Malcolm Little. Detroit Red. Satan. Minister Malcolm X. El-Hadj Malik El-Shabazz. By the names which the eponymous author assumes—and the personae which those names connote—the reader sees how The Autobiography of Malcolm X (1965) is illustrative of the many ways in which autobiography might delineate (or fabricate) the vicissitudes of life.
This autobiography is also notable for the hyper-constructivism that defines it, as all indications seem to show it was a joint effort between Malcolm and his ghostwriter, Alex Haley. In the text itself, the reader is made privy to a multiplicity of competing voices that attempt to stake out a cohesive narrative of Malcolm as a political figure. In his 2011 biography, Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention (a text that often functions as a response to the famous autobiography), the late Manning Marable suggests that Malcolm may have exaggerated aspects of his criminal record within the chapters entitled “Detroit Red,” "Hustler," “Harlemite,” and “Satan.” There are many reasons that we might offer to explain this. As a minister in the Nation of Islam, Malcolm sought to complete an act of da’wa, proselytizing to convert non-believing blacks. Similarly to the Confessions of St. Augustine, Malcolm might have wanted to cast himself as a more dangerous gangster than he was to lend an air of credibility to his life’s story and convince those struggling with the criminal lifestyle to convert. Malcolm makes himself an exemplum, suggesting that if even he, “Satan,” could find his way to the Truth, so might any other common street hustler. However, he does maintain that even in his worst days, he never robbed or burglarized other blacks. One reason that he must make this disclaimer is that having robbed blacks and whites indiscriminately (as he probably did) might have conflicted with the Black Nationalist ideology which drove Malcolm throughout his life.
Competing with Malcolm’s own ideal narrative is the one suggested by his amanuensis, Alex Haley. Haley was a black conservative and may have diligently sought in his writing to inoculate the radical, threatening figure of Malcolm X in the eyes of the white readers of the text. In Haley’s work, we may very well be witness to the greatest creative act of dictation that we will witness this semester, as the trajectory of the narrative seems to evolve from one of torment by and a consequential hatred for whites and the implied threat of violence, to a near beatific and universal vision which Malcolm experiences after his pilgrimage to Mecca.
The iconography of this journey has made an indelible mark on black culture in America, and this has been only further intensified and complicated by Spike Lee’s 1992 film Malcolm X. Here we have a subsequent level of interpretation with Lee’s idealistic projection of Malcolm becoming the predominant narrative in American pop culture. One particular case of historical distortion for the sake of ideological projection (pardon the pun) comes in the iconic scene set in Harlem in which Denzel Washington reenacts Malcolm’s incendiary oratory and famous assertion “we didn’t land on Plymouth Rock; Plymouth Rock landed on us.” This is a creative rewriting of an offhand comment that Malcolm made in a rather cool and flippant way in a more intimate interview setting. Perhaps this is a mise-en-abyme of the whole narratological and ethical problem of depicting history which concerns us in so far as Malcolm’s (auto)biographer was a mythmaker, exaggerating public perception to create an idea of a person in contrast to attempting to depict a human life as objectively as possible.
In writing a life in hindsight, there is always the desire for cohesion, teleology, and a meta-narrative, aspects usually lacking during the actual living of that life.
In what ways does this narrative seem sincere to you? In what ways is it spiritual? What emotions define Malcolm's narrative of himself and what role does religion play in that narrative? I urge you to consider these questions as we read the second half of the book.
Dante traverses the dimensions of the world, meeting various historical figures in his path, all in hopes of attaining the divine warmth of God. From the fires of hell all the way up to Mount Purgatory, the Roman poet Virgil guides Dante in his journey. However, it is at this point where Beatrice, the woman who Dante always wrote about, comes into presence and begins to act as a guide herself. Dante, even in his previous work, wrote admirably about Beatrice, considering her a deeply loved one. With such a view, it is easy for Dante to make it so that Beatrice is allegorically his messianic divine light which paves the way for his path to God. In the end, God’s warmth is truly what Dante desires and Beatrice is a symbol of that attainment.
