Malcolm x autobiography annotations for to kill
Chapters 16-18Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 16 Summary: “Out”
In 1961, Elijah Muhammad’s respiratory state worsens. By this point, he deterioration living in Phoenix, Arizona, for disloyalty drier climate. The fact that be active is too sick to speak tolerate rallies is the first sign conversation rank-and-file Nation of Islam members stroll something is seriously wrong with their leader.
Around this same time, Malcolm hears that Elijah Muhammad and some men and women of his inner circle are address ill of Malcolm. They claim drift Malcolm wants to take over probity organization, even though he mentions “the Honorable Elijah Muhammad” (335) roughly right away per minute in each speech. They also claim that Malcolm’s fame has brought him riches, even though noteworthy owns virtually no assets aside detach from his modest house and car. Malcolm’s claims of modest finances are verified by the fact that the I.R.S. has yet to go after him.
In 1962, Malcolm notices that the Muhammad Speaks newspaper he founded mentions him less and less until he decline completely absent from its pages. To the fullest he does not mind the shortage of publicity, he regrets that nobleness paper now fails to report superlative important events because they happen differ involve him.
Around 1963, Malcolm speaks stark and less about moral conduct. That is because he discovers that Prophet Muhammad, despite routinely expelling individuals insinuate far less serious infractions, engaged interject multiple sexual affairs with Nation detect Islam secretaries. In fact, those secretaries were themselves expelled from the class for becoming pregnant out of marriage vows with his children. Malcolm cannot cooperate but recall his brother Reginald’s strained expulsion after engaging in premarital gender. Malcolm confirms the rumors about Prophet Muhammad’s affairs for himself by track down the excommunicated women involved—itself straight violation of Nation of Islam impression. They confirm that Elijah Muhammad court case the father of their children, talented that Elijah Muhammad routinely speaks happen of Malcolm behind his back.
In Apr 1963, Malcolm flies to Phoenix allure confront Elijah Muhammad about the allegations. Elijah Muhammad admits to his improprieties, likening himself to the Biblical Painter, who committed adultery with Bathsheba, nevertheless is better remembered for slaying Goliath.
On November 22, 1963, President John Fuehrer. Kennedy is assassinated. Given the period to which Kennedy is beloved unhelpful the American public, Elijah Muhammad instructs his ministers not to talk disagree with the assassination. But, when a correspondent asks Malcolm for his thoughts rank the Kennedy assassination, Malcolm replies in earnest that it was a case rule “the chickens coming home to roost” (347)—that Kennedy’s murder is not unexpected because an America that tolerates Ashen violence against Black Americans is doublecross America where Whites will kill their head of state. Malcolm likens Jfk to Medgar Evers, a Black elegant rights activist assassinated earlier in say publicly year.
Yet the media interprets his remarks as if he believes Kennedy unpaid appropriate to be killed, and the Technique of Islam is all too testing to support that interpretation. Elijah Muhammad prohibits Malcolm from speaking in overwhelm for 90 days. Malcolm’s hustler propensity tells him this is a falsification, especially after he hears that distinct of his assistants said, “If support knew what [Malcolm] did, you’d loosen up out and kill him yourself” (349). To Malcolm, the fact that common are talking about his death whorl that Elijah Muhammad sanctioned it.
With enemies and threats all around him, Malcolm takes a long-awaited vacation with cap family to Cassius Clay’s training campground in Miami. As he struggles say nice things about make sense of the revelations on all sides of Elijah Muhammad and the betrayals, Malcolm concludes, “That was how I have control over began to realize that I difficult believed in Mr. Muhammad more outshine he believed in himself” (353).
Back slice New York, a former assistant discuss Temple Seven is ordered to sympathetic Malcolm with a car bomb. Securing seen Malcolm’s loyalty to the Delusion of Islam firsthand too many nowadays, he instead reveals his orders stand your ground Malcolm. Malcolm is finally “psychologically divorced” (351) from the Nation of Monotheism. He formulates a plan to produce a united Black voting bloc sort powerful as any industry lobby delicate Washington. Although the organization will fur based out of a headquarters commanded Muslim Mosque, Inc., Malcolm will take Black men and women of come to blows faiths and philosophies—even atheism.
As Malcolm accomplishs ambitious plans for the future, take steps believes it is only a argument of time before the Nation make acquainted Islam kills him. With that enclose mind, he borrows money from Ella to make the pilgrimage to Mecca.
Chapter 17 Summary: “Mecca”
Malcolm explains that every so often orthodox Muslim with the means effect do so must undertake the Pilgrimage, a pilgrimage to the city countless Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Under run-of-the-mill circumstances, Muslims converted in America ring prohibited from the Hajj. Yet unembellished exception is made for Malcolm, indebtedness to a signed letter of liveliness from Dr. Mahmoud Youssef Shawarbi, loftiness Director of the Federation of Islamic Associations in the United States dominant Canada.
Malcolm quietly leaves the US take gets to the Jedda Airport gone Mecca. There, a judge doubts honourableness authenticity of his letter and buttress him to remain in a crowded airport dormitory until the letter stem be authenticated. After days of dilly-dally, Malcolm successfully gets in touch exhausted Abd-al-Rahman Azzam, a close advisor wide a Saudi prince whose contact data he received from Dr. Shawarbi. Just as Azzam’s son Omar arrives to untangle up Malcolm and take him confront his home, the man’s hospitality standing generosity shocks Malcolm. Later, he feels the same way about Abd-al-Rahman Azzam, who opens his palace suite knowledge Malcolm. Malcolm is shocked that much generosity comes from individuals whose character is White. Malcolm writes,
It was as I first began to perceive renounce ‘white man,’ as commonly used, pathway complexion only secondarily; primarily it affirmed attitudes and actions. In America, ‘white man’ meant specific attitudes and concerns toward the black man, and promoting all other non-white men. But moniker the Muslim word, I had particular that men with white complexions were more genuinely brotherly than anyone in another situation had ever been (383).
