Juan Herrera-Cruz

October 22, 2006

English 3

Period 4

 

Assessment Number One: Chavez Notes

           

            Malcolm X uses both weak and strong arguments, he makes assumptions, and uses different kinds of evidence to support his points. In pages 161 through 165 of The Autobiography of Malcolm X. Malcolm X uses a wide range of arguments, assumptions, and evidence to support his themes of religion and education. His purposes are to show the affects of religion in his life and to show how he educated himself in prison, and how you can educate yourself. Even though his fallacies of personal attack and appeal to common opinion, this section of The Autobiography of Malcolm X seems credible on how religion affects your life and how you can educate your self. This section of the book will show the problems with his arguments and how religion can change you for the better good. Furthermore how religion can get you ready for what GOD has setup for your life.

 

            To achieve his purpose of showing people how religion affected his life. Malcolm

X uses two of types of arguments in this section of the book. The first argument he uses is argument by authority. Reginald (Malcolm X‘s brother) explains to Malcolm X who is God and who is the Devil and what are there purposes. Afterwards Reginald introduces Malcolm X to a man named Elijah and he tells Malcolm X how Elijah is going  to help him change his life around. Malcolm X writes “he told me that this God had come to America, and that he had made himself known to a man named Elijah-- “a black man, just like us.” This God had let Elijah know, Reginald said, that the devils “time was up” (p.162). This argument seems strong to Malcolm X because he believes that white people are the devils and that there time is up. He also trusts and believes his brothers words because his brother is the only one that has tried to motivate Malcolm X into changing the way he is. The second argument he uses is argument by emotion. Reginald tells Malcolm X “Malcolm, don’t eat any more pork, and don’t smoke any more cigarettes. I‘ll show you how to get out of prison” (p. 158). This argument is strong because Malcolm X takes what Reginald told him to the heart. He believes his brother because his brother has changed for the greater good and his brother has been through all of this before (Reginald hasn’t been in prison). Furthermore Malcolm X expects the truth form his bother and his honesty. Malcolm X’s story strengthens his argument because every thing that Reginald told him and every thing he learned in prison, he takes it to the heart.                 

 

            Malcolm X takes for granted that white people are devils, but he knows that its true. Malcolm X uses stated assumptions in this section of the book instead of implicit assumptions. The stated assumption he uses is. Malcolm X’s argument is about how white men are devils, he writes “with a slight movement of his head, Reginald indicated some white inmates and their visitors talking, as we were, across the room” (p. 162). Basically Malcolm X thinks that all white people are devils but he is only basing that assumption or evidence on the white people he has met so far in his life or the white people he knows in the prison. He hasn’t met white people from other states or country’s. Malcolm X needs to gather more information on whites or white history so he can get a better understanding of whites and relive that not all white people are the same in some way. He cant just base his assumption or evidence on a few white people that he has met that are against or hate black people. 

 

            Malcolm X has several examples of how white people were acting like if they were black and how some white women liked black men better then white men. Malcolm X uses one kind of evidence in this section of the book. The kind of evidence he uses is anecdotal evidence. Malcolm X writes “the whites in New York City--the cops, the white criminals I‘d dealt with . . . The whites who piled into the Negro speakeasies for a taste of Negro soul . . . The white women who wanted Negro men . . . The men I‘d steered to the black “specialty sex” they wanted . . .” (p. 163). This is anecdotal evidence because Malcolm X uses several examples about white people and in the end he draws a conclusion about white people. Anecdotal evidence is weak evidence. Basically Malcolm X talks about how white people want to be like black people and how the white women leave the white men for black men because there tired of white men and there rules. The white women want something they haven’t experienced yet, that’s why they go out with black men or they prostitute themselves to the black men.

 

            Malcolm X starts of by attacking white people and there morals. Malcolm

X uses two of types of fallacies in this section of the book. The first fallacy he uses is personal attack. He attacks them be saying that all white people are the same, that they’ll never change, and that there all devils in some way. He is attacking white people directly or in general. Malcolm X writes “every race of man is not white” (p. 165). Basically what he means by this quote is that all white people want other races to worship them or be like them because they think that there inferior to all other races. Also that there is no other races that can compete with there knowledge and intelligence. But Malcolm X thinks differently, he thinks that all races (especially the black race) are unique in there own way and that there not white or that they don’t want to be like the white race. The second fallacy he uses is appeal to common opinion. Malcolm X is arguing that white people are devils because a lot of black people believe that white people are devils. Basically Malcolm X blames the white people for what the black people have gone or are going through. Malcolm X writes “The devil white man” and “The brainwashed black man” (p. 164). In other words black people back then were brained washed by the white people. The white people use to be racist to them, they used them as slaves for there own needs, and they told them lies so they would turn on there own race. Malcolm X agrees that white people did brainwash the black people. But soon enough black people started to relieve that white people were like the devil.           

 

            Basically everything that Malcolm X writes in his Autobiography seems credible. But there are some parts were Malcolm X over exaggerates or were it just doesn’t seem believable what his writing. Anyways in this section of the book everything he says seems believable because his basically writing about how religion affected him while he has in prison and how he educated himself in prison. He makes his point about how religion can change or affect your life for the greater good and how a little motivation from a loved one can help you change for the better. Malcolm X writes “the true knowledge of black man” (p. 165). In other words by self educating himself in prison thanks to the motivation of his brother and Mr. Muhammad’s teachings his finding out things about black people he never knew or dreamed of knowing. At the same time his educating himself in prison by reading different books and practicing his writing skills or grammar. Malcolm X is preparing himself for when he gets out of prison. Malcolm X doesn’t want to go back to the streets and start hustling again because he learned his lesson the first time. Instead he wants to be somebody in life. Someone important or someone that can make a big difference in the world.

 

            Religion can affect your life one way or the other. While self educating your self can be very effective. Malcolm X’s arguments about religion and self education should be taken seriously because it proves that religion can affect your life and that you can educate your self without having to go to school. Furthermore you can educate your self right about anywhere (prison, home, etc…). Also Malcolm X’s arguments by emotion show that he was emotionally touched by religion and how it affected him. While his stated assumptions shows that his backing up his arguments. In addition Malcolm X’s evidence and fallacies both support the points his trying to make about religion and self education. The credibility of this section of The Autobiography of Malcolm X is very strong. Religion can affect your life more then what you think. Which ever religion you are or you pick it will change you for the greater good and prepare you for what GOD has in store for you.