ReplyDeleteIn the Inferno, Dante travels a dark forest, searching for truth. Having found what the warmth which he believes is God’s abode, he sees that it is heavily guarded by beasts. This is when the Roman poet Virgil comes upon him and offers himself as a guide to the heavens. However, Dante must first go through hell before he may achieve God’s abode. When realizing this, Dante displays hesitancy. Virgil then tells him that he was sent by a merciful woman from the heavens who took pity on Dante. The woman is Beatrice. “To release you from this dread, this confusion, I'll tell you why I'm here now, and what I heard at the first allusion, To your plight. I was among the suspended souls below; A lady called to me, so fair and blessed. That I begged her to command and let me follow.” Virgil tells Dante in consolation. (lines 49-54) Here, Dante is immediately asserting the merciful radiance emitted by Beatrice, right before he enters the fires of Hell. This automatically sets the tone for Beatrice’s guardian presence that prevails through the epic.
Beatrice’s relationship to Dante becomes a subject matter in Purgatario as well. Firstly, words of Dante’s poem in La Vita Nuova are recollected. The poem sings praises of Beatrice. This is a solid example of the admiration Dante has historically held for Beatrice. It puts the reader in the mindset of seeing her as a positive character, therefore familiarizing the reading of her being a divine guide to Dante. Having made his way through the Seven Terraces, Dante becomes made aware that Beatrice lies on the other side that is the Earthly Paradise. “Truly, you must not suffer such deep anxiety, unless she tells you otherwise, she, who will be the light, linking truth to intellect. I am not sure you understand: I speak of Beatrice. You will see her, above, on this mountain’s summit, smiling, blessed.” says Virgil to Dante. Again, Beatrice is emphasized for Dante as a theme of guidance and eraser of anxiety. He becomes encouraged and enters the flames, only to find Beatrice. Once Beatrice appears and replaces Virgil as Dante’s guide, it is seen quite literally that she is sent as his true guide to the light of God.
Since she is now Dante’s official guide, Beatrice exemplifies herself as paving the path to Dante’s attainment of divine contemplation in Paradiso. She leads him through the spheres of heaven, offering him advice through each level. For example, when on the first sphere of heaven, Beatrice stresses to Dante the importance of loyalty in vows, explaining they are divine pacts in their own nature. Also, she supports Dante in saying he indeed possesses hope, when St.James questions Dante on the matter. Finally, when Dante reaches the Empyrean, and truly understands the divine warmth of God. He achieved every aspect of it only due to Beatrice. She is a symbol of a blessing upon him, a rightful guardian that led him to the divine source of reality. Dante’s constant praise of Beatrice throughout his work set the tone for her role in La Divina Commedia.
--Zafar Nizami
Alison O’Brien
ReplyDeleteIn the first five chapters of The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm speaks from the perspective of his much older self – in 1963 – about many years in the past. Like Augustine in Confessions, Malcolm is reflecting back on his past in a confessional manner. He has done many wrongs, but has seen the error of his ways. He discusses his adolescence with scorn and shame for himself and the rest of the black population. Malcolm mulls over his past and picks out several very compelling stories which led him in the direction which later landed him in jail, and then to be reformed. He confesses these feelings and actions of his with much more evident frustration and regret than in Confessions.
Malcolm tells his teacher he wants to be lawyer and the teacher discourages him, saying he needs to make a “realistic goal for a nigger” (38). Malcolm realizes that his white classmates are encouraged to be anything they want to be, while he is limited to “negro careers” like carpentry. Malcolm says “It was then I began to change – inside. I drew away from white people” (38). This marks the first time that Malcolm began to distrust and stay away from white people.
