” (Haley 245). He was against the white race and refused to receive help from them. X fought for segregation between the races, instead of the popular civil rights motive for integration. He developed an extreme hatred for whites while he was in prison with the influence of his mentor and religious idol, Elijah Muhammad. Muhammad was against all whites and viewed them as devils. A quotation from the text that shows X’s views on Eljah Muhammad is “… was that Elijah Muhammad in every aspect of his existence was a symbol of moral, mental, and spiritual reform among the American black people” (Haley 339). This causes Malcolm X to evaluate all of the white people that he has ever encountered and found in all cases they have caused him misery in his life. He also blames the white race for taking advantage of the poor ghettos to make themselves richer. All this resentment toward the white race is prominent in his political and social views during his stand for civil rights. Later in life, Malcolm X decided to travel the world and make the Hajj, or the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. During this exposure to the real aspects and people of the Islam faith, his ideals and beliefs toward the white people had changed. He had learned that the Islamic faith was “colorblind” and that race had no bearings in the religion. After his life changing experiences in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, he realized that not all white people are evil. In fact, he decided to include the “good” whites in his social activism, by having the “good” whites convert other whites to follow his cause of Civil Rights activism. A quote from the autobiography that states his new found views is “I don’t speak against the sincere, well-meaning, good white people. I learned there are some. I have learned that not all white people are racists. I am speaking against and my fight is against white racists. I firmly believe that Negros have the right to fight against these racists, by any means necessary” (Haley 422). This quotation also proves that Malcolm X admits that he was wrong in his previous beliefs and that his beliefs generalized all white people as evil. This shows how he was so narrow-minded in his earlier years. Malcolm X’s autobiography makes a clear argument for his social beliefs against white people by using examples from his life to tell the reader why white people are so evil. For example, in the beginning of the autobiography, he explains how the white man killed his father, and how the white man forced his mother into a mental institution. He also explains later in the autobiography that the white man took advantage of the ghettos and reaped benefits from taking advantage of the poor. He also blamed the white man for giving him a longer prison sentence that he deserved. Instances of how the white man negatively affected his, and other black people’s lives flood the autobiography. All
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about Malcolm X 2

Essay about Justice By Any Means Necessary2

Shannon Reimonenq AP English 3 Mrs. Desimone 20 October 2014 Justice by Any Means Necessary Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little on May 19, 1925. He was an African American human rights activist and an influential man who advocated the rights of African Americans. He delivered many speeches; such as Black Man’s History, The Black Revolution, and Message to the Grassroots. During the time period Malcolm X lived in there was much discrimination against African Americans. They were not yet equal with…

Words 939 - Pages 4

Malcolm X Research Paper Outline

definition, a question, a statistic, etc.) “If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything.” - Malcolm X Background info about your person (born, raised, family, etc) His full real name is Malcolm Little. He was born May 19th , 1925 in Omaha , Nebraska. His parents are Earl & Louise Little. He had 10 siblings, Mary , Reginald , Yvonne , Robert , Hilda , Earl(JR) Little , Wilfred X , Ella Collins , Abdul Aziz Omar. He had a wife named Betty Shabazz and 6 children, Qubilah, Ilyasah ,…

Words 1200 - Pages 5

Drake Alialevel52BBB Essay

Alia 1 Drake Alia Mrs. Macchiarella English 1st period, Level 5 Paper #2 Draft 2 December 13, 2011 “My First Conk” The Autobiography of Malcom X The thesis of “My First Conk” by Malcolm X is the altering of one’s self to achieve acceptance in society. The first sentence indicates the underlying theme that supports the thesis, “Shorty soon decided that my hair was finally long enough to be conked.” This idea of someone else making a decision for the author brings up a theme of acceptance by society…

Words 538 - Pages 3

Essay Malcolm X

Malcolm X Outline "A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything." Thesis Statement: Malcolm X was a courageous advocate for the rights of African Americans, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans. Detractors accused him of preaching racism, black supremacy, anti-Semitism, and violence. Introduction I. Malcolm X opposed the mainstream civil rights movement, publicly calling for black separatism and rejecting nonviolence and integration…

Words 1883 - Pages 8

1960s Dbq Analysis

full force. Leaders of the movement, such as Martin Luther King Junior and Malcolm X advocated for equality amongst whites and blacks. However, although there appeared to exist a warmth and mutual respect between the two, as shown in a photograph taken of them when they first met at the U.S. capitol (Doc 1), their philosophies regarding the movement greatly differed. For example, King supported non-violence while Malcolm X believed that African Americans should attempt to earn equality by any means…

Words 705 - Pages 3

Malcolm X's Legacy

The Legacy of Malcolm X Malcolm Little, also known as Malcolm X, heavily influenced the world based on his beliefs and preachings. The question is, how did Malcolm X’s actions to take a stand for his beliefs contribute to society and future generations? This controversial black leader has left an impact on the world and has influenced new ideas. Malcolm X has proven that he has taken a stand by noticing what was wrong with the world and what he believed should be changed. He developed new ideas and…

Words 1702 - Pages 7

Malcolm X: A Tragic Hero

figures as Malcolm gained popularity. The Nation of Islam began to worry that Malcolm possessed too much power and was only concerned with himself and was not supporting the interests of the Nation of Islam. Throughout the years, Malcolm came to the realization that Elijah Muhammad committed adultery and their relationship slowly broke apart. Following the death of President John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X was questioned in a press conference on his feelings following the tragedy. Malcolm showed no remorse…

Words 1436 - Pages 6

Baca Malcolm X Essay

2013 Malcolm X vs. Santiago Baca The black militant leader Malcolm X was the founder of the Muslim Mosque Inc and the Organization of Afro American Unity. He was a major part of the Civil Rights Movement, and often educated African Americans. However before he became what we know Malcolm X to be today he was a trouble young man, it wasn’t until he was sent to prison, he decided to educate himself and turn his life around. Although the comparison is often not found, similar to Malcolm X was Santiago…

Words 713 - Pages 3

The Indispensable 2

The Indispensable Two Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were the indispensable figures of the 1960s black freedom movement. These two towering leaders inspired and perhaps determined the outlook and nature of the civil rights upheaval as well as the black power crusade. Though their approach to attaining freedom for African Americans, society, and policy worked synergistically their life events landed them at opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to reading and interpreting. As children…

Words 1062 - Pages 5

Frederick Douglass Research Paper

An inspection of two influential works from African-American literature exhibits that the processes of learning to read and write is conceptualized as the means of both personal and social liberation. Both works demonstrate how vital basic reading with writing skills, that many people take for granted, are the simple tools that can facilitate heartfelt and enduring personal and social change. As both pieces reveal, there is a key connection with the concept of freedom and the all together process…

Words 535 - Pages 3