Malcolm X (2)

I found it very interesting how much effort Malcolm put in in order to recruit new people to Islam.  Malcolm said "Recruit as I would in the Detroit ghetto bars, in the poolrooms, and on the corner..."(Haley 203).  Malcolm tried everything he could and used all of his old skills to help people make the choice to convert to his new religion.  Malcolm was out being a missionary for his religion.  This article I have read informs you more about what Islamic missionaries do.  The original missionary was Muhammad, a Muslim prophet.  Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missionaries .  What a missionary does is not that far off from what a telemarketer does.  When you receive the phone call from them they are always trying to convince to switch to their service, or buy their product.  The only difference between the two is that a telemarketer does not deal with religion.  Malcolm was giving everything he had to try to bring new people to Islam.  He felt this religion was morally correct for all blacks.        

Malcolm X (1)

I was glad to see in these chapters how dramatically Malcolm changed his life around.  He started to believe in a religion that he liked, he began to read, and he came into contact with his family again.  Also, he gave up smoking which will help to improve his overall health.  The jail sentence that Malcolm received did not hurt him.  In a sense, it revived his life, and made it meaningful again.  Now that Malcolm feels he is part of a religion, it makes him strive for success.  He is not just out hustling on the street or taking drugs every day.  Malcolm is becoming a much better human being.  Although not as serious as Malcolm I can relate his experiences to a bad test grade.  Once you have a bad test, you get down in the dumps and sometimes let the bad grade control your life, just as Malcolm let drugs control his.  Once someone, such as a parent, gives you encouragement, as Islam gave Malcolm, you can finally put the bad grade behind you.  Malcolm was able to put his old life behind him and focus on something he felt important.  Even though Malcolm was able to change in life in prison, does this happen to anyone else, or do people become more bitter after prison?        

While searching the web, I found an article that has a very similar story to Malcolm's. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/147287/can_prison_change_your_life_for_the.html?cat=47  

This is about a drug addict who turns himself in after an attempted robbery.  Although this part is not similar the rest of the story is.  While this man was in jail he was able to stop his addiction to crack, just as Malcolm stopped his addiction.  Also, this man motivated himself to learn, and earned a G.E.D, which is a test that certifies that you have a high school education.  When this man was let out of prison, he was set on the right path to having a better and drug free life.  So, other people do motivate themselves and become better people while in jail.  It seems it is a place for redemption and not a place for misery. 

Ethnic notation thoughts

I found it very interesting that white men played black men in movies.  They would dye there skin black with coal and act like a black man would have.  What surprised me though was that when they had black's act they had to dye there skin too.  The movie producers wanted them to look as dark as possible and act like a stereotypical African American.  They would even paint big lips on these black actors because that was how they were portrayed in many popular comics or books.  When a African American acted on a show they would not let him act normal they would make them portray the the typical black stereotype.

Malcolm X (reaction)

It was a tough time for the Little family when there mother was put into a mental hospital.  It completely broke them up.  All the children were spread out living with various different foster families.  It must be tough growing up without your parents around.  Malcolm feels that the welfare workers did this to his mother and split up his family.  They were always around constantly asking questions and bothering his family.  They thought Malcolm's mother was crazy when she rejected meat because of her religious beliefs.  This was why she was put into the hospital.  As Malcolm grew up he visited his mother periodically.  He said "But she didn't recognize me at all.  She stared at me.  She didn't know who I was" (Haley 22).  This is something that is really tough to deal with.  Malcolm was very strong not to let this bother him.  His MOTHER did not know who he was.      

Malcolm X (interesting quote)

"Whenever our team walked into another school's gym for the dance, with me among them, I could feel the freeze" (Haley 31).

This quote was shocking to me.  The others schools were so unaccustomed to African Americans, that a whole room would freeze when he walked in.  They were in disbelief that an African American was in there school.  In todays day in age we don't even think twice when a African American walks into the room. We even have an African American president.  Things have changed a lot since Malcolm was a kid.  America has come a long way when it comes to integration and equal rights.