Introduction: 1st draft (Wordcount: 534)

In Malcolm’s autobiography, he first goes about the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, which teach him to believe that the white man was the “devil,” and the enemy of the black men.  Mr. Muhammad’s teachings greatly stress how history has been “whitened” to the point that when white men had written history books, the black men are left out.  Malcolm begins to wonder the truth about the black man’s role, and as he serves his time in prison, he opens himself to stories of various nations that help him see how the whole world’s white men did, in fact, act like devils. “Book after book showed me how the white man had brought upon the world’s black, brown, red, and yellow peoples every variety of the sufferings of exploitation,” he says. (page 203)

            You would suppose that one of today’s greatest leaders has his/her mind set on a particular goal that they would like to accomplish, as well as one that they can stay dedicated to.  To be more precise, one would assume that if Malcolm were to become a successful leader, his beliefs towards religion and the white race shouldn’t alter drastically.  However, Malcolm’s beliefs change in chapter seventeen, after he visits the city of Mecca.  It’s strange that all it took to change his mind was to see how the Muslim world wasn’t affected by race.  They were all kind to one another.  Malcolm starts to understand that these white men were completely different from those who lived in America.  He explains that his new Muslim friends accept him like a brother.  “Love, humility, and true brotherhood was almost a physical feeling wherever I turned.” (page 374)  For that reason, if we assume that a modern-day leader has his/her mind set on one particular goal to accomplish for their group of people, but Malcolm seems to have a sudden change in his belief, then how well would he do as a leader?  This may help us understand whether his new ideas towards the white men are a sign of him being conscious of the world he lives in, or that he can't stick to one belief.

            One way to consider this is that Malcolm is very aware of what's happening around him, and decides to "dig deep" to uncover what isn't known about the black man's role.  He explores through Will Durant’s Story of Civilization, which opens him to the early Negro struggles for freedom.  In addition, after reading about slavery’s total horror, Malcolm is in complete shock of what the suffering slaves have went through in the United States.  “Over 115 million African blacks—close to the 1930’s population of the United States—were murdered or enslaved during the slave trade.” (page 204)  Lastly, he isn’t afraid to tell the public what he believes should be known, with such eagerness and pride.  Malcolm breaks one of Elijah Muhammad’s orders.  “Every minister was ordered to make no remarks at all concerning the assassination.” (page 346)  Breaking this command, he decides to speak his mind and say what he honestly felt.  Therefore, through Malcolm’s attitude, many may believe that since he takes control, he would become a thriving leader. 

Exploratory Draft Reflections

My Reflection:

1) Claim: Malcolm's constant changes of thought show how he can become an effective leader because it proves he's aware of what's around him and really tries to uncover the truth about the black man's role.
2) Question: Even though Malcolm persistently switches his thought, can he still become a successful leader?
3) Trouble: It's troubling to understand whether or not this continuous change in opinion can really influence Malcolm's role as a leader. On one hand, would we want a leader who switches his opinion so often that nothing is achieved, or would we want someone who can strongly go against what he/she believes in?
4) Situation and Status Quo: We would assume that today's leaders have their mind set on something they would like to accomplish, and don't change this thought, like Malcolm did.
5) Reword your question: If we assume that a modern-day leader has their mind set on one particular goal to accomplish for his/her group of people, but Malcolm seems to have a continuous change in his beliefs, then how well would he do as a leader?


Eamon:

1) Claim: While Malcolm is in Mecca, he realizes the truth behind the white man, but only shortly after he is exposed to the white men in Mecca.
2) Question: What leads to this new transformation in Malcolm's life? 
3) Trouble: Malcolm describes his life as a chronology of changes, but it seems to be that his time at Mecca can't just be another "change" in his life.
4) Situation and Status Quo: We would expect Malcolm to rethink his choices, since he was a hustler and pimp earlier in his life.
5) Reword your question: If we expected Malcolm to re-evaluate his life as a hustler and pimp, but he only considers it another "change" in his life, then what leads to this new transformation in Malcolm's life?


Max:

1) Claim: Malcolm's experience in Mecca leaves him questioning about race, especially since he has just witnessed the kindness that the Muslims share towards one another even as they display different complexions. 
2) Question: Why does Malcolm assume that there is a strong connection between color, race, and how kind the person is?
3) Trouble: Malcolm used to think that all whites were created to be devils, by Mr. Yacub, an evil scientist, and there was nothing that these whites can do to change the evil inside them.
4) Situation and Status Quo: In reality, not all whites are devils, and they are most definitely not created by an evil scientist.
5) Reword your question: If we tend to believe that not all whites are devils, yet Malcolm thought that these "evil" whites were created by an evil scientist, then what connection is there between color, race, and how kind the person is?

