Malcolm X

In 1965 Malcolm X was preparing for a big physical change. Shorty, his friend, had convinced him to finally conk his hair. As he went on his way to go get all the ingredients on the list Shorty had prepared to him, he had been questioned by another African American drugstore man about the supplies he had purchased. The man had come to the conclusion that young Malcolm X was preparing for his very first conk. This is what made Malcolm X realize that the majority of the black people in his society where changing to be as accepted as white people were. It discouraged him to see it be so common in black society. Even today people constantly change their physical appearance to live up to what is accepted in society. I'd have to agree with Malcolm X on his disappointment on how people change to be accepted.

Malcolm X identifies his theory as people changing to be accepted in society. In paragraph twenty-four he states: "Negro men and women in America are brainwashed into believing that the black people are "inferior"- and white people "superior"- that they will even violate and mutilate their God-created bodies to try to look "pretty" by white standards."(Malcolm 24). Malcolm X was disappointed at the fact that people were changing their God-given bodies to be accepted instead of being themselves just so they can look decent according to the white people back then. Showing disappointment is Malcolm's X goal and showing disbelief and stating the fact is his tool.

Malcolm X further identifies his theory that black people change to be accepted in society and are willing to go through pain. In paragraph twenty-three he states: "I endured all of that pain of getting a conk, literally burning my flesh to have it look like a white man's hair joining the multitude of Negro men and women who have done so."(Malcolm 23). Malcolm X was disappointed in himself that he had joined the rest to be accepted in the society at that time. Malcolm X goal was to show that he himself was an accomplice to changing to fit in and used personal experience as his tool.

Malcolm X identifies his theory that he is ashamed at the fact that black people including himself conked their hair to fit in. In paragraph twenty-seven he states: "To my own shame, when I say all of this, I'm talking first of all about myself because you can't show me any Negro who ever conked more faithfully than I did."(Malcolm 27) Malcolm X was ashamed that he fell into the idea that conking was the right thing to do to be accepted instead of being their own person. If he could go back in time he wouldn't have gone to the extreme to fit in and stayed being himself.

In the end, Malcolm X cannot erase what he had done but he definitely learned from it. He believes that if all the black people including himself gave half as much attention to their brains as they did to their hair that they would've