Malcolm X And The Civil Rights Movement - 1500 Words

During the 1960’s, the Civil Rights Movement involved ending segregation and inequality in order for black people in America to attain equality and justice. Although the whites and nonwhites were citizens of the United States of America, the whites had civil rights and they were superior, while the blacks didn’t have the same rights as the whites did and they were considered inferior. Many blacks protested about the blacks rights and eventually more people heard about it and decided to follow along. There were several civil rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and more, that wanted to end injustice for all black people in America. King and Malcolm X were willing to do anything they could to help the blacks get justice and equality, but the focal point here is about how Malcolm X’s views, such as the Nation of Islam, separation/segregation, Christianity, and violence relate to African Americans, race, and the Civil Rights Movement. Malcolm X had a lot of problems during his childhood. His father, Reverend Earl Little, was a â€Å"Baptist minister who’s an organizer for Marcus Aurelius Garvey’s U.N.I.A. (Universal Negro Improvement Association† (1) and his mother, Louise Little, was half-white and half-black. Out of his siblings, he had the lightest skin color, but although he had some white in him, he was taught to hate the â€Å"white rapist’s blood† (3) in him because of the terrible things the whites have done to African-Americans. When he was six years old,Show MoreRelatedMalcolm X And The Civil Rights Movement1180 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the Civil Rights Movement, many came out of the crowd yearning for their voice to be heard. Freedom activists became well known throughout various parts of the United States, all with different ideas about how to approach such an enormous problem of injustice faced by Negros. With racial injustice at its hand, America was blessed to recei ve civil rights activists Malcolm X. In order to understand Malcolm X’s philosophies, one must look back and examine his past, paying attention to keyRead MoreMalcolm X And The Civil Rights Movement1128 Words   |  5 PagesMalcolm X, May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965, who was born Malcolm Little, was orphaned as a child. At the age of 6 his father was killed, and when he was 13 his mother was placed in a mental hospital, after which he went in and out of various foster homes. At the age of 20 Malcolm went to prison for larceny and Breaking and entering. As a result of going to prison, he ended up becoming a member of the group known as, the nation of Islam, and after leaving prison on parole in 1952, rapidly climbedRead MoreMalcolm X And The Civil Rights Movement1045 Words   |  5 Pagesto the African American Civil Rights Movement there are many people that are seen as heroes. Some, like Malcolm X tend to be seen in a more negative light and it is often debated whe ther or not he was a good addition to the civil rights movement. In 1952 when Malcolm’s recognition rose he became one of the most influential speakers for black americans. His recognition came with controversy and he is often seen responsible for the violence before and after his death. Malcolm was very outspoken andRead MoreMalcolm X and the Civil Rights Movement Essay730 Words   |  3 PagesThe Civil Rights Movement includes social movements in the United States whose objective was to end racial segregation as well as discrimination against African-Americans. Civil rights are a class of rights that protects individuals freedom and ensure ones ability to participate in the civil and political life. Civil rights include the ensuring of life and safety, protection from an individual. The United States tries to get voting rights for them. The phase of the movement began in 1954 and endedRead MoreEssay on The Civil Rights Movement: Malcolm X1135 Words   |  5 PagesDuring the Civil Rights Movement, there was a famous leader whose protests were peaceful and non-violent. That man was Martian Luther King Jr., but many people have never heard of another Civil Rights leader. Even though his protests were different than King’s protests, he did his part and help with equality. This man was Malcolm Little, more famously known as Malcolm X. After a rough upbringing, Malcolm X led protests that differed which ended with his assassination. His protesting didn’t startRead MoreMalcolm X was a Symbol of the Civil Rights Movement1573 Words   |  6 Pagesprepare for it today.† Malcolm X The 1920’s, or the â€Å"Roaring Twenties†, was a time in American history described as the â€Å"Wild West†. Prohibition brought controversy and anarchy to the once civilized American society, with mobs and gangs at the peak of their power with leaders such as Al Capone supplying alcohol and guns to the public. This was also a time of heightened racial segregation, with boundaries being set such as only white bathrooms and schools. Malcolm (X) Little was born in thisRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X: Icons for the Civil Rights Movement947 Words   |  4 PagesMartin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were two individuals who not only helped the African-American plight during the Civil Rights Movement, but served as icons to the history of their race. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X grew up in very different environments. King Jr. came from a middle class family where education was a significant value in his home life. Malcolm X, on the other hand, w as raised in a foster home after his father’s murder and his mom was put into a mental institution. He wasRead MoreComparison of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. in the Civil Rights Movement1214 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the Civil Rights Movement, many leaders emerged that captured the attention of the American public. During this period, the leaders used different tactics in order to achieve change. Of two of the better-known leaders, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., the latter had a more positive influence in the progress of the movement. Each of these two leaders had different views on how to go about gaining freedom. While King believed a peaceful means would allow the blacks to achieve equalityRead MoreEssay Question: Assess the Extent That Malcolm X Achieved His Goals in The Civil Rights Movement in America. (Consider the Legacy Malcolm X Left Behind)2298 Words   |  10 PagesEssay Question: Assess the extent that Malcolm X achieved his goals in The Civil Rights Movement in America. (Consider the legacy Malcolm X left behind) Malcolm X aspired for justice and liberalisation for all African-American people during the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was a dynamic spokesperson and used religious concepts from the Nation of Islam to appeal to many African-Americans. Malcolm X was an activist for Black Nationalism and separation as solutions to the scourge of whiteRead MoreComparison on Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.: Who Had More Influence over the Civil Rights Movement1233 Words   |  5 PagesThroughout the Civil Rights Movement, many leaders emerged that captured the attention of the American public. During this period, the leaders used different tactics in order to achieve change. Of two of the better-known leaders, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., the latter had a more positive influence in the progress of the movement. Each of these two leaders had different views on how to go about gaining freedom. While King believed a peaceful means would allow the blacks to achieve equality