Exploratory Draft (Wordcount: 522)

I am interested in writing about Malcolm becoming a leader because I want to discover if his constant change of thought leads him to becoming an effective leader.  Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam, teaches Malcolm that the white man is the “devil” and that Malcolm is just a “brainwashed black man”.  At first, he takes these teachings into consideration, and while he serves his time in prison, finds out through a numerous amount of books what the white man has indeed done.  For instance, in the chapter “Saved,” Malcolm points out how history had been “whitened” because while the white men had written the history books, the black man’s role was left out.  “And I read the histories of various nations, which opened my eyes gradually, then wider and wider, to how the whole world’s white men had indeed acted like devils, pillaging and raping and bleeding and draining the whole world’s non-white people.” (page 203)  At this time in the novel, Malcolm has a strong belief that the white men are his enemy.  However, this all changes after he visits the city Mecca, in chapter seventeen.  Malcolm begins to understand that these white men were completely different from those who lived in America.  He explains that his Muslim friends accept him like a brother.  “Love, humility, and true brotherhood was almost a physical feeling wherever I turned.” (page 374)  This sudden and alternative thought is extremely important in realizing how Malcolm deals with the “chronology of changes” in his life.  It can help us to understand whether his new ideas towards the white men are a sign of him being conscious of the world he lives in, or that he can't stick to one belief.  Would we want a leader who changes his opinion often, or one who can oppress against something he/she deeply believes in without seeing the topic with a different point of view? 

One way to consider this is that Malcolm is very aware of what's happening around him, and decides to "dig deep" to uncover what isn't known about the black man's role.  He explores through Will Durant’s Story of Civilization, which opens him to the early Negro struggles for freedom.  In addition, after reading about slavery’s total horror, Malcolm is in complete shock of what the suffering slaves have went through in the United States.  “Over 115 million African blacks—close to the 1930’s population of the United States—were murdered or enslaved during the slave trade.” (page 204)  Thus, many may suppose that he would be a successful leader.  However, others can disagree because in reality, if a leader can’t take one side and go about it, nothing will be accomplished and his/her people might be put in danger.  A leader is supposed to be the person who guides or commands a group, organization, or country.  How useful would it actually be for a leader to change his/her mind so often that little is achieved?  Therefore, in my opinion Malcolm would be a strong leader.  He knows what’s going on in the world, and takes notice of it.

Proposal

     I am interested in writing about Malcolm becoming a leader because I want to discover if his constant change of thought leads him to becoming an effective leader. This is important because it can help us to understand whether these thoughts are a sign of him being conscious or that they just prove he can't stick to one belief. One way to consider this is that he is very conscience of what's surrounding him since he "digs deep" to uncover what isn't known about the black man's role.

Intro to Mecca - (Wordcount: 479)

Through the teachings of Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam, I was taught to believe that the white man is the “devil.” Mr. Muhammad’s teachings greatly stressed how history has been “whitened” to the point that when white men had written history books, the black man was left out. This was the moment in which I started to wonder the truth about the black man. In prison, I read stories of various nations that helped to open my eyes to see how the whole world’s white men did, in fact, act like devils. I saw illustrations of black slave women tied up and beat with whips, black mothers watching their babies being dragged off, and the fugitive slave catchers – evil white men with whips, clubs, chains, and guns. “Book after book showed me how the white man had brought upon the world’s black, brown, red, and yellow peoples every variety of the sufferings of exploitation.” In my mind, white men were the enemy that the black men had to fight against.

However, the Muslim word has reappraised this view. Now, I feel sorry for generalizing the white race and claiming towards segregation rather than unity between the two. While being in Mecca, I was impressed as to how supportive and generous people are despite of their complexion and origin. I was welcomed and treated as a friend by Dr. Azzam, the white man. I was even troubled at how kind he was towards me. He made me feel honored. I experienced the same kind of sincere respect from other Muslims of different color as well. I realized that in the Muslim world, all of the white men were more genuinely brotherly than anyone else had ever been. It was then when I first became aware that not all “white men” are primarily described by their attitude and actions. “The color-blindness of the Muslim world’s religious society and the color-blindness of the Muslim world’s human society: these two influences had each day been making a greater impact, and an increasing persuasion against my previous way of thinking.” In my letter that would have soon become public knowledge in America, I expressed that America needs to understand Islam as a religion where race isn’t a problem. From what I experienced recently, I have rearranged my previous thoughts and threw away some previous conclusions, believing in a whole new outlook on the “white man.”

The trip to the city of Mecca made me witness how “people of all races, colors, from all over the world coming together as one,” to honor and pray to one God. Therefore, “I could see from this that perhaps if white Americans could accept the Oneness of God, then perhaps, too, they could accept in reality the Oneness of Man–and cease to measure, and hinder, and harm others in terms of their ‘differences’ in color.”