Compare And Contrast Richard Rodriguez And Malcolm X

I live a life of considerable privilege. I am a white, upper middle class, straight, young adult, living a comfortable life. I have learned to recognize these facts, and thought I understood the meaning of my privilege; until I read this novel. The Other Wes Moore gave me a new perspective on the meaning of ‘privilege,’ and how it affects the workings of our society. This novel really opened my eyes to some of the troubles in this world, and how everyone has a story that isn’t seen on the surface.

“It's that it hurts” by Tomas Rivera is a touching personal narrative that focuses on the harsh reality of growing up mexican in America. The narrator gives you bits and pieces of what happened that day at school and allows you as the reader to braid together different strands of his narrative and interpret it the way you see it. He talks about being unfairly bullied by two white boys for being mexican and sent home by the principal who makes it clear that he couldn’t care less about expelling Tomas from school, stating over the phone, “I guess I’ll just throw him out”(140). On the way home Tomas was contemplating whether or not he got expelled from school and thinking of the consequences that would soon follow if he was. It hurt him that people were so racially discriminatory against him and that he couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela were two influential figures that have both made a cultural impact on black history. The fact that their lives run parallel further stresses the significance of racial equality. However, they each influenced the world around them with their respective ideologies and beliefs. Their opinions and experiences differed in terms of equality and character throughout their movements. Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela both tried to achieve similar goals of equality but on different paths.

Both Frederick Douglas and Malcolm X were born into situations where they did not know much about or interact frequently with their parents. In Frederick Douglas’ case, he was separated from his mother when he was an infant, and he only saw her a few times when he was very young (Douglas 13-14). When it comes to Douglas’ father, all he knew of him was that he was a white man who may or may not have been his master (Douglas 13). Malcolm X’s mother was also separated from him when he was young because she was considered not fit to be a parent. Although it was for different reasons than Frederick Douglas’, Malcolm X also did not know his father as well as his mother. When Malcolm X was a young child his father was murdered by the

Starting from their years of adolescence both Moore’s were exposed to physiological altering events. The main difference between the two was which events were inflicted upon them and how they handled witnessing or taking part in the given event. From observing both Moore’s it can been seen that the main contributor to the end result of their varying paths would be from their loved ones and where they lived at the time. Therefore, the most significant third party influences that resulted in both Wes Moores differing fates were primarily from familial influences and the environment in which they resided in.

In his essay "Learning to Read" from the chapter "Saved" in Malcolm's Autobiography published in New York (Grove Press, 1965). Malcolm was born in Omaha, Nebraska and his father was a political activist on behalf of Marcus Garvey. After he and his family moved to East Lansing, Michigan, where his father was killed and his mother placed in a mental institution. he became an orphan and ended up on the streets of Detroit where he was known as "Detroit Red". Furthermore, Malcolm x was sent to jail where he was motivated to begin his homemade education by struggling to communicate with Elijah Muhammad and envying Bambi for his competence to assume control of the conversation and his stock of knowledge. For that reason, Malcolm learned to read by copying dictionary, beginning to read and comprehend books, exploring black history, especially slavery and studying world or global history.

The first time one is able to comprehend the meaning of a word is a momentous childhood moment that is forever engraved in one’s memory. Books and reading are significantly impactful to people’s lives; Mark Twain said that, “books are for people who wish they were somewhere else.” This statement is apropo for Sherman Alexie, who was a Native American living on a reservation during the time he learned to read. Sherman Alexie convinces his audience that an education is crucial to being successful by using personal anecdotes to captivate and create a connection with his audience and repetition to reiterate the importance of having an education.

In the essays, “Reading to Write” by Stephen King, “The Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie, “Learning to Read” Malcolm X, and “Learning to Write” by Frederick Douglas have three things in common. In each essay Reading has contributed towards the authors life leading to benefit from learning to read, allowing them to leave a legacy behind. In each essay the authors has thought their self how unlike Frederick Douglass.

