On the other hand, Malcolm was raised in an underprivileged household of violence. Fear and anger deeply planted many seeds of bitterness within him. The Klu Klux Klan put Malcolm’s family through a lot of turmoil. The two of the most devastating attacks was the burning of his house and the murder of his father. He suffered not only from abuse of whites, but also from domestic abuse. His father beat his mother and both parents abused their children. After his mother had a mental breakdown, the children were placed in foster homes. Malcolm's resentment escalated from the negative effects of integrated schooling. He was a very intelligent student who shared the same dream of being a lawyer as Martin Luther King, but anger and disappointment caused him to drop out of school.
Malcolm Little’s path to being a famous leader was very unpredictable. From a childhood of poverty to a teenage life of minor crimes, Malcolm landed himself in jail. This is where he came into contact with the teachings of a little known Black Muslim leader by the name of Elijah Muhammad. He later changed he name to Malcolm X, the use of the X advised blacks to reject their surnames. They were all ones of slave-owners and by replacing them with the letter ‘X’ stood for the lost African names of our ancestors. Malcolm was released from jail in 1952 and became a minister for Muhammad that same year. He eventually became very disappointed with the Muhammad and the Nation of Islam. This led to his decision to disconnect himself from the group. Malcolm took a trip to Mecca, a city in Saudi Arabia. When he came back to the United States he had changed his views from believing race was the only reason for American community troubles.
The upbringings of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were essentially responsible for their distinctly different responses towards racial discrimination against blacks. But in the end, both men became powerful icons of the contemporary African-American culture. While King had a more positive attitude than Malcolm X, believing that through peaceful demonstrations and arguments, blacks would be able to one day achieve complete equality with white Americans. Malcolm X's lost hope against life was reflected in his cynical belief that equality is impossible because whites have no moral conscience. King adopted an integrationist philosophy, believing blacks and whites should unite and live together in peace and harmony. Malcolm X promoted Black Nationalist and separatist principles. He believed blacks would only obtain their rightful place in society only through revolution and force.
Both X and King spread their message through powerful, hard-hitting speeches. Nevertheless, their intentions were delivered in different styles and purposes. King was peaceful leader who advocated non-violence to his followers. He traveled about the country giving various speeches that inspired black and even white listeners to work together for racial unity. Primarily Malcolm X believed that non-violence was a ploy by the white America to keep black America in their place. He was outraged with white racism and advocated his followers through his speeches to stand up and protest against their white adversaries.
Malcolm’s and King’s speeches and essays exposed the truth of racism and to supported racial equality. Which reflected both men's ideas about making America better. They agreed blacks needed to achieve self-respect as the first step blacks needed to take in order to ever conquer freedom. Malcolm X's speeches were delivered in a revolutionary tone, which could provoke his listeners towards hatred of white America. Malcolm X also used straight and to the point language that all classes of society could understand.
Most of Martin Luther King’s speeches encouraged black and nation to work together for racial harmony. He wanted to educate impressionable black youth that equality is possible to gain through non-violent methods. Many of his principles are reflected in his most famous speech "I have a dream". In this speech, King advises black people to never forget or give up on their dreams. King preaches that in the eyes of our God, blacks should be treated equal to any other race. Unlike Malcolm X, King does not motivate his followers to rebel, but encourages them to remember that all people are God's children and that hopefully one day all American can join together to sing "My country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing” (Shephard 86) .
Martin Luther King's had many speeches that resembled the style of a black Baptist sermon. They include words from common sources like Bible, the Declaration of Independence, Emancipation Proclamation, and even the Constitution. Through the symbolic method of allusion, King makes use of phrases and language from important cultural texts for his own purposes (Shephard 84). At the beginning of his ‘I Have Dream’ speech, King alludes Lincoln's Gettysburg Address when he states "Five score years ago..." He stated in reference to the abolition of slavery expressed in the Emancipation Proclamation, "It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity”(84). A example of Biblical quote from the book of Amos is found in King's tenth stanza: "No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream"(81).
King is the author many famous speeches and essays. His most famous speech was I Have a Dream, it was a plea to all American citizens to eliminate discrimination and prejudice, especially ones based on race. “Stride toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story” was about his role in the Montgomery, Alabama, boycott and desegregation attempts “Strength to Love” a collection of sermons. He wrote his Letter from Birmingham Jail while imprisoned for participating in nonviolent demonstration. It explained why he and others had the right to protest without violence. “Why We Can't Wait” was a discussion of his general views on civil rights.
On the other hand, majority of Malcolm X’s speeches encouraged blacks to hate white America and to revolt against them. “Revolution is bloody, revolution is hostile, revolution knows no compromise, revolution overturns and destroys everything that gets in its way," (Clarke 255). In his speech "God's Judgment of White America", delivered on December 1, 1963, Malcolm X like any other time advocated his separatist philosophy. "America must set aside some separate territory here in the Western Hemisphere where the two races can live apart from each other, since we certainly don't get along peacefully while we are here together" (Clarke 287).
After Malcolm X's voyage to Mecca in 1964, he re evaluated white America and somewhat modified his racist and anti-white beliefs. This change was reflected in his "Communication and Reality" spoken to the American Domestic Peace Corps. "I am against any form of racism. We are all against racism. I believe in Allah. I believe in the brotherhood of man, all men, but I do not believe in the brotherhood with anybody who does not want brotherhood with me," (Gallen 129)
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are both remembered as leaders who fought for a difference in black America. Both tried to bring hope to blacks in the United States. They also tried to encourage blacks that they have the power and strength to rise above all the hatred that surrounded them. They both just had very different ways of advocating their message. Malcolm X had a much more radical approach directed from his neglectful childhood and early adulthood. King had a much more calm approach. His non-violent approach came from his safe and middle-class environment. Although they were different in teaching their messages about black respect and pride, they both had the same goal. That goal was to achieve equality between all races. King and Malcolm X eventually gave their own lives for the cause of black equality and freedom. Their writings and actions are still used in the fight for African Americans and the equality of all races men today.
Since our contemporary youth of today is becoming more and more lost from media. It is ideal that Malcolm X would be their choice of a leader. From rap lyrics and music videos to the novels by African Americans, sex and violence is selling at a rapid pace.
***Well- written analysis—the essay begins to wane a bit toward the end. Did you have trouble with the conclusion? It seems as though you weren’t quite sure how you wanted to bring the discussion back full circle, so to speak; however, your personal engagement and research is evident. Essay grade: 72/80
Work Cited
Cone, James H. Martin & Malcolm & America: A or a Nightmare. New York: Orbis Books, 1995.
Clarke, John Henrik. Malcolm X: The Man and His Times. New Jersey: African World Guide: 1991.
Carson, Clayborne. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. New York: Warner Books, 1998.
Gallen, David. Malcolm A to X: The Man and His Ideas. New York: First Carroll & Graf Publishers Inc, 1992.
Shepard, Kris and Clayborne Carson. A Call to Conscience. New York: Warner Books, 2001.