Ethnographic Paper Free Essays

On November Seventh, 2012 at 1:39 PM I went to Naan Stop to continue my observations from before. I went in and it was the same employee who has been working there all eight times I’ve gone in. As usual I was the only person there, the radio was playing a popular pop song by the band One Direction. We will write a custom essay sample on Ethnographic Paper or any similar topic only for you Order Now The owner of the store was in the back and popped out to say hello to me and ask how I was doing. I got my usual, a small mocha Boba and I waited as the employee, a young Mexican probably in his 20’s made the Boba with the same frown he has on every time I come in. I stayed in Naan stop for twenty minutes and no one came in. On November Sixth 4:50 PM I went to Naan stop with my friend and we got Boba. We were the only ones in there at first but then two Indian men in their late twenties came in and greeted the owner. They spoke in what I assumed was hindi and then switched to english and then back to hindi. I gathered that both the Indian men were graduate students at UCSB at some point and had returned for the weekend to say hello to old friends. I found it odd that they didn’t order anything from Naan Stop, they chatted with the owner and took a picture with him and then left. The music playing during their encounter was again pop culture. If there wasn’t Indian food and a couple of small cultural Indian statues one would never know it was an Indian Restaurant. My friend waited ten minutes after the Indian men left for new people to come in but got frustrated and left. I stayed for 40 minutes and within my 40 minutes two undergrad students came in and got pick up Indian and left, four girls all wearing their Alpha Phi letters came in ordered Boba and left. A middle aged man and his wife came in, I recognized them from two weeks ago when I was doing observations. The wife, similar to last time, was wearing an extremely low cut shirt and her breasts were actually spilling out. The man was in a wife beater, they ordered Indian food and were the first customers I’d seen in the last two days to actually eat the food at the restaurant. They were very loud and I’d assume that they were lower class or lower middle class. The woman went on and on about her â€Å"fancy† sister going to Mexico. She kept saying fancy with such disdain, the one Mexican employee perked up at the name of Mexico but then got uninterested and went back to staring at his phone as the lady went on and on how her sister had a better life. The man kept staring at me and I felt pretty uncomfortable, I believe he was aware that I was observing them. He whispered something to his wife and they both turned around and stared at me as I was pretending to text someone. They finished their dinner shortly after and as they threw out their trash the woman rolled her eyes at me. They resented being the objects of my observation and I’m pretty sure their anger stemmed from embarrassment. As soon as they left and were out of eye sight I packed up my things and left. How to cite Ethnographic Paper, Essay examples