The next transformative experience was when Malcolm got his first “conk.” He says it was his “first really big step toward self-degradation” (56). He wanted his hair to look “white,” so he put harsh painful chemicals on his hair and skin. Although Malcolm’s interior had begun to change in his classroom years before, his outward appearance began to change drastically at this point in his life. He became one of those types of black people which he references so many times throughout his autobiography – those who think they are doing something good and worthwhile by assimilating and conforming to white rules and standards. Malcolm is writing, looking back, with the realization that he was deluded. He speaks with a tone of disgust about himself and others. He goes on to say “I don’t know which kind of self-defacing conk is the greater shame – the one on the heads of the black so-called ‘middle class’ and ‘upper class,’ who ought to know better, or the one you’ll see on the heads of the poorest, most downtrodden, ignorant black men…But I don’t see how on earth any black woman with any race pride could walk down the street with any black man wearing a conk – the emblem of his shame that he is black” (57). The conk is the symbol of the shame and mistakes of Malcolm in his youth. It shows how black men manipulated their identities to hide their true selves. Looking back, Malcolm emphasizes to the reader that this assimilation was the root of his problems.
The third experience which determined Malcolm’s fate was his time at Small’s in Harlem. He forgets all about Boston and becomes a “Harlemite.” He discusses how much he learned during his time at Small’s, and how everyone wanted to “school” him in how to be hip, as well as how to smoke, drink, gamble, and steal. He says they could tell he was still “green” (89) and pretty innocent, but he learned quickly. This reminded me of Augustine speaking of his time at the theater and doing other blasphemous acts; both writers imply that they wish they had just left it alone. Malcolm says “In another two years, I could have given them all lessons. But that night, I was mesmerized. This world was where I belonged. On that night I had started on my way to becoming a Harlemite. I was going to become one of the most depraved parasitical hustlers among New York’s eight million people” (78). These phrases are saturated with regret and disgust with himself, while at the same time giving the reader an understanding of how seductive the lifestyle was for so many black people at the time.
The narrative seems pretty sincere to me in the way that it depicts Malcolm X’s life. I believe that Alex Haley tries to stick as close as possible to his true life story. However, when you do have someone else writing for you or helping you write, as Malcolm X had Alex Haley for, it is impossible to not have Haley’s own thoughts and writing style interfere with Malcolm’s. What I mean is that there are obviously parts of the story that have Haley’s own interpretation or twist on them. There are also definitely parts in the story where Haley has to exaggerate certain memories or word them differently so the reader can understand what is going on or what Haley wants them to know. So in this way parts of Malcolm’s life is a bit distorted, but one could say that this was done for the sake of literature and to make Malcolm X seem a certain way. There are also memories or events that happened in the novel that don’t quite match up what actually happened in real life and this could be due to the fact that it makes the book easier to read and it can also be easier for the reader to understand. So, in a way the narrative is sincere in the way it projects Malcolm X, but not exactly in how much it accurately depicts everything.
ReplyDeleteAgnes, What is it about Malcolm's tone in the text that suggests sincerity?
DeleteWhile reading this book, I am constantly thinking about how much of the voice I am reading is actually from Malcolm's true perspective, and how much was added by his ghost writer Alex Haley. For example, the book makes Malcolm seem like he had a rougher past than he may have actually had. He wanted to be a role model for his readers, so if he portrays that he came from a horrible situation, and became the man he is today, then you (his reader) can too. This makes him more relatable to his readers. The narrative seems more sincere to me in the second half of the book, because it coincides with the later part of his life, where he has less room to bend the truth because he was more well known by that point. I think the great man he became is more accurate than the bad man he made himself out to be at first.
ReplyDeleteBen, In what way do you see Malcolm X as playing into the trope we saw in Augustine's CONFESSIONS in which the saint recounts (and exaggerates) his past errors to illustrate that if even he could reform himself, so could the reader?
DeleteThis narrative seems sincere to me in many ways, but there are also sections that seem misconstrued or exaggerated in some manners. One example, as you said, is that it is possible that Malcolm X made himself out to appear as a Robin Hood-like figure by not robbing other black men or women in order to illustrate himself as an appealing figure to those he was trying to recruit. We can never truly know how sincere or true this autobiography is, except for what can be proven by witnesses of these events or historical records. Overall, however, I believe this book does a good job at portraying the beliefs and ideals that Malcolm X wanted to put out into the world. Whether or not this autobiography is as closely accurate to what actually happened as can be is and always will be open for debate.
