The Importance of Education in Malcolm X's and Booker T. Washington's Autobiographies

    Booker T. Washington’s Up from Slavery and Malcolm X’s The Autobiography of Malcolm X are both very important autobiographies for understanding the history of African American literature. In both readings, they describe literacy and reading as a turning point in their lives. Washington described his earliest desire for learning as a passion so strong that even as a child “I determined…that, if I accomplished nothing else in life, I would in some way get enough education to enable me to read common books and newspapers” (Washington, 19). Malcolm X had very different experiences, but also expressed a similar desire to learn to read. While in prison, he realized that before teaching himself to read and write “I not only wasn’t articulate, I wasn’t even functional” (Malcolm X, 1862). For both of them, literacy was the most important for people’s lives and growth.

    Washington and Malcolm X had very different upbringings. Washington grew up enslaved and later worked in mines. To him, education required lots of hard work and sacrifice.

In contrast, Malcolm X’s transformation occurred within his time in prison. Incarceration gave him “fifteen hours a day” to read, something he claims he could not have achieved elsewhere (Malcolm, 1868). Washington believed that overcoming hardship led to merit, saying how “success is to be measured…by the obstacles which he has overcome” (Washington, 27). Malcolm X also aimed to expose the current system. He concluded that American history had been deliberately distorted and a mindset that the white man is the devil, which is a very stark contrast to Washington’s forgiving beliefs.

    These contrasting tones reflect the audiences each man wanted to reach. Washington wanted harmony between races, saying how he held no bitterness toward the Southern white people, and insisting that Black progress depended on cooperation rather than confrontation. His portrayal of slavery softens the cruelty, describing his enslavers as possessing a “kindly and generous nature” (Washington, 9). Malcolm X, however, writes boldly for Black readers living in the mid-20th-century and emphasizes the importance of civil/human rights and protest. He refuses to dilute the brutality of racism and instead tries to empower African Americans with histories the West doesn’t acknowledge or give credit to. He brings up  “Egypt’s Pharaohs,” “Ethiopia, the earth’s oldest continuous black civilization,” and the total horror of the Middle Passage (Malcolm X; 1864, 65). Washington’s narrative is meant to adhere to white readers and their narrative, while Malcolm X doesn’t bold back in his empowerment.

    Even through the difference of Washington’s accommodation versus Malcolm X’s resistance, both autobiographies claim that literacy transforms not only individuals but the collective future of African Americans. Washington wanted progress by working within the system and Malcolm X wanted freedom by challenging and discarding the system. They had different ideas for protests and overall goals for the world. These approaches are most likely a result from different circumstances they experienced growing up, as well as the different phases of the movement the lived in. Perhaps Washington's more conservative approach for the world was necessary for the time just following emancipation, whereas Malcolm X's more radical vision was more achievable and necessary for that time period he lived in (Civil Rights Movement). However, they both agreed that reading and education is one of the most important revolutionary acts. Through literacy, both men shaped their identities and destinies, and aimed to change the world for future generations.

Contrasting Richard Wright’s Naturalism and Lorraine Hansberry’s Realism

Richard Wright’s “Down By the Riverside” and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun are both examples of protest literature that confront racism and racial segregation, but they do it in very different ways. Wright reflects a socialist-driven form of naturalism, while Hansberry uses a more liberal influenced realism. Both of them aimed to expose the harsh realities faced by Black Americans, but the way they went about doing so and their messages differ. Wright focuses on showing how social and economic systems trap Black people in cycles of suffering, while Hansberry emphasizes the struggles of an ordinary Black family working for a better life. 

In “Down By the Riverside,” Wright uses naturalism to portray how larger social forces, like racism and poverty, control individual lives. The protagonist, Mann, does not have the autonomy to make real choices. When the flood ruins his life and devastates his town, Mann tries to save his family, but every decision he makes is shaped by racial oppression and social inequality. Even his attempt to borrow a boat leads to violence and his later death from white soldiers. Wright’s style is “socialist-driven” because he wants readers to see that racism is part of a wider economic and political system that dehumanizes the lower class. His protest is showing that individuals like Mann cannot survive in a society built on injustice. The extreme setting and tragic ending make his message powerful but also not very relatable, as his characters are symbols of oppression rather than fully free individuals. He writes with a bias, and a clear purpose in mind. He wants to make his point about society and uses extreme naturalist writing to do so and inform the audience. 

In contrast, Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun uses realism to show racism through the point of view of a normal middle-class Black family. The Younger family’s dreams and conflicts feel very human and relatable to a wide audience. Walter’s want for financial independence, Beneatha’s search for identity, and Lena’s hope for a stable home all show ordinary struggles that racism makes harder. Hansberry’s realism allows the audience to connect with the experiences of the characters. When the Younger family faces discrimination for housing, it becomes a more powerful protest against segregation through hope instead of tragedy. Her liberal perspective suggests that progress and equality can come through protest by acting upon injustice (“exploding” your dreams) and determination. This made her work appealing also to white audiences who could see themselves reflected in the family. 

