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.