Mythe et heros - Malcolm X

I am going to talk about he notion Myth and Heroes, first let's define : some people are considered as heroes, because of their achievements, they represent an ideal by having done some extraordinary things like fighting against racism. A hero is excepted to reprensent peace.

I am going to illustrate this notion trough the famous black leader MalcolmX who was an American Black militant during segregation in the US. He accused racial discrimination and  foughts for less injustice but the methods he used were radical and extremist, he had racist ideas.. Even if he permitted an evolution of the black's condition, Malcolm X is perceived as a hero by some and feared by the other. That is why we can wonder IF MARTIN LUTHER KING, WHO IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT CIVILS RIGHTS LEADER,  is  CONSIDERED as a Hero in USA and everywhere, to what extent can Malcolm X be considered has a hero too?

In order to answer this question, I chose 3 documents studied in class.

The first document is a Malcolm X's speech entitled “Message to the grassroots”, delivered on November, the 10th, 1963, in Detroit. This speech has been written to persuade Black people living in america that they have to put their difference aside and unnite against their common ennemy: the white man

The 2nd doc is an extract from the autobiography of Malcolm X, written by himself and published in 1964 (one year before dying). In this passage entitled BlackNightmare, he is talking about a reality, it shows violences against Black people : It relates an incident when he was 4yo, the arson of his house by 2white man who were probably black legionaires.

The 3rd document is a telegraph entitled “ Mecca made Malcolm X change” , written by Olivier Poole and published on march, the 12th, 2002. This document deals with a collection of documents discovered in a storage unit in Florida. They belonged to MalcolmX. One of them is a journal about his 1st pilgrimage to Mecca(1964) that made him realise he had been wrong to propagate virulent anti white rethoric.

In a 1st time, I am going to explain why he had been feared by people, why can he be perceived as a antihero, as an extremist and racist man. Then focus on the reasons of his hate against white.

Finally, I am going to talk about this 1st pilgrimage that made him change and realise his mistakes.

I         

Before being considered as a courageous defender of the civil rights of African Americans, Malcolm X is often reproached for his racism, defending black supremacy.

A antihero is someone who is supposed to be a hero, doing right things but having the quality of a vilain, like brutality; according to this definition we could say that Malcolm X is one of those antihero. He fought against racism and defended African Americans civil rights but his methods were extremist. Also he said that “equality should be attained by any means necessary”.

We can say that his speech Message to the Grassroots, is very violent and disisive.

Malcolm X began his speech by emphasizing the common experience of all , in order to get them in his side..

He uses a langage that everybody can easily understands; he uses repetitions for exemple “problem”. “ America has a problem” “she doesn't want us here” “it becames our problem” we are not wanted here”

he wants to awake people and make them realize their problem : they are not wanted, all people non white are unwanted.

When he talk about black unwanted, he is refering to Jim Crow Laws that deprived black of their civil right during segregation until 1964.

He talk also about chinese exclusion  act that deprived asians for their rights, and who were not allowed to enter the Us unless they were rich or educated.

 We can also say that he wants to make them react by shocking them, offending them , he says that anybody who would disagree would labeled unintelligent.

When he is talking about the 2nd class citizens, who are all non white, he is using their feeling of exclusion as an instrument of persuasion, in order to get them in his side. He said that the problem is not bazed on their religion (Baptists/methodists) , not on their political ideas (Democratic/Republican) but on their colour. He wants to make them that now being black prevents them from being American.

We can also see how he is has been violent exacerbating their anger, and their resentment by reminding their past.  He says “you are nothing but an ex slave” , and compare them to animals. 

He adds that their parents didn't came to America on the May Flower, didn't descend from the Prilgrim Fathers. He reminds them that blacks were brought in chains just like animals, against their will.

In fact, the ain of this speech was to divide the society into 2 camps, the blacks against the whites.

He uses “common” to unite his audience, because  Not only did Black Americans share a common experience, they also shared a common enemy: white people. 

so Black Americans must put aside their differences and unite.

II        Now we are going to see that in his autobiography, his hate against white people is explained.  

In a first time, he is talking about his father, who must have been an exemple, because to my mind he was a courageous man. MalcolmX's father kept on spreading his ideas in spite of the thrats he had received.. He had resaons to hate white people because of the tragic death of 4 of his brothers, killed by white man.  He was not a submissive black.

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