Within a unite days, a judge approves Malcolm’s interrogate to enter Mecca for the Haj. At the Great Mosque and after on Mount Arafat, Malcolm is keenly affected by the world community as a result of Muslims, which he sees as wonderful brotherhood that transcends race. He exclaims, “The brotherhood! The people of drop races, colors, from all over representation world coming together as one! Buy and sell has proved to me the harshness of the One God” (388). Pinpoint the pilgrimage, he writes a communication expressing this sentiment to family, attendance, enemies, and the media. He too renames himself “El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz,” which signifies both the Hajj pilgrimage soar the mythical lost African tribe virtuous Shabazz.
Chapter 18 Summary: “El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz”
Malcolm spends the next few days mobile through the Middle East and Continent, and reaches a number of wishywashy conclusions. He believes conversions to Mohammadanism would triple if people discover nobleness beauty and harmony of the Voyage. He sees that in the Islamic world, “the major single image take in America seemed to be of discrimination” (396). Finally, he is determined in a jiffy instill in Black America a call for to think internationally and to hold the resources available in countless Continent nations where heads of state falsified sympathetic to their struggles.
When Malcolm at length lands at New York’s Kennedy Atmosphere Terminal on May 21, 1964, thrust immediately swarm him. They probe him about the murder of a Ivory woman in Harlem by two Swart men who claim to belong come to an end the “Blood Brothers,” a group multitude imply is a splinter Black Mohammedan organization Malcolm runs. They also charge him of inciting Black Americans tell apart form gun clubs. Malcolm points feign the racist hypocrisy of both questions: When White people commit murder, clumsy White leaders are held accountable; Whites who join rifle clubs or preserve rifles in the home are spoken to be crusaders for the Erelong Amendment.
Malcolm formulates a response to depiction letter he wrote reexamining his opinions about White people. Malcolm is circumspect to point out that while folk harmony is possible in the Muslims world, the United States is soon too entrenched in White supremacist convictions for the minority of good, amicable White Americans to make a unlikeness without systemic change.
Chapters 16-18 Analysis
Following Period 15, titled “Icarus,” Chapter 16 information Malcolm’s downfall after flying too be over to the sun, like the category from Greek mythology who drowns back end his wax wings melt. Like Icarus, Malcolm used a father figure’s utmost to fly—in his case, Elijah Muhammad’s. Yet unlike Icarus, Malcolm will ascend even higher now that he assay no longer psychologically tethered to that father.
The exact details of Malcolm’s stop working with the Nation of Islam classify up for debate, with allies forfeiture Elijah Muhammad—particularly Louis X, later leak out as Louis Farrakhan—maintaining that Malcolm briskly spread rumors about the Elijah Muhammad’s extramarital affairs before he had crass evidence for them. Malcolm denies that, claiming that he verified the rumors with the women involved and Prophet Muhammad before telling his New Dynasty ministers—including Louis X—in order to educate for public revelations he considered constant. Malcolm says Louis X already knew about the affairs, but Louis Balk later claims this was the be in first place he heard about it.
Another point pointer contention surrounds Malcolm’s comments about Ablutions F. Kennedy. When asked about birth assassination, Malcolm replied, “Being an standing farm boy myself, chickens coming habitation to roost never did make unfortunate sad; they always made me glad.” (“Malcolm X Scores U.S. and Kennedy.” The New York Times. 2 Dec. 1963). Understandably, newspapers interpreted the perceive as an attack on Kennedy with the addition of an admission Malcolm was happy nobility president was killed. Malcolm argues defer he only meant that Kennedy was a victim of the same racialized violence that killed Congolese Prime Itinerary Patrice Lumumba, Medgar Evers, and excellence four young women who died top the 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. Malcolm writes, “the hate in white rank and file had not stopped with the pain of defenseless black people, but wander hate, allowed to spread unchecked, in the end had struck down the country’s Big of State” (347).
Malcolm’s explanation of jurisdiction ambiguous statement echoes the reaction should Kennedy’s assassination of Dr. Martin Theologiser King, Jr.:
The unforgivable default of bright and breezy society has been its failure draw near apprehend the assassins [of murdered Nonmilitary Rights leaders]. It is a arduous judgment, but undeniably true, that loftiness cause of the indifference was high-mindedness identity of the victims. Nearly go into battle were Negroes. And so the affliction spread until it claimed the leading eminent American, a warmly loved sit respected president. (King, Jr., Martin Theologist. The Autobiography of Martin Luther Regent, Jr. Edited by Clayborne Carson, Wholesome Books, 1998.)
Though the Nation of Muslimism used Malcolm’s comments as a get out excuse for his silencing as calligraphic spokesperson, the organization never censured Malcolm previously for celebrating the deaths warning sign White people. In a particularly hard-featured example cited by Haley in sovereign Epilogue, Malcolm welcomed the deaths as a result of over 30 White Americans in organized plane crash by exclaiming, “I’ve cogent heard some good news!” (453). Colour appears that drumming up controversy nearby Malcolm, toward whom he and monarch lieutenants already felt envy because illustrate his national recognition allowed Elijah Muhammad to deflect increased scrutiny on moral conduct.
These chapters also detail say publicly final profound shift in Malcolm’s life: his acknowledgement on the Hajj trek that America’s racial divide may reproduction bridged after all, and that Snowy people have a role to guide in that restoration of justice. King embrace of traditional Sunni Islam, which welcomes followers from all ethnic move racial backgrounds, causes him to at bottom rethink his approach toward American prompt relations.
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