Malcolm X’s Autobiography

The Biography of Malcolm X

The biography of Malcolm X features his experiences with different social environments that have influenced him in various ways. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, was Malcolm X, the son of a minister of Baptism. He grew up in a context that was marked by many violent incidences, as the Whites frequently commit murder. Thus, the classes of people he was raised were such a social background, as his family suffered from the Whites chasing after his father became a victim of killings. He then decided to move to Boston, where he began to study crime and then became a pimp and drug trader (Haley, 2007). The experience of having a Muslim organization changed how he perceived the world because he later turned to Islam while he was undergoing an intensive study of self-improvement that led to the writing of the book Autobiography of Malcolm X. The third system that shaped Malcolm X was the prison institution, and when he was released from prison, Malcolm X went to meet Elijah Muhammad. It is then that he decided to drop his surname Little to X as a symbol of the unknown African name that his predecessors and ancestors had been robbed in the days of slavery. He started engaging in active speaking and became a public leader as a Muslim and openly condemned how blacks in America were being treated in the US and advocated the backs to take up the challenge. He was perceived as dangerous and inflammatory and was even publicly denounced by Muhammad because of his reputed involvement with women, meaning that individuals also played a negative role in how he perceived the world. X then opted for pilgrimage and decided to travel across several countries uniting the races in Oneness of Allah but was assassinate while preaching in February 1965 (Haley, 2007).

Assessment of Malcolm X

In my assessment of the man, I can conclude that Malcolm X was a victim of numerousharassments and mistreatments who died even before he could realize freedom of the mind and soul. The fact that he developed up in a setting that was characterized by violence by the White dominant population in the US meant that he grew up with rage considering he was a victim of the mistreatments having witnessed his father killed. I also feel that the desperation played a huge role in his shifting to Islam to seek solace and self-empowermentbecause it is then that he even got the courage to write about his life in a book. The social systems ended up hurting Malcolm X and made him a man full of grief and hate on the whites. The public denouncement he suffered further led to the social stands that he advocated for in his public gatherings and speeches. I believe that at some point, Malcolm X felt that he was the only enlightened African who could see beyond living in slavery because he would advocate for freedom by the black man for the black generation. In fact, his desperation for attention is likely to have played a significant role in the shift to traveling across Africa just to explore the potential that the Black population possessed. The end was a sad one for Malcolm X because, in the process of seeking liberation, his life was cut short by his enemies considering he was already perceived as dangerous. I, therefore, feel that the life Malcolm X lived was characterized by adventures and misfortune because even after witnessing his father being killed by the Whites, Malcolm X ended up not realizing liberty and lived and died as a sad man who felt betrayed in almost all social systems.

Racial Prejudice and Human Behavior

From the reading of the book, it is apparent that racial prejudice led to varied reactions regarding human behavior. One of the primary outcomes is that one is likely to sort the need for relating to crime when one is exposed to criminal activities as it was apparent for Malcolm X. It is a behavioral trait that makes one feel the urge of exploring their world out of internal pressure that is associated with having experienced particular actions. Following his exposure to crime in his early years, X decided to migrate to Boston where he ended up being a drug peddler and pimp. It means that human behavior and exposure to criminal activities make one besusceptibleto becoming a criminal themselves. Malcolm X’s life also makes one conclude that racial prejudice results in hate amongst the societies and the opposition of the existing laws that could end up being perceived in controversy. Malcolm X grew up having experienced massive incidences of harassment and killings at the hands of the Whites and went on to mobilize other blacks against the whites to fight for their rights. It creates the impression of hate in the society where humans are divided based on color with the hate growing so much that Malcolm X himself ended up being killed in broad daylight by his enemies.

The Enduring Influence of Malcolm X

Even after his assassination several decades ago, the influence of Malcolm X has never faded, and his influence is still felt among the black community. To increase awareness of the role he played in black liberation, movie directors and designers have ended up promoting his name and actions by covering them in movies and prints. An example of such is the writing of the volume of “By Any Means Necessary – The Trials and Tribulations of the Making of “Malcolm X” by Ralph Wiley (Newsweek Staff, 2017). The book describes the tribulations that Malcolm X went through in his life and thus serves to increase the effect and appreciation of the activist’sefforts during his time. It is further noted that Malcolm X is a martyr and a fashion statement in the present generation with producers and directors opting to capitalize on the brand to make sales. Director Spike Lee and actor Denzel Washington, for example, have since released a 3-hour movie titled Malcolm X that has resulted in a marketing blitz. Several national magazines have already put Denzel, Spike, and Malcolm on their covers to further the appreciation of the liberation efforts. In fact, Spike has even ended up on cashing on the inevitable boom by making caps and T-shirts that are branded X and even opened new boutiques to sell the brand of clothes (Newsweek Staff, 2017). Overall, it is summed that despite having been assassinated in the mid-1960s, Malcolm X is still a central figure among the black population whose popularity is not expected to decline in the new future.

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References

Haley, A. (2007). The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Grove Weidenfeld.

Newsweek Staff. (2017). Malcolm X. Retrieved from http://www.newsweek.com/malcolm-x-197116