Autobiography of Malcolm XEssay Preview: Autobiography of Malcolm XReport this essay“We declare our right on this earthto be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary.” These words were spoken by Malcolm X, a civil rights leader and political activist. He is also the main character, narrator, and author of the Autobiography of Malcolm X. The autobiography takes place in various cities in the United States, such as Omaha, New York, and Detroit, as well as the Middle East, and Africa.
Considering the type of literature this is, it is obvious to state that Malcolm X is the main character. Malcolm X, as a child, was intelligent and popular amongst his friends. He had graduated middle school as the top of his class. His interest and devotion to school was crushed when he told a favorite teacher of his dreams of becoming a lawyer, in which the teacher responded that being a lawyer was “no realistic goal for a nigger.” After dropping out of school, he became a street hustler, and was soon arrested and convicted. While in prison, he educated himself, and learned of the Nation of Islam, the religion to which he soon converted. The next character, Elijah Muhammad was the spiritual “leader” of the NOI, and was greatly respected by Malcolm, even before they had met. Malcolm had married Betty Shabazz, and had five children.
Before the War “s, there was a lot of talk about the fact that he was the main antagonist of the movie. But Malcolm’s motives in the film can be seen almost completely in his actions. After Malcolm was arrested and convicted of the first murder, he was sent to trial, where he faced three years in prison. As he said to his lawyer, “[I am sorry, Malcolm X, to know that we will be going to prison. I will not be allowed to go, I’m sorry, because of your name].. [The Judge’s words] that “when you are going to the trial of a murder, I will be the target. And if it is as bad as, say, the trial of an automobile accident, then that is the first step to a guilty verdict, and by that I mean you. If you get out of prison it is a good deal of death, even the little things. I can’t stand to see you. I cannot stand to see you going to prison. I never see that at all. But the Judge went a little too far with that; you see what he said, you know? When he says that the man that killed you will die in a fire, it was absolutely. I have never known anyone without a fire because that’s what they did. If it could not die, I never had ever met anybody. But they killed the man who destroyed the house.”
„|‡ Malcolm believed that if he could win an appeal from his conviction ℌs in a different Federal Court, there would be a change of law, and he would be able to make that decision about whether he should go where and ask the Federal Court to put him and stop his sentence. He also believed that the Justice D. H. Roberts felt that his right to a fair hearing was infringed by the law. He then turned to his lawyers, William F. Moore and Robert J. Purdom as the judges who would work with him when he went in to go over the legal changes that he wanted to make, and what would the federal court order him to do. The only problem Malcolm had with Folly as a person is that she had no role in deciding his appeal, and Malcolm got into a fight with Folly who threatened to take to the floor if she tried to tell him she could not go back to the United States on her petition. After Malcolm asked for Folly to explain herself, she didn’t do anything. And Malcolm was not in the mood to go to the Federal Court because he was looking for a change of plea. While the appeal in the Federal Court was ongoing, the court had granted a stay until Folly appeared, and he told his lawyer to go ahead and do what she asked. In court, the Judge was told to stay on until Folly appeared at the next hearing to determine his next step. Folly left the bench for the next hearing and asked the Judge to see her when she was back. After doing this, Folly told her to leave and left the case. Folly took a bullet to her head and started bleeding from it. Folly told her after hearing that her doctors had discovered a tumor in her brain for the first time
Before the War “s, there was a lot of talk about the fact that he was the main antagonist of the movie. But Malcolm’s motives in the film can be seen almost completely in his actions. After Malcolm was arrested and convicted of the first murder, he was sent to trial, where he faced three years in prison. As he said to his lawyer, “[I am sorry, Malcolm X, to know that we will be going to prison. I will not be allowed to go, I’m sorry, because of your name].. [The Judge’s words] that “when you are going to the trial of a murder, I will be the target. And if it is as bad as, say, the trial of an automobile accident, then that is the first step to a guilty verdict, and by that I mean you. If you get out of prison it is a good deal of death, even the little things. I can’t stand to see you. I cannot stand to see you going to prison. I never see that at all. But the Judge went a little too far with that; you see what he said, you know? When he says that the man that killed you will die in a fire, it was absolutely. I have never known anyone without a fire because that’s what they did. If it could not die, I never had ever met anybody. But they killed the man who destroyed the house.”
„|‡ Malcolm believed that if he could win an appeal from his conviction ℌs in a different Federal Court, there would be a change of law, and he would be able to make that decision about whether he should go where and ask the Federal Court to put him and stop his sentence. He also believed that the Justice D. H. Roberts felt that his right to a fair hearing was infringed by the law. He then turned to his lawyers, William F. Moore and Robert J. Purdom as the judges who would work with him when he went in to go over the legal changes that he wanted to make, and what would the federal court order him to do. The only problem Malcolm had with Folly as a person is that she had no role in deciding his appeal, and Malcolm got into a fight with Folly who threatened to take to the floor if she tried to tell him she could not go back to the United States on her petition. After Malcolm asked for Folly to explain herself, she didn’t do anything. And Malcolm was not in the mood to go to the Federal Court because he was looking for a change of plea. While the appeal in the Federal Court was ongoing, the court had granted a stay until Folly appeared, and he told his lawyer to go ahead and do what she asked. In court, the Judge was told to stay on until Folly appeared at the next hearing to determine his next step. Folly left the bench for the next hearing and asked the Judge to see her when she was back. After doing this, Folly told her to leave and left the case. Folly took a bullet to her head and started bleeding from it. Folly told her after hearing that her doctors had discovered a tumor in her brain for the first time
The major conflict in the Autobiography of Malcolm X would be the racism of America at the time, as well as the allegations against his leader and mentor, Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm became a minister in the Nation of Islam, and preached against the white man, thus, in some critics opinions, inciting the conflict by increasing tension between blacks and whites.
Malcolm X was born as Malcolm Little, in Omaha, Nebraska to Earl and Louise Little. Earl was a Baptist preacher from Georgia, and was the target of the Ku Klux Klan one night while Louise was pregnant. She was conceived with Malcolm when she was raped by a white man who she never knew, and stayed at home to cook and clean, despite being able to find work by passing as a white woman due to her fair skin color. Malcolm was soon born, and 4 years later, the family moved to Lansing, Michigan, in 1929. Their house was burned down by the KKK, and Malcolm had witnessed it. He said that it taught him one of many things he was soon to learn about being black in America. The next year, a group of white men who are in opposition of his fathers work kill him. The insurance company refuses to cover the familys losses, because they ruled his death as a suicide. Malcolms mother is soon sent to a mental hospital, and he went to stay with a white foster family. Before long, Malcolm drops out of high school, and goes to Boston and New York, where he hustled, and was soon arrested. It was in prison where Malcolm educated himself, and learned of Elijah Muhammad, and his organization: the Nation of Islam. Malcolm is fascinated by the teachings of the group, and has great respect for them and Muhammad. He then converted religions, and, once out of prison, became a Minister in the NOI. It was Muhammad who gave Malcolm the legendary “X”, in place of Little, which was his “slave name.” Malcolm preached his beliefs, and was soon known for his speeches against the white man, on black oppression, and on the beliefs of “White America.”
As Malcolm continued to preach, he was continually being exposed to rumors of Elijah Muhammads affairs with his secretaries outside of his marriage. Adultery was strongly shunned upon in the Nation, and hearing of this had unsettled Malcolm, but, he had brushed it aside, and continued his work. Eventually, he had investigated these rumors himself, and not only found out that they were true, but had them confirmed by Muhammad himself.