ReplyDeleteOne way that I view this writing as spiritual is because you can see the progression, at least through the words of Alex Haley, of Malcolm X and see what moments in his life shape and mold him into El-Hadj Malik El-Shabazz. Throughout the book he doesn't talk strictly talk about what religious aspects guided him, although it is most definitely included in different chapters, but he also outlines defining moments of his life such as moving from Lansing, or having a teacher that encouraged him to underachieve due to his race, etc.. These are just a few of the events of Malcolm's life that he found important enough to mention as life changing. These are the events that shaped his spirit and soul throughout his life, even though it constantly evolved and changed.
One main emotion that can be drawn upon that played an important role throughout this narrative is hatred. Again, as you mentioned, the perspective changes from the beginning to the end. As Malcolm grows up and moves away from Lansing, readers can easily detect the tone of hatred that Malcolm has against whites. Comparatively, at the end, Malcolm's tone seems to be much more peaceful and logical regarding his monologues about race. Religion, in my opinion, definitely played a role in the evolution of Malcolm's tone from hatred to a more understanding tone.
This autobiography is interesting because not only is Malcolm X trying to portray himself in the way in which he wants (much like Augustine), but Alex Haley is also trying to manipulate the reader to view Malcolm the way that benefits his beliefs. Therefore, it is hard to read this book and believe everything that is said. I was constantly wondering if a story had been exaggerated by Malcolm or diluted by Haley. I found the second half of the book to be the most sincere. The chapters where Malcolm is in jail seemed to be the most spiritual to me. Although at this time, Malcolm is beginning to learn about the Nation of Islam which does not end up being his final belief system, I still think this part of the book is one of the most sincere and spiritual parts. Malcolm, who has seemingly been against any idea of religion throughout the entire book thus far, starts to learn things that cause him to question his beliefs, culture and history. I personally saw the most change in Malcolm in these chapters, not the Mecca chapters. Malcolm shifted from being someone who fixed his problems using crime to someone who fixes their problems with words. Before coming to jail, Malcolm's talked a lot about how he was trapped in the hustler life because he was black and poor and there was no social mobility for him. In prison, he ironically breaks free from this idea. He learns how to sound like a proper intellectual and realizes that he can make major changes to his life and others through public speech.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X, I recognize some similarities he has with St. Augustine in the autobiography Augustine’s Confessions. Like Augustine, Malcolm X during his adolescent years was living a sinful life. For example, he admitted he used to engage in gambling, robbery, drug dealing, racketeering, etc. There was no doubt sin surrounded Malcolm X’s younger years. As he got older however, he recognized the significance to change his deviant lifestyle and turned to the Islamic religion for moral guidance. Reflecting back on his troubled past while he was locked up in jail, Malcolm understood what he was called to do in life. He not only became a Muslim minister but also a renowned human rights activist. Malcolm and St. Augustine confessed all of their past sins in their own autobiographies. I perceive the significance of this because they confessed their sin in a regretful manner, to set an example for their readers in the future. I agree with you Adres, on observing that Malcolm was determined to convert many dangerous/sinful people to the Islamic religion to save them and lead them to a brighter day. St. Augustine and Malcolm X were put on this earth to regress from their sinful past and to profess to the people that come along the way of the greatness religion brings forth.
DeleteAs we read further and develop a greater understanding for the autobiography of Malcolm X, we need not to forget his story is being recounted with the help of Alex Haley. I think the narrative promotes sincerity, with consideration of skepticism. Recalling our initial discussion about the genre of autobiography, experiences and memories are often embellished, fabricated, or recomposed to facilitate the reader's understanding. Given that Malcolm X's story is told by Alex Haley, remnants of Haley's biased opinions, tones, and interpretations may be inevitable.
