Countless battles have been fought on American soil, some with weapons, but most with words, opinions, and selfless actions. These memoirs tell the stories of Malcolm X and Ulrich and how they affected their respective movements. Malcolm X is one of the most famous and well known advocates of the civil rights movement. He has inspired many to stand up for their race, and to not be put down for the color of their skin. Much like Malcolm X, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich is a famous and well known figure head in the fight for equality. Ulrich undoubtedly is most famous for her quote, “well behaved women seldom make history.” “Literacy Behind Bars” tells the story of how Malcolm X studied and read in Charlestown Prison and how the immense studying shaped …show more content…
Malcolm X was an extensively heavy participant in the fight for equality during the Civil Rights Movement. Malcolm X went above and beyond the call of duty, realizing that every book he read gave him more “sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness, and blindness that was afflicting the black race of America” (Malcolm X 643). Segregation had been going on for some time, and Malcolm X was sick and tired of the poor treatment. This brutal discrimination of African Americans is what called Malcolm X to action. When Malcolm X landed himself in Charlestown Prison, he decided to devote himself to studying and writing to improve his knowledge for his people. He wanted to go further than any civil rights leader had before. His purpose was to fix the situation that the black man had been put into against their will. However, Malcolm X was unable to devise this plan initially. Having only gone to school until the eighth grade, Malcolm X’s intelligence and studious nature came solely from his “prison studies” (Malcolm X 640). Before prison, Malcolm X was illiterate- meaning he was unable to read or write. The effort he put into constructing his plan shows how far Malcolm X was willing to go not just for himself, but for his people. To go from the untapped potential intelligence he possessed to the political genius he became is truly …show more content…
Throughout the years, Ulrich seemed to obtain a fascination with women’s actions throughout history. Rosa Parks was an “icon for the civil rights movement” (Ulrich 661), when she began the famous Montgomery bus boycott. Parks had become an inspiration to all, not only African Americans, but women all over the world. She was one of the first women to stand up and fight for what she believed in, which fascinated Ulrich. Ulrich was against the belief that a woman’s place was in the kitchen, or that women are for cooking, cleaning, and giving birth, and so was Parks. Parks “rejected all the assumptions about her place in the world” (Ulrich 663). In today’s world, it is hard to live as a minority, but in the 1950’s it was an even greater challenge. Not only was Rosa Parks an African American, but also a female. For Parks to speak out against the social standards of the time was unheard of. Ulrich has become comparable to Rosa Parks for the modern day time period, by speaking out and expressing her views to the extent that they are heard across the country. Women speaking out for change was thought to be unacceptable during that time period. She tries to convince women to stand up for change by encouraging them to not remain well behaved, but to fight for equality. Without the bravery and impact of Parks, Ulrich may not have the same beliefs and attitude towards women’s
Organized into six topical groups, the author did an excellent job in comparing and contrasting King and Malcolm’s views on subjects including integration, the American dream, means of struggle, and opposing racial philosophies that needless any improvement. An interpretive introductory essay, chronology, bibliography, document headnotes, and questions for consideration provide further pedagogical support for students. The author explains how Malcolm X came closer than any social reformer in history to embodying and articulating the totality of the African experience in America while Martin Luther King was not only the most important figure in American religious history in the 20th century, he was arguably its most brilliant
Theoharis used strong descriptions to make her argument. When describing the way in which history warped Parks’s impression, Theoharis stated that Parks had been, “...stripped of political substance”(1). By describing the public image of Parks as devoid of political substance, Theoharis gave a dramatic impression of the way in which secondary sources removed many segments of the Parks who was actively involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Theoharis also brings in the lack of realistic controversy in the ‘processed’ Rosa Parks story. By using ‘stripped’, Theoharis makes the lack of political substance seem unnatural and forced.
Charene Hawkins Professor Holder May 18th, 2016 AAD 160 Book Report: The Autobiography of Malcolm X Throughout history, we’ve learned about a majority of all the civil rights leaders and how they fought for equal rights and to end segregation. Malcolm X was one of the main civil rights leaders that demanded change and would do anything necessary to acquire it. To understand a man with such wisdom, guidance, perseverance, courage and drive you have to walk through his life. The autobiography of Malcolm X takes you through the journey of brother X’s life and the trials, tribulations and challenges he faced to find himself and what he was destined to do.
He claims that reading is crucial to readers' lives, just as it was to his, because it helps people develop their own opinions. “It is challenging to create your own ethical beliefs when you lack the ability to read and comprehend the world” Malcolm X offers the reader a richer reading and learning experience that is simple to understand thanks to the variety of points of view, organization, and language he uses in his impassioned and forceful account of his life. Although it varies a little at the beginning, middle, and ending of his essay, Malcolm's point of view is largely similar throughout. He begins by recalling his early years, when he was unable to read. He also talks about how he taught himself to read when he was incarcerated.