Symbolism in Sonnys Blues by James Baldwin free essay sample

Symbolism in â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† by James Baldwin In James Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues,† the reader meets Sonny, a recovering addict, and his older brother, a high school teacher. Although these two brothers have completely different lives and personalities, the author’s use of symbolism brings them more tightly together like a real family. Baldwin uses symbols such as ice, lightness and darkness, and jazz music to add more depth and meaning to â€Å"Sonny’s Blues. † People usually think of ice or the cold as being bitter and causing discomfort. When it is cold outside, people wear jackets to eliminate the bitterness of the cold. In â€Å"Sonny’s Blues,† Sonny uses heroine to escape the discomfort of the reality that is his life. Heroine is Sonny’s jacket. Also, ice can symbolize fright, dread, and the feeling of being unsettled. When the narrator, Sonny’s older brother, first reads the newspaper and finds out that Sonny was arrested, â€Å"he felt as if a great block of ice was sitting in his stomach†¦It sent little trickles of water up and down his veins, but never got less† (50). The ice that the narrator feels in his stomach is actually the feeling of fright. The narrator is scared for his brother and he feels partly guilty for not helping him in his time of need. When the ice is melting inside of the narrator’s stomach, the fright and shock is finally shrinking until the ice sends the trickles through his veins to remind him that something terrible has happened. Another example of the symbol of ice used by Baldwin is when a childhood friend of Sonny’s comes up to the narrator and asks if he has heard the bad news. Sonny’s friend tells the narrator about what will happen to Sonny after he is released from rehab and the narrator feels the ice again, â€Å"the same dread he had felt all day† (52). The same dread that the narrator was feeling earlier that day is coming back because he knows that it will be his responsibility to water over his younger brother. Baldwin’s use of ice in his story gives the reader a better understanding of the narrator’s fright and dread. Also, Baldwin’s symbol of ice explains one of the reasons that caused Sonny to have an addiction to heroine. Another symbol that Baldwin uses throughout the story is the symbol of lightness and darkness. Lightness and darkness usually symbolize good and vil. One example of darkness that Baldwin uses in â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† is when Mama, the narrator’s mother, was telling him about the death of his and Sonny’s uncle. After Mama told the story of the brothers’ uncle being run over and killed by a car full of white men, she said, â€Å"Your Daddy says he never in his life seen anything as dark as that road after the lights of that car had gone away† (58). In this example, Baldwin uses the darkness of the road to create a deeper meaning behind the uncle’s death and the father’s sadness. The reason the father felt as if nothing could ever be as dark as that road is because he experiences his only brother dying in front of him. Death, especially murder, is considered to be a very â€Å"dark† subject. When there is a funeral, mostly every person is wearing black or dark clothing because he is mourning over the death of a loved one. Another example is when the narrator reminisces on the days when all of the ‘old folks’ would sit around in the living room after church. â€Å"They would all sit in the chairs while the night is creeping up outside, but no one knows it yet†¦everyone is looking at something a child cannot see† (56). Baldwin uses the darkness of night as a symbol of death in this quote because the sun is setting on the â€Å"old folks’† lives. Also, the narrator says that the children cannot see death because they are too you to understand why life ends. Baldwin’s use of the symbol of darkness here adds depth to the fact that the children do not view life in the same ways that adults do because children have just started their lives while the adults have already lived most of their lives. On the other hand, light symbolizes all of the optimistic and hopeful components that are a part of life. Sometimes lightness is used to symbolize salvation. Baldwin uses light to denote the good things that to Sonny. For instance, at the end of the story as Sonny plays with his jazz band in a small club, the narrator says, â€Å"There is not any other tale to tell, it is the only light we have got in all this darkness† (70). The â€Å"tale† is the tale of what the blue is all about that Creole tells as he plays his fiddle. Baldwin uses this statement to add meaning to Sonny’s life by showing that music is his light. Through his music, Sonny escapes from all the darkness and suffering of his reality; jazz music is Sonny’s salvation. James Baldwin uses light to show warmth and hopefulness in the characters’ lives. Jazz music in â€Å"Sonny’s Blues† is symbolic in different ways to the characters. The narrator thinks that jazz music is â€Å"beneath Sonny† (59). He links jazz music with the kind of people who are not serious about life. To the narrator, jazz music symbolizes Sonny’s addiction to heroine. Baldwin uses the jazz music to demonstrate the hatred that the narrator has towards musicians and drugs. The narrator’s disgust of jazz music shows that he only wants more for his younger brother’s life. Sonny is the complete opposite of his older brother when it comes to jazz music; jazz is basically Sonny’s life. The narrator describes the music Sonny plays and says, â€Å"Sonny’s finger filled the air with life, his life† (70). In Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues,† jazz music symbolizes an escape from life for Sonny. Sonny is able to tell his story and his suffering through playing jazz music. Also, at the end of the story, the symbol of jazz music creates somewhat of a tie between the two brothers. When the narrator watches Sonny play at the club, he learns about a whole new side to his brother that he never knew. The narrator finally begins to appreciate the ‘blues’ that musicians are put through just to play their music. Baldwin’s use of the symbol of jazz music creates a deeper understanding and meaning behind â€Å"Sonny’s Blues. † Ice, lightness and darkness, and jazz music are symbols that James Baldwin uses in his story to create depth and deeper meaning. His use of the symbol of ice adds depth to how the narrator feels when he first hears of Sonny’s arrest. The symbol of lightness and darkness creates a deeper meaning of the good and the bad things that happen in the characters’ lives throughout the story.