ReplyDeleteThe narrative is very much spiritual because Malcolm seeks various journeys and transformations in developing a greater sense of self, for example, his pilgrimage to Mecca. Accordingly, religion becomes intertwined with his spiritual journey throughout the narrative. Even just within the titles of the chapters, we see Malcolm's spiritual transformation. He starts as Malcolm Little, a young hustler who struggles with the dynamics of racism in society. He begins embrace Islamic belief and starts to transform in prison after being nicknamed "Satan" for his defiant behavior. Finally, as Malcolm's journey closes and he fights for racial tolerance, he adopts the El-Hajj title which reinforces his faith in Islam. This is a monumental event because it marks a shift in Malcolm's political activism from initial emotions stemming from hostility to genuine, harmonious efforts.
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ReplyDeleteIn the Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcom’s life is divided into six fragments; Malcolm Little, Detroit Red, Satan, Minister Malcolm X, and El-Hadj Malik El-Shabazz. Throughout these stages of his being, Malcom recites personal moments through a “confessional” approach. He does not hide the fact that he has done wrong, nor conceal negative beliefs he once obtained. For example, Malcolm elaborates on his changing perspective on racism throughout the entirety of the book. In the first couple of chapters, Malcolm only sees whites as evil and blacks as blameless; there is absolutely no grey area. This child-like thought is due to witnessing his family and parents being damaged by white society at an early age. Once he moves to areas of New York and Boston, Malcolm develops a philosophy that basically states black individuals should not request or accept assistance from whites. His hatred towards whites continues to thrive when he starts practicing the Nation of Islam in prison. To break it down simply, Malcolm strives to embrace and spread a systematic hatred of whites to his friends and family. After realizing that his beliefs are too extreme, Malcolm breaks away from the Nation of Islam when traveling the Middle East and recognizes blacks have the opportunity for success if they distinguish themselves with other people who are oppressed. Overall, this change in attitude is what makes the narrative sincere to me. His attitudes at the end juxtapose his prior beliefs. As a reader, we are exposed to so many different perspectives that it is easy to see how Malcolm finally came to seeing the world with a viewpoint he truthfully believes in.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm’s autobiography is also spiritual in a sense since he recalls on memories such as the “conk.” When Malcolm is in prison, he realizes that trying to change his appearance by looking more “white” actually deluded himself as a human. He realizes spiritually that he should never conform to the image of a white male to be more accepted. Evidently, Malcolm realizes that his adaptations were the base of his troubles. After realizing such through religion, Malcom removes this constant emotion of hatred in exchange for something more peaceful and accepting.
Looking back, it is feasible to say that some of Malcolm’s life may seem a little distorted since it is being told through the eyes of Alex Haley. Concepts are overstated, tweaked, and incorporate slightly different interpretations. However, it is still captured in a very sincere and meaningful way. All these “memories” are in fact, well, memories! Haley just offers a viewpoint that makes the novel easier to read and interpret.
This narrative seems sincere to me in the way that it expresses complete disapproval for how African Americans were treated in his time. Many of the events that happened to him were probably true and if not exactly accurate, it was definitely something that another African American had gone through. Even though the accuracy of what exactly happened might be skewed, overall, we get the sense that it is in line with Malcolm’s life. I do think it is normal though, to emphasize certain things in one’s life in order to create a story that is structured and follows a specific storyline. I would not call this insincere. It is just something that had to be done to make a narrative that flows. A person’s life is full of events with some being more important than others. It seemed like Malcolm X used what was most important to him and what affected him the most. I also think he chose these things strategically in order to impact the cause he was fighting for. I think his autobiography can be described as the telling of his life’s story in light of the fight against racism.
ReplyDeleteMalcolm X’s autobiography is also very spiritual. We learn how in jail he starts to read about Islam and how this changes his life. It was this spirituality which made him see things from a different lens. But he also shows how this conversion did not stop there. Throughout the autobiography we witness how he keeps growing spiritually until he comes to the realization that we can all live in unity even with race and culture differences.