In the middle of the 1900s, things were not as equal as they were now. It took courage and bravery to change and make things more equal, and it could not have been possible without activists like Malcolm X. He had a very tough childhood growing up in Nebraska. At age 5, his dad was killed in a car accident, and his mom was reduced to insanity. In a foster home, Malcolm X dropped out of school in eighth grade and got involved in a gang, sending him to prison for larceny.
Malcolm X's "Prison Studies" is a compelling literacy narrative that vividly recounts the transformative power of education. In this autobiographical essay, Malcolm X reflects on his experience of self-education while serving a ten-year prison sentence for burglary. Through his narrative, he demonstrates the transformative power of literacy and how it enabled him to break free from the constraints of his social and economic background, ultimately leading him toward a life of activism and advocacy. Throughout his essay, Malcolm X details his journey from a self-educated high school dropout to a highly literate and politically engaged individual. He explains that during his time in prison, he realized that his lack of education was a significant
He believes that education is essential if the black community wants to fight against the injustice and take a stand for equality of their civil liberties. His assumption that he is speaking to a group comprised of under-educated black Americans is what allows Malcolm X to inspire this audience to go against the white community and fight for equality. This is still relevant today as showcased by members of the Black Lives Matter movement who are still fighting for justice and equality for black Americans and are protesting for an end to discrimination and racism as more and more unarmed black Americans are being shot and killed by the police all around the United
He believed in methods that were unheard of during his time and he left his mark in history as an empowered civil rights activist. West believes that through black rage, using psychic conversion, and trying to rid of double-consciousness Malcolm X dreamed of not only eliminating white supremacy but a brighter future for black
It took the military to allow nine African Americans students to enter a school in a white neighborhood. This is only one event, other events created riots, bombings, discrimination, poverty, and racism. This is why Malcolm X’s philosophy is much better for the sake of time and our nation. Malcolm X
In “Learning to Read”, Malcolm X uses rhetorical analysis to argue how African Americans continued to struggle in gaining education due to racism. He informs people that through our history books, there have been modifications that restrain the truth about the struggles black people faced. Malcolm X encouraged his audience to strive to get the rights that they deserved. He demonstrates that knowledge is very important because the truth empowers us. In his interview he persuades his audience with diction, tone, pathos, ethos, and appeal to emotion to make his point.
Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were two influential men who served as important figures for the Civil Rights Movement. The two men came from diverse backgrounds and had contrasting views in life about religion and African American’s stance in society. Malcolm X was born in Nebraska and had great amounts of exposure to racism. Martin Luther King was born in an educated family in Atlanta, where he experienced racism, but to a lower extreme than Malcolm X. Although they passed away long time ago, they continue to live on today in a world independent of segregation. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X used opposing principles to achieve equality for blacks; King utilized integration of both races and nonviolence as opposed to Malcolm X who separated the same races and employed non violence so as to achieve the same goal.
This journal article belabours the point that is also a common theme in “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”: Malcolm’s changing views on civil rights. Again as a result of his tumultuous childhood because of the “white man”, Malcolm generalizes all white people as essentially haters of blacks because of the negative experiences he’s had with them and the tragic ways they treated him. But, as he grows older and matures, Malcolm has the eye-opening experience of seeing people of all colors worship next to each other. This is an interaction between blacks and whites that creates a positive environment as an outcome.
Due to Malcolm X’s struggles in his early life, he dealt with an internal anger and resentment towards the white race, which lead to him rebelling and acting out. When Malcolm X was only 6 years old, criminals murdered his father and sparked an internal flame of hatred. His anger convinced him to commit various crimes such as stealing. This acted as a way to rebel against his family and the white community; he would not accept going unnoticed, nor would he accept others as they treated him as inferior. Not only did young Malcolm steal, but he also fought frequently with his family members.
Analysis for Learning to Read by Malcolm X Malcolm X, who used X to signify his lost African tribal name, was an American Muslim minister and a human rights activist. He stated in his excerpt “Learning to Read” from The Autobiography of Malcolm X, “[People] will think I went to school far beyond the eighth grade” (Learning to read, X,3). Malcolm X was kicked out of the school after 8th grade, and went to the prison. He learned how to read in the prison. Ever since then, he started to read books and think about the fate of black people’s.
Without Malcolm, the White people would have not favored Martin Luther King Jr. over other Civil Rights leaders. Towards the end of Malcolm’s life, Martin Luther King Jr. began to become more like Malcolm in a militant way. Martin Luther king Jr. “was also re-evaluating his presuppositions and was moving toward a greater understanding of Malcolm X, especially regarding black pride, separatism, and White America’s lack of commitment to genuine black equality” (Cone, 1992, p. 256). These transformations of Martin Luther King Jr.’s ideas, likely led him to accomplish the revolution of Civil Rights. Although, this is a possibility, it is extremely unrealistic.