Compare & Contrast between Malcolm X and Marthin Luther King - Essay Example

Many people contend their admiration to the way they preached about the rights of the blacks in America, and they have both preached on self-knowledge and having respect for African culture and history, since it is the basis for uniting blacks. Their beliefs were similar, and this was evident towards the end of their lives in the way they emphasized on having bride amongst the black as well as respecting us rather than hating one another. Their speeches informed the blacks that in order to attain freedom, they start by respecting one another, hence it reflected on the vision of men improving America.

Malcolm X talked about Blacks hating the color of their skin, shape of their nose; overall, he talked about Blacks hating their own kind. Major points about the Blacks are that for the past four hundred years, the Blacks have been taught to hate their identity; the self-hatred resulted in a pervasive sin among many members of the Black community. He stated that one cannot hate the root of the tree and not hate the tree itself; this made the Blacks feel inferior making them turn to other people to show them the way.

Martin on the other hand talked about standing against a system that oppresses the Blacks, he emphasized that being nobody is not easy, therefore, that which was seen as black should shot be seen as ugly. Martin went ahead and talked about having a Negro freedom among all the Negros since enslaving the body involves enslaving the entire soul. Hence the Blacks should encourage themselves and not be ashamed of their past as slaves, but appreciate themselves as being black and beautiful. Both men have the same analysis that we have been taught to have ourselves, lack of belief in ourselves as Blacks, and the blacks should do something to offset this cultural homicide, as called by Martin.

Both Malcolm and Martin called for the blacks to embrace the Black pride, develop self-affirmation and all the blacks to undergo education that will reflect the past history of the Black people. In the larger world, they had other priorities except for internal priorities that were connected to the establishment of education, and Martin emphasized African-American unity by stating any movement present that is meant to overlook this necessity is only waiting to be buried. The work and life events of Martin Luther were stressed exclusively making the history taught in schools expressed in different ways (Weis and Fine 239).

The manner in which Malcolm X and Martin spread their views was through assertiveness, powerful speeches that were hard hitting. To put it simpler, both the intentions of Martin and Malcolm were delivered in styles that were different. For example, Martin was an inspirational speaker, and he travelled all over the country motivating people to live a life full of racial harmony. Martin appeared to have idealistic mind and was rational and positive in giving his speeches and views on different things.

This is evident in his speech that he said he had a dream of seeing his children living a life that they are not judged by their race but character. In comparison to Martin, Malcolm X was an extremist, and this is evident the time he was an Islamic Minister, X talked more about separating blacks from whites, emphasizing Black Supremacy and presence of nationalism among the Blacks. To look at this in