Throughout history, different people in society have viewed Malcolm X in different lights. To some, Malcolm X is the shining light that spoke to a population that was in need of wisdom and help. However, other people saw Malcolm X as an threat to society and the pillars that were built to keep everybody safe. In the end, a person would have to be blind if they didn’t recognize the impact of Malcolm X character in the Civil Rights Era. Whether you saw him as a positive of the negative aspect, Malcolm X was a powerful figure of the era. Therefore, we most praise the power and strength of a Malcolm X figure in society. Malcolm X displayed the moral authority so great that it continues to attract people to his ideology in recent times. Malcolm displayed a charismatic quality: he fixed his mind and sight of the racial goals to be obtained and pursued them with an unvarying, uncompromising attitude. In the light of all of these realities and difficulties of the cinema representing a mans life that has been plagued with myths and romance, Spike Lee’s Malcolm X serves as a inspirational achievement. Lee’s Malcolm X serve as a richly textured and relevant nuance of the life and legacy of Malcolm X and the times of American paradox: a racist whose fame has been shaped to display his belated universal appeal.
Spike Lee’s Malcolm X goes to extreme measure sin order the encompass the whole life and legacy of Malcolm X. The very first shot of the film opens up with a Billboard
He studied hard to get high grades and he was even elected as the class president. He was doing his best, until his teacher went up to him and told him that his dream to be a lawyer, is not possible all because he is black. Instead, he insisted him to become a carpenter. From then, something started to changed within him. Malcolm sees the limit to the white acceptance, and the inevitable truth of what life awaits for the colored. He starts believing that in the white society he was living in, there is no success nor future. Spike Lee never really focused on Malcolm's childhood in the film, except for this particular part. He chose this moment to highlight, because this scene single handedly explains why he hated whites, why he became a hustler, and why he became a civil rights activists. It was the hatred against the whites. From then, he stopped accepting the whites. This was the moment when Malcolm's view on integration between whites and blacks became possible, to impossible. The historical figure of Malcolm X’s philosophy started here, with the hatred of his enemy. Malcolm X in his speech, preached that the black man should have their own power, by separating themselves completely from the white society, similar to what his father was preaching. His childhood tragedy gave him the reason to fight for, and the belief for uniting the black race for separating them from the cruelty. Malcolm X we all know of, would have never existed without
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley is the story about a man who greatly impacted American history. Malcolm Little, or Malcolm X as he is more widely known, taught what he believed in regards to segregation, racism, and discrimination. Growing up in a large family with a father Earl Little, a Baptist minister, and his mother Louis Little who was a homemaker, Malcolm’s life at the time seemed very promising. His father’s involvement in support of the Black National gained him many death threats at the hands of white supremacists. In 1929, they lost their house to a fire, and two years later the body of Malcolm’s father was found mutilated. This lead to the emotional breakdown of Malcolm’s mother and in turn she was institutionalized. Malcolm and his siblings were separated and placed in foster homes, and from then, his life began a path of drugs, sex, and crime. It was not until he was imprisoned in 1946, that he decided to make some changes for the better. This essay will assess and discuss those changes whether negative or positive, on a micro, mezzo, and macro level. It will also cover some of the effects of racial prejudice on human behavior, and how society today keeps the ideology of Malcolm X alive.
Malcolm X was a highly educated man, but surprisingly enough he received his education through himself. During the time that he was imprisoned, all Malcolm did was read in his spare time on just about anything that he could get his hands on. Prior to being unable to read, Malcolm ended up reading an entire dictionary which is what lead him to have such a greater overall understanding of words and their meanings. Now that he could truly soak in information, the reading world was a completely different place for him. Being that he was self taught, he had a greater passion behind why he was doing what he was doing. In comparison to people who learn how to read in school at the pace of an entire class I can only imagine how fulfilling that must have been. In my opinion, there is no better feeling that learning things
The Autobiography of Malcolm X is the story of Malcolm X, an African American male growing up in the United States in the mid-1900's. At this time in America prejudice and segregation were widespread and much a part of everyday life. Malcolm takes the reader through his experiences with American society, which rejects him. This rejection, along with the inferiority cast upon all Black Americans, forces these males to search for acceptance. They are forced to search for purpose in causes greater than single individuals. As the book shows, this is evident in Malcolm throughout his life and in the life of other African American males. The Autobiography shows how during this time in American history
Malcolm X, an African American leader and prominent figure in the Nation of Islam, was a significant individual in the African American fight for justice and equality. In contrast to the mainstream Civil Rights Movement with its nonviolent pursuit of integration, Malcolm X voiced concepts of race pride and Black Nationalism during the 1950s and '60s. Although many argue that Malcolm X did not actually “do” anything for the black community, his nontraditional programs brought a new perspective to the Civil Rights Movement, and this perspective is of relevance today in the black community.
