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.
Hello Shreya. Your insightful interpretation of Booker T. Washington’s Up from Slavery and Malcolm X’s The Autobiography of Malcolm X shows their importance. While I had read the story without their importance in mind, your alternative reading challenges me to think about Washington's and X's autobiographies with their importance in mind. I wonder, though, how you think publishing dates of the autobiographies would complicate this reading.
ReplyDeleteI like your approach of comparing Malcolm X and Booker T Washington through their emphasis on education, and how ultimately, education is one of the best forms of resistance against disenfranchisement. Through pursuit of knowledge, both of these men were able to find their voice, and push for progress. I do wonder how this comparison could extend to their identity as men, as they shared some of their emphasis on masculinity.
ReplyDeleteHey Shreya!! I think you did a great job at comparing the two autobiographies and how they reflected Booker T. Washington's and Malcolm X's ideals and views about the world around them. Their differing circumstances contributed so much to how they saw the world as well as their connections to different races. Thinking about their intended audiences, I wonder if they were aiming toward the collective Black community with their teachings or more so toward a specific group.
ReplyDeleteHi Shreya! You concisely covered many key differences between Washington and X with effectiveness, and I think you did a great job highlighting their upbringings that produced contrasting perspectives. I find it interesting how different their attitudes were towards societal oppression, and how Washington tried to see the positives, deeming black struggles to be opportunities for growth. Malcolm X on the other hand exposed these injustices as oppression inflicted upon by white devils, and therefore had an opposing view on how society should move forward. I also found your observation about the differing audiences and how it affected the way each man portrayed slavery.
ReplyDeleteHey Shreya! I think it's really interesting how you focus on how these two speakers' audiences informed their accounts of slavery and were meant to show different messages, one reserved and the other revolutionary. I also think it's important how you emphasize that a key similarity between the two was how empowering literacy and learning was in their journey to becoming key speakers. As a black person, no matter your message or audience, both Malcolm X and Booker T. Washington would agree during their time that learning has the ability to transform the black community. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYour insightful interpretation of Booker T. Washington’s Up from Slavery and Malcolm X’s The Autobiography of Malcolm X shows how literacy and education serve as transformative forces in both their lives, despite their very different approaches to racial progress. While I had read the story as a straightforward personal narrative of overcoming hardship, your alternative reading challenges me to think about literacy not just as personal empowerment but as a revolutionary tool for collective African American advancement in a new way. I wonder, though, how you think Malcolm X’s views would change if he never went to prison?
ReplyDeleteWashington and Malcolm X both show that literacy plays a key role in shaping identity and freedom, though they take different approaches. Washington believes in gradual progress and working together, influenced by his experiences with slavery and Reconstruction. Malcolm X, on the other hand, stresses resistance and facing historical truths, shaped by his time in prison and the urgency of the Civil Rights era. Even with their different styles and aims, both writers make it clear that reading and education are essential for personal and collective freedom.
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