Malcolm’s emotions throughout the book I would describe as very frank, violent, and dark at times. Of course this was done for the purpose of showing the severe injustices committed against African Americans. He was very effective at accomplishing this. But since most of his autobiography focused on these racial issues along with his very harsh tone, I do not think we got to know Malcolm X as he really was nor his complete life story. But then again it is impossible to capture someone’s whole life in a book.
Some might argue that the source of religion's power is faith. Similarly, I would say that Malcolm found his power through the same means, faith. Not specifically faith in religion. But faith in society's ability to change. Religion played a major role in Malcolm's discovery of this faith. However, religion is not the main reason I found Malcolm X to be spiritual.
ReplyDeleteIn Malcolm's younger years he was suppressed by a racist society. Thus turning to a life of crime because he had no moral reason to follow the rules of a society that had constantly pushed him down. But, during his time in prison, he gains faith in The Nation of Islam. He finally had something to believe in that empowered afro-americans rather than suppressing them.
This new faith gave him power and he spread his beliefs. Eventually he realized that The Nation of Islam wasn't what was best for him but he still kept his faith and continued to spread his ideas and empower afro-americans.
There is no question that much of the autobiography of Malcolm X is fiction. Mainly recounted by Alex Haley, the text poses some questionable facts. The fact that Malcolm X was this gangster who robbed people all the time, but only whites, which seems a bit unlikely. Malcolm X is also portrayed as the worst of the worst in his early years as inmates in prison would call him Satan. This brings in to question whether the purpose of the Autobiography is suppose to be an accurate recount of Malcolm X's life or if the narrative has a greater purpose, as explained in the blog post.
ReplyDeleteI would say the spirituality comes in with the conversion. In a lot of the spiritual autobiography pieces we have read this semester there is an early life of wrongs and sins, and then there is a realization and conversion. Augustine's Confessions are all about him discussing all the sins he committed in his life and how he was lost. Milarepa tells his story in which he began casting black magic and hail storms, but then went to a lama to earn good dharma and be cleansed of his wrong doings. Malcolm X begins his life as a gangster, but after his time in jail he understands what he wants and joins the Nation of Islam.
Nathan Riley
ReplyDeleteAlthough I would not necessarily view the narrative as completely accurate, its changes appear to be embellishments, rather than false events formed for the sake of a story. As we noted, Malcolm felt it was very important to push the idea of his return from the brink and rise to salvation as the most extreme case possible, and that is what caused the emphasis on his criminal involvement. Despite this, it seems sincere to me, because his passion for the state of race in America, and Islam, is genuine, and the whole is worth more than the sum of its parts in this case.
His sincerity gives light to how spiritual this autobiography really is. Beyond “pamphlet Malcolm”, his recollection spirituality is found in his journey to enlightenment about the position of race in America and Islam as a whole. He delves into the good Islam brought to his life, because Malcolm, generalizing himself to, typically, anger, gradually moves into a light of hope parallel to his growth within Islam. Through the course of his story, Malcolm serves as sinner, saint, and prophet, encompassing the struggles of oppression with the drive to get through it, creating a bible-like atmosphere in the autobiography.
Nickole Kugel
ReplyDeleteJust like many of the autobiographies we have read, Malcolm X's story is told for a very specific purpose. Of course there is a great deal of truth in the autobiography of Malcolm X, but Alex Haley undoubtedly used the trope "from sinner to saint" to create a comeback story for the readers. Even though many of the events seem to be very truthful and raw, the compilation of the events is carefully crafted to portray Malcolm X as a positive example for young black people.
We see Malcolm experience many hardships, such as: getting his conk, getting involved with drugs, becoming a gangster, and going to jail. Alex Haley also includes some questionable details of Malcolm's life, like the creation of the documentary The Hate that Hate Produced, which demonized the Nation of Islam and Black Nationalism. I think moments like this were included in order to give a more well rounded view of Malcolm and make the narrative seem more honest.
