AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MALCOLM X
THE MISSION
: To write a critical analysis of Autobiography of Malcolm X. Recommended length is 4+ pages.
APPROACHING THE ASSIGNMENT: How would you begin to use the Autobiography of Malcolm X as an historical source? What can we learn through its study? How would you establish links between Malcolm X's life and his developing philosophy?
If you so choose, you can assess the book in its entirety. However, I would recommend on focusing in on one particular large theme that is woven throughout the book. This might make your paper less unwieldy than if you try to cram everything that might be said about Malcolm in a few pages. If you opt for this latter approach, however, frame your topic in such a way that it is obvious you have struggled to make sense of the book as a whole. Highlight relevant examples and quotations as appropriate.
SOME POSSIBLE ORGANIZING THEMES
Malcolm X and Manhood; Malcolm X and Womanhood
The Theology of Malcolm X
Islam, Christianity and Judaism in the Thought of Malcolm X
Malcolm X and the Idea of Africa
The Theme of Jail; The Theme of Imprisonment
Of North and South in Malcolm X
Malcolm X and the American Nightmare
"Why Am I As I Am?"
Malcolm X and the Meaning of American History
Of Civil Rights and Human Rights
Of Malcolm X and Economics
Autobiography of Malcolm X as Slave Narrative
Of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Of Malcolm X and Race