Malcolm x 3 Essay Example For Students

Malcolm x 3 Essay Malcolm X EssayThe road to equal rights for African Americans has been a long, hard, treacherous road that still continues today. Several prominent African Americans have become strong leaders in the fight to bridge the racial gap. Malcolm X was one of the most celebrated of these leaders, some considered to be a hero, where others saw as a racist monster. From negative racist experiences, early on, Malcolm learned to stand up for what he believed in. His critics portray him as an inately good man, but they criticise the way in which he makes his stands. Some would have liked to have seen him join forces with Martin Luther King Jr., another civil rights activist. Despite how he may be portrayed, Malcolm X was a great man of many talents and achievements and will forever be remembered for his contribution to the civil rights movement. Malcolm Xs personality developed throughout his life, these changes can be mapped into four respective parts, each part helping Malcolm determine ho he was. As stated by Malcolm:People are always speculating: why am I as I am? To understand†¦ any person, his whole life, from birth, must be reviewed. All our experiences fuse into our personalities. Everything that ever happened to us is an ingredient. I was born in trouble!Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little, lost his Father, at the age of six, to violence of the Klu Klux Klan, although Newspapers at the time, reported differently Earl Little, 41,†¦sustained fatal injuries†¦ when he was run over by a streetcar†¦ (Myers 21) This tragedy, caused a great tear in Malcolms family. By the age of thirteen, Malcolm had seen his house burn down. He had been exposed to the violent death of his father, had known extreme hunger, had seen the slow breakdown of his mother, and had also seen brothers and sisters placed in homes. (Perr y 32)Years without proper schooling, left the troubled Malcolm to a life on the streets. While imprisoned on burlary charges, Malcolm found the Black Muslim movement, and the Islam religion. Malcolm X, a man of strong morals, believed that:power in defense of freedom, is greater than power in behalf of tyranny and oppression, because power, real power, comes from conviction, which produces action, Http://bc:bluffton.edu/Bcnews)Malcolm also believed that this freedom should be sought out:By any means necessary! Im for freedom†¦. Http://mercury.spaceports.com/x/quotes.htmlIn respect to the revolting by Black Americans, Malcolm believed that : it is incorrect to classify the revolt of the Negro as simply a racial conflict of Black against white,†¦it is a global rebellion of the oppressed against the oppressor†¦ (http://bc.bluffton.edu/BCNews) He believed that this revolution by the American Negro was part of the rebellion against all oppression which seemed to characterize the era. Due to the vast resources relating to Malcolm, there are a number of common misconceptions, such as with regards to his trip to Mecca, which supposedly changed his entire system of belief. This in actuality was the opinion of Reverend Albert Cleage, in a speech which he delivered in Detroit he states: I reject it Malcolms total change of beliefs completely†¦ I say if this kind of transformation, if in Mecca he had decided that blacks and whites can unite, then his life at that moment would have become meaningless in terms of the world struggle of black people (Bailey 15) Another misconception was that Malcolm X supported violent action, when in fact he often told his followers that they should never initiate violence (Perry 283). Many people wondered how appropriate Malcolms ways of achieving his goals were, but questions aside, the critics praised Malcolm. Many white reporters and politians were pleased with Malcolms respectful ways, he may critisize them but he did not treat t hem in an ungentlemanly manner. As he said to one audience of blacks, in respect to the white policemen: maybe some of these blue-eyed devils in blue uniform here are really black. If any of them smiles, its cause†¦hes a brother. (Perry 284) Malcolm was often noted for his abilities to rally the spirit of a crowd. Malcolms audiences would often become very involved in the speach itself, often crying out : Say on, brother, say on. (Perry 175) . Despite all of Malcolms praise, there was also some miscontent, Malcolm was alledgedly arrogant towards his students. He made sure that they knew that he was the teacher and that they were the students (Perry 275). It was also frequently noted that Malcolm verbally degraded, Martin Luther King Jr. In reference to Martins peaceful sitins, Malcolm states: Anybody can sit. An old woman can sit. A coward can sit†¦It takes a man to stand (Perry 282) Although the people wanted the racial barrier to fall, they couldnt accept violence as a means to do it. If he wanted to create some sort of peace between the two, then why would he try to create more violence to stop the existing violence. (Perry 285) They disagreed with his philosophy by any means necessary.There are many speculations as to what would have happened had Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. joined forces. In Malcolms eyes the main difference between himself and Martin was that Martin doesnt mind being beat up and I do. (Perry 323) Malcolm told one audience: youre going to have to fight! (Perry 282) By saying this he implied that violence was to be tolerated if for a good cause. Martins view on fighting for civil rights was almost the directly polar to Malcolms, forgive them, they know not what they do (Perry 183), he was quoted as saying. He believed that non-violence portrayed blacks as people who only wanted to exercise their rights as Americans. These strong differences in opinions made a relationship between the two men difficult. Perhapse if the tw o had joined forces, a new revolution that exempified the defeaningly silent battle against the racial barriers would have been birthed. I Remember EssayMalcolm X was a great man who knew exactly what he believed in. From the early stages of his life, Malcolm saw the pain that racism caused the black community. He caught the attention of many critics, but all the criticism didnt come in the negative form, many thought him to be a spectacular man and leader. His amazing ability to speak to people of various lifestyles was incredible. He was able to capture the attention of any man and get him involved. Malcolm may never have created any new civil rights legislation he was able to take the anger of the blacks which had been bottled up for a long period of time and release it, to put it to good political use. His ability to stand up for his beliefs and the inspiration he provided to his followers to do the same is what makes Malcolm a great man. Paraphrase for #3 end. El-Hajj Maliks new universalistic message was the U.S. establishments worst nightmare. Not only was he appealing to the black masses, but to intellectuals of all races and colors. Now he was consistently demonized by the press as advocating violence and being militant, although in actuality he and Dr. Martin Luther King were moving closer together in outlook: The goal has always been the same, with the approaches to it as different as mine and Dr. Martin Luther Kings non-violent marching, that dramatizes the brutality and the evil of the white man against defenseless blacks. And in the racial climate of this country today, it is anybodys guess which of the extremes in approach to the black mans problems might personally meet a fatal catastrophe first non-violent Dr. King, or so-called violent me.