In my opinion, “Homeboy” is an exceptional narrative, in which Malcolm X expresses his struggle of “self-degradation” (Malcolm X 181). Although I was not interested in an essay about a man’s hairstyle, I quickly learn that this essay is far, far more. However, elements throughout this essay enticed me to continue reading and enjoy the substance of what I was reading. Description, imagery, and vocabulary are some of the elements that I thought Malcolm X excelled at in this essay. The relatable aspect of adapting oneself to fit the situation in which one finds, exceptional characters, content that makes me think are a hand-full of reason I liked this essay. Plus, Malcolm X’s admirable writing and description made the essay not only enjoyable
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With a new beginning in mind, Malcolm Little lives with Ella (Malcolm X 181). Strong and independent, Ella is a black woman who has housed many Little family members. Ella pushes Malcolm Little to fall into line and act like a respectable black man; however, he is uncomfortable with the idea of acting better than someone else. Wanting Malcolm Little to enjoy the city of Boston, Ella encourages him to roam the city before he settles into a job. While out on his expedition of the city, Malcolm Little befriends a man in the ghetto, by the name of Shorty. Shorty and Malcolm Little come from the same area in Michigan, as a result, Shorty takes to referring to Malcolm as his “homeboy” (Malcolm X 173). I do not know what to think of Shorty; he might have been more of a disreputable influence rather than a more favorable influence. However, Shorty takes Malcolm under his wing; not only helping Malcolm with finding a “slave” but also with styling his own personal “conk” (Malcolm X 173). Malcolm's job as a shoe shiner opened the door to a white world, where he found his attraction to white women and the style of white males. Malcolm had originally wanted a conk; however, he later discovers that his effort to fit in is truly an act of degradation to himself. Altogether, Malcolm explains his journey beautifully while also teaching his readers a valuable lesson about …show more content…
The fact that Malcolm learned to appreciate who he was as a man, really connects to me as I am trying to figure out who I want to become as I journey to college. Beginning with the struggle to fit in, eventually found he no longer wanted to be like a white man. At first, I read this essay I did not understand who Malcolm X was as a person in the United States of America’s history. However, after doing some research, a reader can learn that Malcolm later becomes a black rights activist. This is intriguing to know that this piece of literature is the start of Malcolm’s beliefs about black and white societies of America. To see the start of beliefs evolve, shows me how great Malcolm’s writing ability was at making a point. Overall, the essay was to not degrade yourself, no matter what the cause. Malcolm feels like he degrades himself when he changes his hair, a natural part of who he is, by straightening it to reflect what a white man’s hair looks like. Another way he degraded himself was by changing the way he acted and what he
With a new beginning in mind, Malcolm Little lives with Ella (Malcolm X 181). Strong and independent, Ella is a black woman who has housed many Little family members. Ella pushes Malcolm Little to fall into line and act like a respectable black man; however, he is uncomfortable with the idea of acting better than someone else. Wanting Malcolm Little to enjoy the city of Boston, Ella encourages him to roam the city before he settles into a job. While out on his expedition of the city, Malcolm Little befriends a man in the ghetto, by the name of Shorty. Shorty and Malcolm Little come from the same area in Michigan, as a result, Shorty takes to referring to Malcolm as his “homeboy” (Malcolm X 173). I do not know what to think of Shorty; he might have been more of a disreputable influence rather than a more favorable influence. However, Shorty takes Malcolm under his wing; not only helping Malcolm with finding a “slave” but also with styling his own personal “conk” (Malcolm X 173). Malcolm's job as a shoe shiner opened the door to a white world, where he found his attraction to white women and the style of white males. Malcolm had originally wanted a conk; however, he later discovers that his effort to fit in is truly an act of degradation to himself. Altogether, Malcolm explains his journey beautifully while also teaching his readers a valuable lesson about …show more content…
The fact that Malcolm learned to appreciate who he was as a man, really connects to me as I am trying to figure out who I want to become as I journey to college. Beginning with the struggle to fit in, eventually found he no longer wanted to be like a white man. At first, I read this essay I did not understand who Malcolm X was as a person in the United States of America’s history. However, after doing some research, a reader can learn that Malcolm later becomes a black rights activist. This is intriguing to know that this piece of literature is the start of Malcolm’s beliefs about black and white societies of America. To see the start of beliefs evolve, shows me how great Malcolm’s writing ability was at making a point. Overall, the essay was to not degrade yourself, no matter what the cause. Malcolm feels like he degrades himself when he changes his hair, a natural part of who he is, by straightening it to reflect what a white man’s hair looks like. Another way he degraded himself was by changing the way he acted and what he