Research Proposal on "Autobiography of Malcolm X As Told"

Research Proposal 5 pages (1652 words) Sources: 1

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Autobiography of Malcolm X as Told to Alex Haley. Specifically it will contain a book review of the book. "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" tells the story of one of the most influential black leaders of the 1960s, Malcolm X, born in Omaha, Nebraska as Malcolm Little. His family moved several times when he was young due to persecution and prejudice, and they finally settled outside Lansing, Michigan, where his father was attacked and killed when Malcolm was only six-years-old. Eventually, his mother ended up in a mental institution and Malcolm went to live in Boston with his half-sister. He only completed the eighth grade, and as a young man, he became involved in gambling, prostitution, drugs, and street life. Eventually he moves to Harlem, and begins committing burglaries. When he returns to Boston, he continues robbing houses, and is finally caught and sent to prison. In prison, he converts to Islam, joining the group the Nation of Islam, and turns his life around, and that is the true beginning of his status as a Black leader and activist.

When he is released from prison, Malcolm becomes increasingly involved in the Nation of Islam in Detroit, and this is when he changes his name to "Malcolm X," because the name does not represent who he believes he has become. He writes, "For me, my 'X' replaced the white slavemaster name of 'Little' which some blue-eyed devil named Little had imposed upon my paternal forebears" (Haley 199). By changing his name, Malcolm denounced his former life and became a man of God, but a man of deep personal convictions, as well. These convictions would ultimately lead to his assassination in 1965.

Haley's and Malcolm X's thesis for writing this book is quite simple. Haley wanted to share Malcolm's life in largely his own words, so blacks and whites would understand a little more about this man who made such a difference in many people's lives, and inspired fear and misunderstanding in so many whites. In Haley's Epilogue to Malcolm's story, he writes of trying to convince Malcolm to tell his story. Finally, Malcolm agrees. Haley writes, "He said, 'I agree. I think my life story may help people to appreciate better how Mr. Muhammad salvages black people. But I don't want my motives for this misinterpreted by anybody - the Nation of Islam must get every penny that might come to me'" (Haley 386). Clearly, this is the thesis of this work, and this represents the popularity of the work, as well. First published in 1965, it is still popular and studied today, indicating just how far-reaching Malcolm X's life truly was.

Haley substantiates his thesis throughout the book, taking pains to portray Malcolm X as a real man, rather than a larger than life figure who never did anything wrong. When he was young, (far under 21), he lived with his half-sister in Boston, but he had a white mistress, he ran with the wrong crowd, and he got involved in drugs, alcohol, and everything in between. Haley notes, "For the next several months, Sophia [his mistress] would pick me up downtown, and I'd take her to dances, and to the bars around Roxbury. We drove all over. Sometimes it would be nearly daylight when she let me out in front of Ella's [his half-sister]" (Haley 67). Haley includes this early debauchery because it eventually leads to Malcolm's time in prison, but it also shows how he truly turned his life around when he joined the Nation of Islam. His new religion decreed no dancing, no drinking, and certainly no affairs with white women. Malcolm was a changed man, and without this early contrast, it would be difficult to see just how much his life changed after he converted to Islam.

Another way Haley illustrates the change in Malcolm is how he furthered his education while he was in prison. Malcolm quit school after the eighth grade, but during his time in prison he reads voraciously, learning English, Latin, and much more. Inside, he develops an insatiable quest for knowledge, and much of it has to do with white oppression of blacks. Haley writes, "My reading had my mind like steam under pressure. Some way, I had to start telling the white man about himself to his face" (Haley 184). The reader begins to see how Malcolm develops his ideas about blacks, whites, and how the two races get along, and by showing his early background, it is easier to see how Malcolm developed these ideas. His family was forced to move several times by white supremacists, they had a home burned down around them, and his father died at the hands of whites. It is not difficult to see why he renounced his name, took on a new religion, and fought so hard for black rights. Haley uses Malcolm's background to build the foundation of this autobiography, and to paint a compelling picture of a man determined to make the world a better place for his people.

Before his break with the Nation, however, he continued to work tirelessly for Islam, and even appeared in an inflammatory documentary that incited fear and misunderstanding in many whites. The documentary showed the inflammatory side of Malcolm and his quest for black whites, and that frightened many people. Haley writes, "Only the American white man was so plagued and obsessed with being 'hated.' He was so quality, it was clear to me, of hating Negroes" (Haley 240). It is easy to see how Malcolm would feel this way, after the many violent experiences throughout his life. Haley portrays his life as leading up to this pinnacle of influence and fear, illustrating the deep divide between blacks and whites during the 1960s. Malcolm was like so many other blacks fighting for Civil Rights, but he was openly critical of whites and urged violence if necessary, and this was frightening to whites who feared a white uprising. Haley shows how the tide was turning against Malcolm, and it would only increase as his influence became even more important in the black community.

Haley is one of America's premier black authors, and his credentials in writing this book revolve around his close relationship with Malcolm X However, it is clear that Haley and Malcolm did not see eye-to-eye throughout the many meetings it took to relate and transcribe this book. Haley notes, "Sitting right there and staring at me was the fiery Malcolm X who could be as acid toward Negroes who angered him as he was against whites in general" (Haley 387). It is clear that Haley does not have the same kind of hero worship that Malcolm had for Muhammad, but there is an admiration that makes its way into the book. If this book had been written by a white author, it might have taken a far different course, and so, it could be said Haley was biased in some way, simply because of his understanding and portrayal of Malcolm. His Epilogue portrays Malcolm as a troubled man who never trusts anyone, especially whites, and illustrates how much power he really did wield over the black community. He writes, "But his was the kind of evidence which caused many close observers of the Malcolm X phenomenon to declare in absolute seriousness that he was the only Negro in America who could either start a race riot - or stop one" (Haley 395). He portrays Malcolm as a man with a mission, but not necessarily a mission that all readers will understand or embrace.

No book is absolutely perfect, and if this book has a fatal flaw it is how it portrays the Nation of Islam, and how they become inherently evil by the end of the book. No one disputes… READ MORE

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