An Analysis Of Alex Haley's The Autobiography Of Malcolm X
698 Words3 Pages
A Story of Hatred, Peace, and Betrayal Malcolm X once said, “I believe it’s a crime for anyone who is being brutalized to continue to accept that brutality without doing something to defend himself” (Haley 374). Numerous leaders emerged during the twentieth century, but a precise few matched the eloquence, passion, determination, and charismatic nature of Malcolm X. In Alex Haley’s The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Haley examines the metamorphosis of X from a petty criminal to a civil rights activist through his understanding of Islam, the world, and his experiences. Malcolm X’s initial feeling of hatred towards whites can be attributed to negatively biased impressions and personal humiliation. Malcolm recalls when his white teacher allegedly insulted him, “They all reported that Mr. Ostrowaski had encouraged to be what they wanted. Yet none of them had earned marks equal to mine” (38). The teacher’s discouragement resulted in Malcolm’s ultimate lack of basic education and entry into crime world. If the teacher hadn’t discouraged Malcolm to pursue…show more content… Malcolm X notes, “The black man in North America was economically sick and that was evident in one simple fact… The black American today shows us the perfect parasite image – the black tick under the delusion that he is progressing because he rides on the udder of the fat, three-stomached cow that is white America” (320). Malcolm X uses his understanding of the societal structure to identify the root of the racial divides to be economic in nature. He was able to understand that the so-called upper class blacks, were in fact representing the Bourgeoisie (or middle class) of the society and strived to be more like the white people in power than the poverty-stricken blacks in the ghettos who dreamed of a better life. Malcolm X is a symbol of opposition to the power struggle and inequality in