Malcom X

            Anything I do today, I regard as urgent. No man is given but so much time to accomplish whatever his life's work I am only facing the facts when I know that any moment of any day, of any night, could bring me death I never have felt that I would live to become an old man."(Page 385) These are the words of Malcolm X shortly before he was gunned down February 21, 1965. An inspiration to millions, Malcolm X's life provides an insight to how difficult life was in the mid-1900s for a penniless black man. His was a story of the powerful effect faith can have in transforming a once pitiful life into something meaningful. An advocate for civil rights, Malcolm X was one of the rare gems who spend their life devotedly dedicated towards a cause with no thought of personal gain, fame, wealth, or pride. He lived for his God, Allah, and until the betrayal of his lifetime, was the loyal servant of Elijah Muhammad. His was the story of the gradual evolution of a man and his struggle to make sense of those around him. Most importantly, it was his struggle to make sense of who he was and what he stood for. I believe that El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, as Malcolm X was commonly called after performing the obligatory pilgrimage to Mecca, was one of history's most greatly misunderstood men. .
             The Autobiography of Malcolm X sent a message of hope to its audience. Here was a chronology of the life of a black man struggling to first cope and then break away from the white world. Regarded as an extremist by critics for his earlier calls for voicing his then radical thoughts, Malcolm X's life may help to account for such an opinion. This book and its theme were about the evolution of Malcolm throughout life and his responses to his circumstances. The theme dealt with the idea that no matter how bad life may be, no matter how bad it may seem for you, only you can dictate what life will do to you. Only you can decide what your self-worth is, no one else can if you don't let them.