Malcolm X

There were struggles in the book that try to take Malcolm down as not being a heroic figure. Malcolm says that his strongest opponents were not the whites, but educated black liberals. These black liberals would accuse Malcolm of starting all the racial tension between blacks and whites. The Press always tried to use these differences to their advantage. For example, if a black mayor is quoted in the paper saying that no racial tensions exist in his country, the press would immediately draw Malcolm's attention to it. Malcolm always went prepared for such discussions, and gave them answers that set them thinking.

Malcolm X was invited at several colleges and universities, where students wanted to hear the 'angry young man' of America speak. Once when Malcolm X had gone to Harvard university he looked out the window and saw the apartment where he once lived and planned those burglaries. He recalls how he had lived 'like an animal.' He becomes aware of the role played by Islam in transforming him. Islam had lifted him from the 'ghettos' and made him a minister in the Nation of Islam.

He remembers the story of Icarus from Greek mythology. In the story his father warns Icarus that if he flew too high in the sky, the sun will melt the wax in his wings and he would fall. Malcolm, standing at the windows then, promises himself that he will always remember that the wings given to him to fly were not his own, but of Allah. This passage showed that Malcolm is humbled, he didn't base his greatness on what he's done. He kept it real, I think that's a main reason why he achieved his heroic person.

Malcolm X goes through different stages in his life throughout the book. Some can be viewed as a heroic phase, such as him as a Minister Malcolm X, and El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. As Minister Malcolm X, he builds confidence and huge creditability as a religious leader. When he begins to rise in the rank of the Nation of Islam, the press focuses on him and allows his message to reach nation wide. Malcolm first narrows in on Nation of Islam, but soon broadens his message to address White America. Malcolm X takes on a more active approach to domestic racial politics, and his influence in American society shows the effectiveness of this heroic persona. After a trip to Africa, Malcolm X asks blacks to align themselves with the nonwhite majority internationally, illustrating his general tendency to let the wisdom he gains from