Race and Gender Throughout Malcolm Xs Life - Free Essay Example

The Autobiography of Malcolm X, is a book that talks and mentions Malcolm xs life on how race and gender played an important role in his life and what turned him into who he was and how it had an effect on his later decisions on his further days of his life. Race has always been an issue, even during remote times. The racial differences lead to discrimination and the belief that some races were better than others, black, white, Asian, Latino, it was always a game of who is who, and who is the superior race. Based on the book by Alex Haley, it is clearly shown that events that occur throughout our lives shape us onto the person we are and the decisions taken in the future, whether the effect is positive or negative. Fortunately, in this case, what Malcolm X had experienced and witnessed throughout his early years in life, had a positive effect in his life, which then led him to follow the religion of Islamic culture, or Muslim even though this had led him to believe that all white people were the devil. There are certain events in our lives that affect the way we think and take decisions. For Malcolm X, according to the Autobiography of Malcolm X, the events that mark him for life in his childhood were the death of his father and the separation of his family years later after his mother had a mental breakdown. For Malcolm X was devastating because both were white peoples fault because his father was killed violently by white people and his mother suffered years, she tried getting jobs but did not get to stay in one because she was a widow of a black man and she struggled while the great depression while welfare was trying to take her children. As we can see all the little thing in his childhood were affecting his actions after everything that happened. Malcolm X did not understand the racism that was going on in his life when he was a child, he did suffer when his family was apart and was sent to a foster home where he was treated just like a pet. Although he was treated alright and he went to a white school, his teacher told him that he couldnt be a lawyer for the color of his skin. He was devastated because his dreams were crushed, racism is crealy shown in the way it was said it to him, and how white people believed that black people had to do certain jobs like carpeting and plumbing but not lawyers or businessmen, Malcolm X had limitations because he was black,he did not feel free to be himself. Racism and gender played from both parts in the history. At the time of malcolm xs life, people still believe that black people were less of a person just for the color of the skin, but at the same time black people whe. They began to be muslims had the wrong idea to believe that white people are devils as is mentioned in the book. When malcolm X was older he started getting different jobs, started selling drugs and become addicted. He ruined a girl that was smart and educated just to be with a white woman for status. Is clear that status was very important at that time, having a white girlfriend was like trying to imitate white culture, this was because black men wanted to feel more, they wanted to have the same opportunities as white people. As time passed he depended on sophia for her money but and was always in cocaine, sophias husband wanted to kill him because he was sleeping with her, this affected his life in many ways because for this reason he went to jail. Gender was anot her factor that is seen because how is described on the book as they are objects, malcolm described that women were black women were prostitutes, and he used sophia just for his personal interest, also his mother was a victim of sexist ways of thinking, she was an educated woman but still was always doing chores pleased her family and when she was looking for a job she could not find something better that clean white familys houses. Women are stereotypically described as housewives and objects to men, that they could do anything else than just stay home and make their family happy, also like if women were made topleased mens needs, and like they dont have feelings. There is thing that mark your life and make the biggest change. One of the events that affected malcolm x the most is when he went to prison because for the most part he didnt went to prison because burglary, it was because his relationship with a white woman. Race was a factor the we can notice in his time given in prison, 10 years was given to him when the white women were 1 year for the same crime. Even the laws were unfair with black men and its obvious that black were treated unfair. When he was in prison he first knew about islam because of his family, he thought about the his past how white people affected his life in many ways, all the events to where he was at that moment, it had a positive effect in his life when he became muslim because after everything he went through , he started filling his mind with knowledge instead of drugs and when he got out of prison became a person that was respected by everyone because of his great speeches in the black community.