Parents play a big role in their child’s lives because they provide a sense of direction for them. It is natural for a child to look up to his/her mom or dad. If a young adult doesn’t have the help from their parents who have already experienced college then they are already behind the kids who are able to use their parents as a resource. A quote by Nijay Williams in the article says, “My mom stopped school in the ninth grade; my dad stopped in the fourth grade … It makes it harder for me, [and] most of the people I graduated with are not in college, but that’s what I see myself doing; I want to go to college. I just want to have a degree.” This is first person point of view is evidence that proves people with parents who dropped out on their education are making it harder on their child’s education. This quote also proves that even though Williams didn’t have parents who finished high school he can still obtain the drive to seek the knowledge of higher

In contrary to peaceful protest and marches led by Martin Luther King there were other leaders who had more radical approaches to protest. Amongst these radical leaders are Malcolm X, Robert Williams, and the Black Panthers. The Black Panthers, a group created by in 1966, by Huey P Newton and Bobby Seale protected black communities patrolling areas with loaded firearms, monitoring police activities involving blacks. Since they were known for carrying loaded firearms FBI Director J Edgar Hoover considered the Black Panthers “the greatest threat to the internal security of the United States” (To Determine the Destiny of Our Black Community). The Black Panthers created the Ten-Point Program. The Ten-Point Program was a rundown of ten things the

The most important decision of a leader is the style of leading they decide to use when inspiring others, or providing a vision for the future. By looking at the past, it is proven that some leadership styles are guaranteed to be more effective than others. The leadership style of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X during the Civil Rights provides significant evidence of how different styles of leading can turn out to be a major success or defeat. Malcolm X’s leadership style included using violence to protest against violence and unequal rights, as well as supporting the segregation of African Americans and the whites. Martin Luther King’s style included nonviolent marches and protests against violence, and peacefully fighting for integrating the blacks and whites. The leadership style of Martin Luther King Jr. earned him to be recognized as the face of the Civil Rights movement. Therefore, Malcolm X should have changed his leadership style to work with Martin Luther King Jr. because his way of fighting for civil rights was strategically thought out and ultimately effective.

Martin Luther King Jr said,“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools”. In the late 1960s, racial tension was high, African Americans were not given the right to vote, the right to a fair education, and the right to a fair judgement. This then led to the separation of schools and the destruction of a normal livelihood. Dr.King and Malcolm X, two men in the face of oppression rose up to challenge the racial barrier, thus changing the world forever. Although Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X seem to have mutual respect and an equal understanding of the inequality, their philosophies were quite different from each other. The men had contrasting ideas when it came to fighting for racial equality. Martin Luther King’s philosophies made more sense than Malcolm X’s philosophies, because King believed in working together and nonviolence protests to change the minds of the white society. Where Malcolm X believed in working separately to gain independence for the black communities, so

Focusing specifically on the opposition of racial segregation, The Civil Rights movement symbolized the need for change across America. Between the years of 1950 and 1960, events such as; the March on Washington, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, speeches, protests, and sit-ins, directly defined such opposition. Due to such events, two outstanding leaders of their time, Martin Luther King Jr., and Malcolm X emerged into the public eye and began to impact the Civil Rights movement. At a turning point of the century, the two men took charge and became icons across the world while resonating significantly with African American minorities. With such in mind, the two men had extreme differences in their morals, ideals, and religions; however, both deemed

Malcolm X and Mahatma Gandhi were two incredible men, both fighting for independence among their people. These distinctly different men were among the strongest fighters who set foot in authority. Malcolm X, an African-American leader spread religion to combat the weakening of his fellow African-Americans, as well as to expand the supporters of Muslim beliefs. Mahatma Gandhi, a leader in India’s independence movement from the British, weakened British rule through civil resistance. While Malcolm X and Gandhi both fought for their people’s freedom, their religion, beliefs, and methods for achieving independence differ in certain aspects but also have similar elements.

In this article “ Why literature matters” by Dana Gioia explains that American art has changed. It points out the fact that literary knowledge is declining. Some of the changes that were pointed out is that most people no longer read. His main purpose is to encourage people to begin to read again and that will help them improve their intellectual level. In the article Gioia expresses reasoning and includes evidence of the importance of reading.