Both Wright and Hansberry protest racism, but their methods are quite different. Wright’s naturalism portrays racism as an social force that we cannot escape, and Hansberry’s realism focuses on personal choice and growth within the oppressive system. In “Down By the Riverside,” chaos, destruction, and death symbolize how the institution and racist system devastates lives. In A Raisin in the Sun, we see hope, family conflict, and a positive ending to show that people can maybe rise above racism against the odds. These differences reflect their political beliefs with Wright’s socialism and Hansberry’s liberalism, and show two different ways to fight for racial equality. Ultimately, both authors use their art to protest racial injustice, but they speak to different audiences and methods of change. Wright exposes the brutal structures of racism and calls for an awakening and an overthrowing of the system. The most important difference between them is how they portray human freedom. Wright’s characters are trapped by society and human impulses for survival, and Hansberry’s characters fight for their autonomy. Both of their works show how protest literature can inspire emotions of anger and hope that helped fuel the Civil Rights Movement. 

Comparing & Contrasting the Portrayal of Slavery Between Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Up From Slavery

    Booker T. Washington’s Up From Slavery and Harriet Jacobs’s Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl are both powerful examples of Black autobiography, but they portray their experiences and realities of slavery in very different ways. Washington focuses his narrative around education, work, and self-reliance. He presents a vision of gradual racial uplift, appealing to a largely white audience. In contrast, Jacobs confronts the brutal realities of slavery, and emphasizes the unique struggles faced by women, and the importance of abolition. While both authors use purposeful rhetorical choices to appeal to their intended audiences, the choices they make are very different and reveal contrasting approaches to representing slavery.

    In Incidents in the Life of Slave Girl, Jacobs emphasizes the struggles she faced in slavery, particularly through her experiences with Dr. Flint. She endured repeated extreme physical, mental, and sexual abuse, which she highlights to show the sufferings enslaved women go through. Her stories define the differences between slave life for men and women saying “Slavery is terrible for men; but it is far more terrible for women.” (Pg 68) She refuses to forgive her oppressor, Dr Flint, making it clear that her suffering was not something that could be excused. Her story is so horrible that it evokes sympathy from any reader, but her detailed graphic effects were also a purposeful choice to directly appeal to white women in the North. By plainly expressing the violations she endured, experiences white women could possibly understand through their gender and maternal identity, Jacobs tried to increase sympathy to those with privilege and convince them to grow the abolitionist movement. It was clear she did not dance around topics, and fully confronted the horrors of the institution. 

    In Up From Slavery, Washington seems to not emphasize the horrors or struggles faced in slavery as much. It is shown through phrases describing how “I [Washington] can scarcely imagine any torture, except, perhaps, the pulling of a tooth, that is equal to that caused by putting on a new flax shirt for the first time.” (Pg. 8) Compared to Jacob’s recounting of the 7 years she experienced in a cramped garter trying to escape slavery and the various abuses she went through, hearing how Washington’s worst experience with slavery stands out as a stark contrast. Washington throughout the story seems to take a very forgiving view of slavery, portraying even slaveholders as “victims” of the system that has corrupted them. He writes, "But I do not find especial fault with him. He was simply another unfortunate victim of the institution..." (Pg. 2) He finds a way to empathize even with the slave owners.

    While Incidents of a Life of a Slave Girl paints a realistic but very sad story of slavery and the horrible effects it has on people, especially women, Up From Slavery minimizes the brutality and emphasizes progress and reconciliation. Washington argues how the hard work and suffering slaves went through led to them being better and stronger people. The choice to downplay the horrors to reassure white readers and focus on uplifting their race through education and industry is purposeful. He even goes as far as to almost glorify aspects of slavery by describing the loyalty and devotion between slaves and masters, and how some slaves felt helpless after emancipation. Jacobs, on the other hand, shows slavery as a never ending force of violence, fear, and violation. 

    Both stories highlight how the institution of slavery morally affects everyone, but Washington emphasizes the shared victimhood (both slaves and masters) and Jacobs portrays it as a moral corruption that destroys enslavers' humanity and victimizes the enslaved. The contrast ultimately shows two strategies of Black autobiography. Washington uses peacemaking, compromise, and uplift to gain white support for gradual racial progress, while Jacobs uses personal experience and raw emotional sympathy to expose the horrors of slavery and call for immediate abolition. Jacobs and Washington utilized very different narrative styles to present the realities of slavery to support their visions for the future.