Exemplification Essay: The Redemption Of Malcolm X
Malcolm X lived a life marked by extremism. Confronted with extreme racism, Malcolm looked for extreme social and religious solutions; this would lead to both his redemption and his demise. This is the story of Malcolm X.
Malcolm X lived a life of multiple identities. Born Malcolm Little in 1925, he was the son of a Nebraskan preacher. By the time he was in his teens he was known as ‘Detroit Red’ and had descended into a sordid lifestyle of petty crime and drugs. Following his murder at just thirty-nine years of age, Malcolm X was buried as Al Hajj Malik Shabazz – a radical Islamic cleric torn paradoxically between preaching the peace of Islam and involvement in ruthless murders.
Malcolm X was variously described as a father, a hero, …show more content…
However, out on his own on the streets of Boston, he became acquainted with some petty criminals and soon turned to selling drugs. As he fell deeper into the void of the city’s criminal underground, Malcolm Little fell further into a life of drugs and crime. Wearing flamboyant pinstriped ‘zoot’ suits he frequented nightclubs and dance halls, selling narcotics to finance his high-end lifestyle. This phase in Malcolm X’s life came to a screeching stop when he was arrested for robbery and breaking and enter in 1946. He was sentenced to ten years in …show more content…
Passionate and well-spoken, Malcolm was naturally gifted and an inspirational leader. He encouraged African Americans to break free of racism “by any means necessary,” including violence. Malcolm X preached, “You don’t have a peaceful revolution… You don’t have a turn-the-cheek revolution. There’s no such thing as a nonviolent revolution” (Myers, 1993). Malcolm was truly a man of his childhood upbringing, the violence encouraged by Malcolm won him large numbers of followers as well as critics including the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. King once stated, “I feel that Malcolm has done himself and our people a great disservice” (MLK,
Malcolm X lived a life of multiple identities. Born Malcolm Little in 1925, he was the son of a Nebraskan preacher. By the time he was in his teens he was known as ‘Detroit Red’ and had descended into a sordid lifestyle of petty crime and drugs. Following his murder at just thirty-nine years of age, Malcolm X was buried as Al Hajj Malik Shabazz – a radical Islamic cleric torn paradoxically between preaching the peace of Islam and involvement in ruthless murders.
Malcolm X was variously described as a father, a hero, …show more content…
However, out on his own on the streets of Boston, he became acquainted with some petty criminals and soon turned to selling drugs. As he fell deeper into the void of the city’s criminal underground, Malcolm Little fell further into a life of drugs and crime. Wearing flamboyant pinstriped ‘zoot’ suits he frequented nightclubs and dance halls, selling narcotics to finance his high-end lifestyle. This phase in Malcolm X’s life came to a screeching stop when he was arrested for robbery and breaking and enter in 1946. He was sentenced to ten years in …show more content…
Passionate and well-spoken, Malcolm was naturally gifted and an inspirational leader. He encouraged African Americans to break free of racism “by any means necessary,” including violence. Malcolm X preached, “You don’t have a peaceful revolution… You don’t have a turn-the-cheek revolution. There’s no such thing as a nonviolent revolution” (Myers, 1993). Malcolm was truly a man of his childhood upbringing, the violence encouraged by Malcolm won him large numbers of followers as well as critics including the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. King once stated, “I feel that Malcolm has done himself and our people a great disservice” (MLK,