Malcolm X, Malcolm Little or El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, are all different names to one heroic figure. No two people can differ on the impact that Malcolm X has left, not only on the African-American society, but also on the world as a whole. Born in Omaha, Nebraska USA in May 19, 1925 Malcolm X ideologies in life and philosophy were really a result of several life events that he struggled with and experienced while growing up. Between loosing his parents, being bullied in school and finally having Prison sentence, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz decided that some changes should be arranged in the society’s function. Starting from there, he became a man with a message and a mission. Malcolm X was seeking a change, a step forward and a ray of light. After going through a lot in his life, Malcolm X was detriment to be the burning candle that illuminates the roads for others. Almost 50 years later since his death, a lot of people still look up to him as a spiritual leader and still consider him an icon when it comes to civil and human rights movements. Today, in a world that is moving in the path of equality and unity, we can only think of those who built the early stages of this ground we all stand equally tall above. Thanks to influential people like Malcolm X, we can today see the impotency and the growth of the seeds he grew back in his days. In spite of the fact that he is a well-respected and loved man, there is still a group of people (23%) who thinks Malcolm X should not be
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told by Alex Haley is the story about a man who greatly impacted American history. Malcolm Little, or Malcolm X as he is more widely known, taught what he believed in regards to segregation, racism, and discrimination. Growing up in a large family with a father Earl Little, a Baptist minister, and his mother Louis Little, who was a homemaker, Malcolm’s life at the time seemed very promising. His father’s involvement in support of the Black National gained him many death threats at the hands of white supremacists. In 1929, they lost their house to fire, and two years later the body of Malcolm’s father was found mutilated. This lead to the emotional breakdown of Malcolm’s mother and in turn she was institutionalized. Malcolm and his siblings were separated and placed in foster homes, and from then, his life began a path of drugs, sex, and crime. It was not until he was imprisoned in 1946, that he decided to make some changes for the better. This essay will assess and discuss those changes whether negative or positive, on a micro, mezzo, and macro level. It will also cover some of the effects of racial prejudice on human behavior, and how society today keeps the ideology of Malcolm X alive.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley is an account of Malcolm X’s evolving perspective on racial justice. Malcolm X was a prominent figure in the Nation of Islam who advocated for black nationalism and separatism. The man who became one of America’s most powerful voices for African Americans was deeply affected by the terrors of racism, which shaped his view of social justice and the condemnation of the white man. The way Malcolm X narrates his experiences changes as his views on race change. At first, he wants readers to feel the destructiveness of racism, so he conveys his experiences through provocative language. When he aims to promote universal peace, he takes on a more optimistic tone. As a
Throughout history there have been many people who have stood out and made an impact in the way we think and comprehend things. During the late 1950's and early 1960's, Malcolm X was no exception. His militant views that Western nations were inherently racist and that black people must join together to build their own society and value system had an important influence on black nationalist and black separatist movements of the 1950s and 1960s. At the beginning of the movie, Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little. He was a young child trying to adapt to society's changes. He was looking so hard that he fell into the wrong crowd.
Malcolm X made more of an impact on the Civil Rights Movement than Martin Luther King JR. Malcolm X lived through extreme hardship and poverty leading to a life of crime; prison eventually altered his whole perspective about his role in society. Unlike MLK JR, whose purpose was predetermined in a household with strict boundaries and Christian love. Most notably, it was his excellency as a scholar that gave MLK JR his signature; being that at only 15 years of age he enrolled into Morehouse College. However, it was Malcolm X with the intelligence of peace through the Nation of Islam and spirituality of Black Nationalism, these components made him the one who is best to philosophize accurately about removing blacks from oppression in the USA.
To begin, Malcolm X’s speech detailing his his political views on black nationalism, the hypocrisy of the United States, as well as the radical steps needed to be taken by the black community to achieve equal rights, is laden with elevated language in order to create an ethical appeal to the audience. For example, Malcolm X states that “The political philosophy of black nationalism only means that the black man should control the politics and the politicians in his own community” (par 2). The use of the elevated language, such as “philosophy” and “nationalism”, sophisticates the speech altogether, which successfully reflects the professional tone used by Malcolm X, as well as the seriousness of the matter; which, in turn, strengthens the overall argument being made. Moreover, through Malcolm X’s sophistication of language, and thus the speech, it
Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" is one of the great screen biographies, Watching the film, I understood more clearly how we do
There have been many people throughout United States History who have greatly influenced the nation, including Malcolm X. Malcolm X both positively and negatively affected American society. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential African Americans in history, while being a tremendous public speaker and human rights activist, specifically advocating for the rights of African Americans. However, numerous individuals view him as controversial figure due to the widespread portrayal of Malcolm X as a violent and racist character often considered to be the opposite of Martin Luther King, Jr. Overall, it is clear that Malcolm X is one of the most significant people in United States history because of his various positive
In conclusion, what is seen in Spike Lee's Malcolm X is a break from the traditional cinema of its time which was a film of historical fact, biography and political commentary with the intended effect of raising social consciousness. Lee pushed the limits and dared to create controversy and shock viewers. Furthermore, Denzel Washington portrayal of a much wounded young boy who evolves into a very powerful speaker and political figure is outstanding and helped shaped the movie into an incredible historical depiction of Malcolm X’s life.
Spike Lee used racial theatrics that liberated the audience to procure feelings of interest, and at the same time he used fundamental features that were significant to portraying the true story and reclamation that brought Malcolm Little to Malcom X. He expressed an emotional anger that was shared by most Black Americans who endured a similar experience. Malcolm could establish a strong audience among blacks who perceived passive resistance as an insufficient capture for dismantling institutional racism. Malcolm saw no place for himself in white America of Jews and Christians. In the movie he stated that before there was such a person as a Republican or Democrat or even American he has always been black that is his message which was amazing and politically correct among the least. Throughout the movie, Malcolm encountered a profusion of conflict within himself. Malcolm says, “All of us were