Malcolm X

Malcolm X was a very interesting and complicated person. Throughout his life, Malcolm had exposure to practically every type of person the world had to offer. In his younger years, he excelled in his community predominately surrounded by whites. He then got into the hustling business within the black community which supplied for all types of people. After that, he joined the Nation of Islam, joining himself with many Muslims. Lastly, Malcolm went on a Hajj to Africa, where his communication with a diverse group of people expanded. Each time Malcolm had a new group of people in his life, he had a different alias to go by. Whichever one is remembered most, Malcolm Little, Malcolm X or El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, his impact on society will be remembered forever.

Gaining information on Malcolm from two different "texts" really helped in my understanding of him. These two different "texts" were The Autobiography of Malcolm X and the film Malcolm X: Make it Plain. Both of these pieces were informative in two entirely different ways. In the book, we gained knowledge of Malcolm through his views on various aspects of life. However, in the movie, we gained knowledge of Malcolm from others' points of views. For me, the film was more helpful because I am more of a visual learner.

Malcolm Little, his birth name, was a very gifted child growing up. He managed to receive straight A's and become the president of his junior high school. The book got more in depth than the movie in that aspect of his life. For example, the book talked about how Malcolm told his English teacher, Mr. Ostrowski that he wanted to become a lawyer. Even though this teacher encouraged the less intelligent white students to aspire any dreams, he told Malcolm that he would be better off becoming a carpenter. That was a very important part in Malcolm's young life. It can be considered the turning point of his views with the white community. The movie would not be able to fit all of the information of his childhood that the book displayed. The film gave us an insight on how his brothers and sisters saw life as a young child around Malcolm, a time I am sure they will not forget.

Now Malcolm became a hustler on the streets of Harlem, needless to say, that occupation did not last very long. The book gave many details of Malcolm's interactions with pimps and various other people in the Harlem community including all of his jobs, whereas the film did not. He then got caught as a burglar and was put in prison. As in many aspects of his life, the book gave more details of Malcolm's life inside the steel bars. Since no one was in jail with him that was interviewed in the film, we could not get a good presentation of others' views of his experiences in jail. While in prison, Malcolm hears about the Nation of Islam through his family. The leader of the group, Elijah Mohammed had a central idea that all white men were devils. In learning this, Malcolm thought back to all of the white people he had previously encountered. It is easier for us to understand Malcolm's thought process after reading the book, since the film did not tell us of all of his relationships with white people. Malcolm then converted to Islam.

Replacing his last name with "X" did more than just change his name, it changed his personality. He changed his last named because he did not want to be connected in any way with his old last name that was given to his ancestors by slave owners. The film really let us know his displeasure with his old last name. During an interview, Malcolm refused to tell his interviewer his given last name. I felt as though the movie was very helpful in learning about him as Malcolm X. The book would tell us about how Malcolm gave powerful speeches and little details about his preaching but you cannot replace the actual footage of his speeches. On several occasions, the movie displayed Malcolm's relentlessness to preach to all that would listen to him about the teachings of the Nation of Islam. Being able to hear his voice also assisted in showing his passion for the Muslim community. His voice was his most powerful attribute, it was the part of him that he used to get him into trouble as well as help others and the book could not display that for us.

As he became a more prominent figure in the Nation of Islam, tribulations followed. Elijah Mohammed became ill and could not commit as much