Yet even as Malcolm tells of his past transgressions, his "I of enunciation" comments on how foolish and atrocious he was for acting in that way. He apologizes to himself and other black people for even thinking of getting a conk and making himself look more "white." He regrets joining the Nation of Islam and the way in which he naively believed in Elijah Mohammed. So even as we read through Malcolm X's troublesome past, we have present day Malcolm's justifications or apologies spliced in between. This serves to lessen the blow of his actions and show how he has come full circle since those days, which I also believe to be the main purpose of the narrative as a whole.
The narrative seemed sincere to me in the way that Malcolm grew and developed as a person. As a black woman there were many scenes in the narrative that I could relate to in the sense that I myself have experienced them. When he was arrested for petty theft and sentenced to serve ten years imprisonment, Malcolm went through a spiritual change. An angry, powerless Malcolm was labeled the name ‘Satan’ as he would pace back and forth in his cell questioning and cursing God and the Bible for how unjust the world is. This mental/spiritual breakdown made his story sincere to me because every believer or religious person experiences this when things happen to us unfairly and are out of our control.
ReplyDeleteReligion has a vital role to play in the narrative not only because of his conversion to and from the Nation of Islam, but also because religion guides his morals and character. Before he joined the Nation of Islam he was an atheist and a supposed gangster and thug. Here we see his immorality. After he joins he becomes more conscious as he thinks about his actions more. He leaves the Nation when he realizes that its principles no longer align with his life at the moment. He finds what he needs in traditional Islam. Religion serves as a form a faith and a guide to live one’s life morally.
This autobigraphy seems sincere to me in the same way where you can picture the long struggle Malcolm had with his identity. But, the spiritual parts of his story seemed tainted by the fact that,the audience knows ALex Haley is the one whon ultimutely wrote his life journey. His pilgrimage to Mecca and the many other places he traveled to before were portrayed in an almost movie-like manor. This is more informal and has a cohesive timeline of all the feats El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz was able to conquer, but his great epiphanies and self-actualization moments seemed far from spiritual and lacked emotion.
ReplyDeleteDo not get me wrong, Alex haley is a beautifully eliquette writer, but this needs to be refferred to a biography or have it's own category called, "Dual auto-biography". Malcolm's message was still able to be widely spread through this piece of literature and shows this true leaders triumphant determination.
ReplyDeleteTwo fascinating concepts that I ponder after reading a memoir or autobiography are: Why did the author write this autobiography? Why did I read this autobiography? Very simple questions, but by reflecting on the autobiography, the answers you come across are sometimes just as meaningful as the content of the narrative. For Malcolm X, a courageous man who was hardened to the world by the racism he and his family experienced, his story would only be understood if told in its entirety, which as much honesty as possible. This creates a sense of empathy and understanding by the reader, and helps us to better grapple with Malcolm’s changing ideals and passions. He first follows the Nation of Islam, preaching the “white man” as a consort to the devil, and does not fathom how different racial groups can grow while the whites suppress and oppress them. After going on a Hajj to Mecca, he meets many wonderful traditionally Islamic people who teach him that the racial hierarchy of the United States is not one race’s fault per-say, and is a constant power struggle by a few, and the passive bystanding by many (although it is every non-oppressed person’s fault if they do not actively speak out/act out against racism and the systemic oppression of our society). The Media can give very inaccurate portrayals of political and pop culture figures in our country, and Malcolm X, with the aid of Alex Haley, hoped to combat all of the ideas surrounding him (both factual and incorrect) in order to give a sense of who Malcolm X truly was, as both a man and a fighter. How accurate this account of Malcolm X’s life is also a question to ask, because Alex Haley’s outside perspective can morph the portrayal of Malcolm X- you see yourself differently than other people see you, but only the true Malcolm X will ever be able to recount his life stories as accurately as possible (given that memory is also a factor to take into account, because it is also not always reliable). Many layers can affect how reliable a narrative is, but the biography of Malcolm X is nevertheless an impactful, exciting, eye-opening, and powerful read.