Sadia Tasnim
Professor Sidibé
Freshman Composition ENGL 110
6 May 2019
Looking at Malcolm X Through Marxism
“Between Mr. Muhammad’s teachings, my correspondence, my visitors,…and my reading of books, months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life.” (X, Learning to Read). Malcolm X recalls his time in prison fondly, attributing his verbose abilities with language to the months he spent self-studying while incarcerated. The irony of this sentiment is clear in that the very place meant to isolate a person, meant to punish a person, meant to take years off of a person’s life, was the same place that gave Malcolm X his stepping stones to success later in his life. This paradox states something about Malcolm’s society as a whole; that it was not working. The capitalist society that Malcolm X lived in shaped the way he was treated based on his race and decided his social and economic class. Looking at X’s life through the lens of Marxism, an ideology that focuses on class conflict and distinctions and considers social and political meaning in people’s lives, it is apparent that the lack of a Marxist society (one that follows the ideals of Communism) landedMalcolm in prison, in a state of illiteracy, and discriminated against him because of his race. All of these occurrences can be linked back to the white man’s capitalistic need to be at the top of the class hierarchy and at the top of the economic and social ladder in America. Although people may say that Malcolm X was incarcerated due to his criminal acts, he was actually imprisoned by a Capitalist system that never gave him a chance at a regular existence (one that a white man may have the privilege of living).
Communism dictates that individual in a society is valued for their effort and what they are able to contribute but they are not to be treated differently because of their race, ethnicity, looks, or gender. Due to the lack of this fundamental tenet of Marxism in Malcolm’s society, he was mistreated as a black male in America. Racism had decided a lot of Malcolm’s life for him before he even got the chance; racism decided that he would grow up in poverty, racism decided that he would be thrown into a life of crime and violence because the society around him was already predisposed to make young black boys like him grow up in a poor neighborhood in a poor family. African Americans were not given opportunities to succeed economically or socially and white Americans made sure that black Americans were kept under control. If there was a Marxist system in place, both white and black Americans would be given the same opportunity to work for the community and there would not be such a vast gap in class difference.
The issue of economic oppression arises in the Capitalist system that Malcolm grew up in because of his story; he grew up in a poor family, was moved from place to place and was unable to complete his schooling, which made him unable to get a proper job and support himself. From the start, the Capitalist society he was born into put him at a disadvantage. Due to his lack of finances, he was forced to turn to a life of crime and as a result, incarcerated; he himself states that, “In the street, I had been the most articulate hustler out there…” (X, Learning to Read). In aMarxist system, the distribution of wealth would support every person in the community regardless of color of skin and the difference between classes because of that racial difference would be nonexistent.
The Marxist philosophy views education through a social, communal lens where the development of the individual is directly linked to the development of the society as a whole and as such, education for the masses would be a priority. However, because the society thatMalcolm lived in was Capitalist, that mass education system was unavailable to him and he was barred from having an education because of his race, his poor community, and the lack of funding that goes to minority schools. This lack of education lead to his life of crime which eventually resulted in his incarceration. “It was both ideas the moved me to request a dictionary along with some tablets and pencils from the Norfolk Prison Colony School.” (X, Learning toRead), Malcolm himself states that it was in prison where he finally accessed any sort of education that would help him function in society. The prison had a school where he was welcome whereas his community did not provide him with such access to studies. This is the result of a Capitalist society where the gains of some are prioritized over the development of everyone.
Due to the combined effects of living in Capitalist country, Malcolm X had to face racism, financial disadvantages, poverty, educational disadvantages, and incarceration. In a Marxist system, the same forces that landed Malcolm in prison would not have been in play and the system would have supported individual development regardless of race, gender, or any other personal factor. Though Malcolm was made out to be a criminal, he was actually the result of a system that prioritizes capital gain over the empowerment and growth of individuals and the society as a whole.
