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20335 PARK, Joon-Hyung
LITERARY REVIEW ON AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X
BEFORE READING THE BOOK
Autobiography of Malcolm X approached me with great interest, coercing me to choose to read it, instead of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. I had heard his name a long time ago in grade school, but had not paid enough attention to remember who he was. I knew that his name came up with Dr. King, but that was all I knew. Knowing that he was the leader in abolishing racial discrimination, I felt a special inclination to read the story of Malcolm��s life. The fact that he was a rebel further inspired me to read the book.
Before actually reading the autobiography, I had some expectations toward what Malcolm��s life would have been like. I expected him to have a childhood of great misfortune, leading him to a person he was. For example, brutal beating by Caucasians, or failure to receive proper education due to the fact that he was black. These expectations were based on the fact that Malcolm X was indeed a revolutionary leader that acknowledged violence as means of liberating his people. My ��educated�� guess turned out to be totally misleading as I read the autobiography.
There were questions to be asked before reading the book, as well as expectations. I wondered which significant incident had inclined Malcolm X to stand up and roar for his people��s rights. Considering the mood in the United States, it must have been a courageous and audacious step to take. Though I have had stood up time to time to defend my basic rights as a student before, I barely remember the time when I stood up for others of my kind. This courage was what I wanted, and to obtain it, I wanted to learn how Malcolm X accomplished it.
Basically, my overall feelings toward this autobiography can be delineated through the word ��anxiety��. I craved to learn the story of this black rebel that shook the history of individual rights.
SUMMARY
As young, Malcolm observed the terror of the Ku Klux Klan member��s as they broke and burned downed his house, for KKK��s target was Earl Little, his father.. His father was a tall black Baptist who worked for Universal Negro Improvement Association. After they move to Lansing, Michigan, another supremacist group burns down his house. Watching his house burned down taught Malcolm his early lessons in what it is like to be a black in America. While growing up, he learned that blacks are against the odds through some experiences; he also learned through experience that the way to get something is to ask for it. At the age of six, Earl Little is killed by white men who opposed Earl��s black nationalist work. About this time in Malcolm��s life, his family all split up for his mother is sent to a mental hospital, and his siblings sent to orphanage and foster homes. This Malcolm blames state welfare agency for his tragedy.
During his Junior High, Malcolm ranks first, although he does not feel comfortable in school. Though he elected as a class president, he still feels left out, and learns that even well-meaning white people do not see black people as their equals. Though his light skin enables him to be accepted by white guys, but it was evident that Malcolm was being treated like a pet. Though he is allowed to play basketball and shoot raccoons and wash dishes implying that some doors were open for him, it also meant that the whites considered him as an inferior.
As Malcolm moves to Boston from Lansing, he quickly realizes the difference between the lifestyle of the middle-class blacks and that of ghetto blacks. He feels more inclined to the life of the latter. At Boston, Malcolm meets Shorty, an aspiring saxophonist another black from Lansing. He starts to earn money as a shoe shiner and grows into a hustler who has talents in dancing. As a hustler, Malcolm attracts many white females and becomes sort of a celebrity among whites.
Dazzled by the energy of New York, especially Harlem��s Savoy Ballroom and Apollo Theater, Malcolm tries hard and succeeds in working in Harlem bar. Getting more and more involved with the Harlem underworld, Malcolm becomes associated with pimps, including the one known as Sammy the Pimp, who soon becomes his confidant.
Moving in to a rooming house run by prostitutes, he learns a lot on psychology of men from prostitutes. With the help of Sammy the Pimp, Malcolm begins to sell marijuana to New York jazz musicians. This business soon fails and leaves Malcolm poverty.
Having various odd jobs, Malcolm gets in deep trouble more than once. He gets into a fight with another hustler, cheats on Indian Archie, and is searched by the police. He feels more threatened than ever, and just when he was to get shot, Shorty picks him up, and taking him to Boston. In Boston, Shorty and Ella are surprised at how much Malcolm has changed. To make ends meet, Malcolm looks for a new hustle, and finds a burglary ring. He gets caught in the end and is then charged 1o years in prison.
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