This essay is about a African American human rights activist named Malcolm X. Malcolm X was only one of the few African American human rights activists of his time but his specific view and tactics made him unique from the rest. This essay outlines Malcolm X’s life before, during and after his time in prison. X’s time before and during prison affected his life after which then affected society all around him. There were many Human Right Activists that did not agree with his tactics though. Some of these included fellow human rights activists. This essay follows the life of this strong figure and makes analysis of his affect on society.
Unbroken Chains
ERH 101, Section 1
Date Due: 13 July 2018
Date Sub: 13 July 2018
Paper No. 1
None
James Muskett
Malcolm X, a religious man and a human rights activist, is one of the most respected African American writers of all time. He was a self-taught reader and writer which is impressive enough, but he also taught himself to read and write in prison. X wrote primarily to the black community, but more than the black community followed his way and teachings. Malcolm X was a strong writer as much as he was a strong person and with an equally strong will. His writing was appreciated mostly because of how much of a personal experience he puts forth. He spoke with his emotions which for many people was what they are looking for. Many readers may have taken, or did take, Malcolm’s writings to be too full of emotion and makes him lose his credibility. The pathos could be seen that he is not able to think rationally and that he is driven more by emotions that are not backed up with as much evidence to match. Although these opposite views were strong opposition, X set out to break the unbroken “chains” of slavery despite all.
In the work by Malcolm X there is a multitude of pathos and ethos used. There is mostly pathos used though and there is a strong reason for Malcolm’s use for this. He had a troubled childhood fore he was an orphan and was involved in a lot of crime. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade after being told by a teacher that he would not make it to becoming a lawyer due to the color of his skin. In 1945 Malcolm ran into some trouble and was sentenced to prison. p106 It was during this time in prison that Malcolm began to achieve greatness and better himself as a person and impact not only himself but the people around him as well. X’s story makes an impact on all people but the story that he writes personally is not. Malcolm’s story is directed more towards the black community but also all minority groups. X’s words even when directed to the black community can be directed and communicated to all minority groups. He uses primarily pathos in his works because of how much of a personal connection he felt towards this but this also was seen to disqualify him for not having a more knowledgeable and factual opinion. X was a strong believer in the teachings of Mr. Muhammad. It was in these teachings that Malcolm learned more about how history had been whitened and have shunned minorities and blacks. These teachings strengthened X’s pathos to abolish this discrimination. X continued to learn and educate himself so that he may be able to better educate his followers. X directly credited prison for being one of the biggest reason for his success though. He felt that if he had continued along in regular education he would not have had the focus on some aspects of education that he did in prison. It was in prison that he could not even put down the book because of his drive to learn more and more and continue to lead a movement that mattered so much to him.
History is a very important factor to be discussed when Malcolm X is of interest. X’s autobiography was edited by Alex Haley and published by Ballantine Books in 1965. This autobiography shows Malcolm X’s true feeling about the society he grew up in and the society that he lived in. There were in fact many minority and discrimination issues during this time which is why we need to really put ourselves in that time period to understand X’s view. Many in today’s time period put down his view but they cannot in fact do that because of the fact that there have been many actions taken to avoid this discrimination. One point in history that affected X was the time during jail. This was a turning point in X’s history. It was in jail that X learned to read and write and educated himself in history, specifically slavery. This made a big impact on his view on his history before jail and after. He was discriminated against in school which is a main reason why he did not continue past 8th grade and why he ended up in the life of crime and jail. After his time in jail he pursued this view with a strong passion. He saw it as though the “chains” had not yet been broken. Not just referring to the black community but also any minority or group that is discriminated. It was for this reason that now in history X changed his last name from Little to X because Little was a “white slave master” p112 type of last name. After jail X’s primary focus was to fight for equal rights that he felt had not yet been achieved.
X’s writings are filled with pathos. His audience is filled with minorities which is one reason for his strong use of pathos. He calls upon their own experiences and hard times to fuel emotions while reading his writings. His “call to arms” is also present. “Let us face reality. We can see in the United Nations a new world order being shaped, along color lines— an alliance among the non-white nations. America’s UN Ambassador Adlai Stevenson complained not long ago that in the United Nations “a skin game” was being played. He was right. He was facing reality. A “skin game” is being played.” p113 Malcolm X is calling attention to the apparent racism in the present time and that despite slavery being abolished, racism is still present. Despite the fact that many actions have been made to create a fair world, Malcolm did not believe in them. This show of pathos could have been good for his writing because it brought in the followers that truly felt the way he did and had the same experiences.
The actions and words used by Malcolm X did hurt has well though. His words such as “white man” or “skin game” hurt his view because it seemed almost hypocritical. An example, “I never will forget how shocked I was when I began reading about slavery’s total horror. It made such an impact upon me that it later became one of my favorite subjects when I became a minister of Mr. Muhammad’s.” p.111 This specific quote is just one of the many that is not so much factual or filled with credibility but more so full of credibility for his view and cause. Malcolm X’s teachings were not very appreciated by many though including even other Black Nationalist leaders. One well known individual is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of a racially-integrated society achieved by peaceful means. Dr. King was highly critical of what he viewed as Malcolm X’s destructive demagoguery. “I feel that Malcolm has done himself and our people a great disservice,” King once said. (A&E Television Networks) Despite these counter arguments and views, Malcolm X remained firm in his views and beliefs.
Malcolm X was one of the most prominent Black Nationalist leaders. He was a writer and religious man. He is a highly respected man for not only being a strong reader and writer, but he was self taught in jail. X’s focus in life was to break the “chains” of slavery that were, as he felt, still prominent in the world. X did not back down at anytime. He pushed, preached and was not afraid of violence. This view was looked down upon by many, but this did not stop him. Despite his seeming uncultured tactics, Malcolm X was an American figure and highly respected man but how differently do you think his writings and his view would have been taken differently if he had taught and wrote in a less violent way?
Sources
The Autobiography of Malcolm X.
Haley, Alex. Ballantine Books, 1965
Malcolm X Biography
A&E Television Networks, 2018