Malcolm X

The Autobiography of Malcolm X is the story of the Black Muslim “leader” (he despised the term) Malcolm X and his controversial beliefs and teachings which eventually led to his 1965 assassination. While refusing to incorporate the inward gaze one sees more often in autobiographical works, the attention of Malcolm X is always directed outward toward the world, persistently striving to convince the reader of the “white man’s” constant oppression of the black race. Throughout his riveting telling of his life story and ever-changing beliefs, Malcolm X uses various types of language to further his outward effect on the reader, including argument and persuasion, humor, and metaphors.
Malcolm X’s frequent use of argument is very convincing and further persuades the reader to agree with his position. He constantly brings about extremely valid and true points through questions that seem to give the reader no other choice but to go along with him. He is extremely aggressive in his writing, a trait which is effective in drawing the reader into his point of view. For example, after stating that the American Negro had never understood the intent of education, he asks, “Do you realize this is one of the major reasons why America’s white man has so easily contained and oppressed America’s black man?” While he does include other information, evidence, and ideas that support this notion, he nearly convinces the reader the statement is true and valid just by the way he asked it. He makes another extremely convincing point when he is asks why Negroes do not want to join the Army, Navy, and Air Force: “Why should we go off to die somewhere to preserve a so-called ‘democracy’ that gives a white immigrant of on...